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Agricultural Equipment Operators - 45-2091.00

O*NET-SOC Description

Drive and control equipment to support agricultural activities such as tilling soil; planting, cultivating, and harvesting crops; feeding and herding livestock; or removing animal waste. May perform tasks such as crop baling or hay bucking. May operate stationary equipment to perform post-harvest tasks such as husking, shelling, threshing, and ginning.

Sample of Reported Job Titles

Baler Operator
Cutter Operator
Equipment Operator
Farm Equipment Operator
Hay Baler

Loader Operator
Packing Tractor Machine Operator
Rake Operator
Sprayer
Windrower Operator

SOC Occupation Groups

45-0000	Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations
45-2000	Agricultural Workers
45-2090	Miscellaneous Agricultural Workers
45-2091.00	Agricultural Equipment Operators

Related Occupations

37-3012.00	Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation
45-2092.00	Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse
51-4035.00	Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
51-9012.00	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
51-9021.00	Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
51-9041.00	Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
53-7011.00	Conveyor Operators and Tenders Bright Outlook
53-7051.00	Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
53-7062.00	Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
53-7063.00	Machine Feeders and Offbearers

Tasks

Adjust, repair, and service farm machinery and notify supervisors when machinery malfunctions.
Attach farm implements such as plows, discs, sprayers, or harvesters to tractors, using bolts and hand tools.
Direct and monitor the activities of work crews engaged in planting, weeding, or harvesting activities.
Drive trucks to haul crops, supplies, tools, or farm workers.
Guide products on conveyors to regulate flow through machines, and to discard diseased or rotten products.
Irrigate soil, using portable pipes or ditch systems, and maintain ditches or pipes and pumps.
Load and unload crops or containers of materials, manually or using conveyors, handtrucks, forklifts, or transfer augers.
Load hoppers, containers, or conveyors to feed machines with products, using forklifts, transfer augers, suction gates, shovels, or pitchforks.
Manipulate controls to set, activate, and adjust mechanisms on machinery.
Mix specified materials or chemicals, and dump solutions, powders, or seeds into planter or sprayer machinery.
Observe and listen to machinery operation to detect equipment malfunctions.
Operate or tend equipment used in agricultural production, such as tractors, combines, and irrigation equipment.
Operate towed machines such as seed drills or manure spreaders to plant, fertilize, dust, and spray crops.
Position boxes or attach bags at discharge ends of machinery to catch products, removing and closing full containers.
Spray fertilizer or pesticide solutions to control insects, fungus and weed growth, and diseases, using hand sprayers.
Walk beside or ride on planting machines while inserting plants in planter mechanisms at specified intervals.
Weigh crop-filled containers, and record weights and other identifying information.

Detailed Work Activities

Apply chemical solutions to plants to protect against disease or insects or to enhance growth.
Attach equipment extensions or accessories.
Confer with managers to make operational decisions.
Direct activities of agricultural, forestry, or fishery employees.
Inspect equipment or facilities to determine condition or maintenance needs.
Load agricultural or forestry products for shipment.
Load materials into equipment for processing.
Maintain forestry, hunting, or agricultural equipment.
Measure physical characteristics of forestry or agricultural products.
Operate conveyors or other industrial material moving equipment.
Operate farming equipment.
Operate irrigation systems.
Plant crops, trees, or other plants.
Prepare materials or solutions for animal or plant use.
Record agricultural or forestry inventory data.