Occupation Details
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse
Manually plant, cultivate, and harvest vegetables, fruits, nuts, horticultural specialties, and field crops. Use hand tools, such as shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, pruning hooks, shears, and knives. Duties may include tilling soil and applying fertilizers; transplanting, weeding, thinning, or pruning crops; applying pesticides; or cleaning, grading, sorting, packing, and loading harvested products. May construct trellises, repair fences and farm buildings, or participate in irrigation activities.
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Interests
Realistic
Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Conventional
Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Work Values
Achievement
Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Relationships
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Support
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Salary & Job Outlook
Starting Salary
$28,920.00
New York StateMedian Salary
$30,810.00
New York StateExperienced Salary
$37,510.00
New York StateNational Average for Comparison
New York State Job Market Outlook
Jobs Right Now (2018)
10,660
professionals in NYFuture Job Growth (2030)
11,390
+73 jobs/yearNew Jobs Every Year
1,801
new opportunities yearlyGrowth Rate
0.1%
projected increasePreparation: Experience, Training, and Education
The list below outlines the prior educational experience required to perform in this occupation.
Quick Start - High school or less
Experience Requirements
Little or no previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, a person can become a waiter or waitress even if he/she has never worked before.
Education Requirements
Some of these occupations may require a high school diploma or GED certificate.
Training Details
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few days to a few months of training. Usually, an experienced worker could show you how to do the job.
Transferrable Skills and Experience
These occupations involve following instructions and helping others. Examples include food preparation workers, dishwashers, floor sanders and finishers, landscaping and groundskeeping workers, logging equipment operators, and baristas.
School Programs
School Programs information is not available for this occupation.
Licensing & Certification
State License and Certifications Requirements are not currently associated with this occupation.
Skills
The list below includes the skills required by workers in this occupation; skills are what allow you to learn more quickly and improve your performance.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Operations Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Skill level is measured on a seven point scale, where one means 'some competence required for this occupation' and seven means 'a high level of expertise required for this occupation'.
Knowledge
The list below includes knowledge items, the principles and facts required by this occupation.
Food Production
Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
Biology
Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Mechanical
Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Administration and Management
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Chemistry
Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Mathematics
Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Knowledge level is measured on a seven point scale, where one means 'some competence required for this occupation' and seven means 'a high level of expertise required for this occupation'.
Work Environment
The list below includes the physical and social factors that influence the nature of work in this occupation.
Hover over or tap each factor to see its description.
Work Styles
Included in the list below are the personal work style characteristics that can affect how well a worker is likely to perform in this occupation.
Adaptability/Flexibility
Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Attention to Detail
Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Concern for Others
Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
Cooperation
Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Dependability
Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Independence
Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Initiative
Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Integrity
Job requires being honest and ethical.
Persistence
Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
Stress Tolerance
Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
Tools & Technology
This list below describes the machines, equipment, tools, software, and information technology that workers in this occupation will use.
Tools
- Adjustable hand wrenches
- Adjustable widemouth pliers
- Air compressors
- All terrain vehicles ATV
- Allen wrenches
- Anvil pruners
- Arborist saws
- Battery booster cables
- Battery power testers
- Bed rollers
- Bench grafting knives
- Bow saws
- Budding knives
- Bulb planters
- Canister gas masks
- Carbon dioxide systems
- Cargo trucks
- Chain saw sharpeners
- Chain saws
- Claw hammers
- Combine harvesters
- Compass saws
- Compressed air sprayers
- Corn pickers
- Crop planters
- Desktop computers
- Detasselers
- Digital calipers
- Digital levels
- Disk tillage equipment
Technology
- Farm Works Software Trac
- Global positioning system GPS software
- IBM Lotus Notes
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft Word
Duties
Duties are job behaviors describing activities that occur on multiple jobs. The generalized and detailed work activities described in the list below apply to this occupation.
- examine animals to detect illness, disease, or injury
- feed or water animals
- groom animals
- direct and coordinate activities of workers or staff
- perform safety inspections in agricultural, forestry, or fishing setting
- perform safety inspections in agricultural, forestry, or fishing setting
- maintain or repair cargo or passenger vehicle
- maintain or repair farm vehicles, machinery, or mechanical implements
- drive automobile, van, or light truck
- drive truck with capacity greater than 3 tons
- operate tractor with accessories or attachments
- follow horticulture irrigation techniques
- use plant or crop transplant techniques
- use plant disease control techniques
- operate power driven pumps
- use chain saws
- use hand or power tools
- use hand or power tools
- use vehicle repair tools or safety equipment
- operate agricultural equipment or machinery
- identify crop characteristics
- identify crop characteristics
- identify fruit or vegetable or crops ready for harvest
- identify livestock characteristics
- recognize disease or parasites in animals
- recognize plant diseases
- recognize plant diseases
- use herbicides, fertilizers, pesticides or related products
- use herbicides, fertilizers, pesticides or related products
- package goods for shipment or storage
- use portable hand spray equipment
- fasten attachments or accessories to tractor
- move or fit heavy objects
- move or fit heavy objects
- clean rooms or work areas
- plant, cultivate, or harvest crops, including aquaculture
- plant, cultivate, or harvest crops, including aquaculture
- construct, erect, or repair wooden frameworks or structures
- hand harvest agricultural crops
- load, unload, or stack containers, materials, or products
- fell or buck trees
Tasks
The list below outlines specific tasks that a worker in this occupation is called upon to do regularly.
- Plant, spray, weed, fertilize, water, and prune plants, shrubs, and trees, using gardening tools.
- Sell and deliver plants and flowers to customers.
- Record information about crops, such as pesticide use, yields, or costs.
- Direct and monitor the work of casual and seasonal help during planting and harvesting.
- Sow grass seed, or plant plugs of grass.
- Harvest plants, and transplant or pot and label them.
- Participate in the inspection, grading, sorting, storage, and post-harvest treatment of crops.
- Regulate greenhouse conditions, and indoor and outdoor irrigation systems.
- Cut, roll, and stack sod.
- Feel plants' leaves and note their coloring to detect the presence of insects or disease.
- Repair and maintain farm vehicles, implements, and mechanical equipment.
- Provide information and advice to the public regarding the selection, purchase, and care of products.
- Harvest fruits and vegetables by hand.
- Set up and operate irrigation equipment.
- Maintain and repair irrigation and climate control systems.
- Inform farmers or farm managers of crop progress.
- Dig, cut, and transplant seedlings, cuttings, trees, and shrubs.
- Identify plants, pests, and weeds to determine the selection and application of pesticides and fertilizers.
- Operate tractors, tractor-drawn machinery, and self-propelled machinery to plow, harrow and fertilize soil, or to plant, cultivate, spray and harvest crops.
- Maintain inventory, ordering materials as required.
- Record information about plants and plant growth.
- Dig, rake, and screen soil, filling cold frames and hot beds in preparation for planting.
- Load agricultural products into trucks, and drive trucks to market or storage facilities.
- Inspect plants and bud ties to assess quality.
- Trap and destroy pests, such as moles, gophers, and mice, using pesticides.
- Move containerized shrubs, plants, and trees, using wheelbarrows or tractors.
- Tie and bunch flowers, plants, shrubs, and trees, wrap their roots, and pack them into boxes to fill orders.
- Clean work areas, and maintain grounds and landscaping.
- Haul and spread topsoil, fertilizer, peat moss, and other materials to condition soil, using wheelbarrows or carts and shovels.
- Repair farm buildings, fences, and other structures.
Learning Resources
More information on this occupation may be found in the links provided below.
Agricultural workers
Visit this link for additional information on this career from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; a publication produced and maintained by the United States Department of Labor.
Learn MoreDiscover Cornell Plantations Children's Tours
Throughout the year, Cornell Plantations hold children's guided group tours. Children investigate an assortment of temperate and tropical plants that feed and clothe the world's population, use their sense of smell and match herbal products to plants while exploring some of the myriad ways herbs have enriched our lives for thousands of years, and pick, smell, and taste their way through the history of vegetable growing in the northeastern United States.
Learn MoreGreat Plant Escape
<p>Getting kids to think about plants and plant life is an important part of The Great Plant Escape. This site will have the students helping Detective LePlant and his partners Bud and Sprout unlock the amazing mysteries of plant life.</p>
Learn MorePLANTS Database
The PLANTS database includes information on the vascular and nonvascular plants of the United States and its territories. It includes checklists, species abstracts, distributional data, crop information, plants symbols, growth data, references and a variety of other plant information.
Learn More