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Agricultural workers play a large role in getting food, plants, and other agricultural products to market. Working mostly on farms or ranches or in nurseries, slaughterhouses, or ports of entry, these workers have numerous and diverse duties. Among their activities are planting and harvesting crops, installing irrigation, delivering animals, and making sure that our food is safe.

More than 8 out of 10 agricultural workers are farmworkers and laborers. Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse perform numerous activities related to growing and harvesting grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, fiber, trees, shrubs, and other crops. Among their activities are planting and seeding, pruning, irrigating, harvesting, and packing and loading crops for shipment. Farmworkers also apply pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers to crops; repair fences; and help with irrigation. Nursery and greenhouse workers prepare land or greenhouse beds for growing horticultural products, such as trees, plants, flowers, and sod. Their duties include planting, watering, pruning, weeding, and spraying the plants. They may cut, roll, and stack sod; stake trees; tie, wrap, and pack plants to fill orders; and dig up or move field-grown and containerized shrubs and trees.

Farmworkers, farm and ranch animals care for live farm, ranch, or aquacultural animals that may include cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses, poultry, finfish, shellfish, and bees. The animals are usually raised to supply such products as meat, fur, skins, feathers, eggs, milk, and honey. The farmworkers' duties may include feeding, watering, herding, grazing, castrating, branding, debeaking, weighing, catching, and loading animals. On dairy farms, farmworkers operate milking machines; they also may maintain records on animals, examine animals to detect diseases and injuries, assist in delivering animals at their birth, and administer medications, vaccinations, or insecticides as appropriate. Daily duties of such farmworkers include cleaning and maintaining animal housing areas.

Other farmworkers known as agricultural equipment operators operate a variety of farm equipment used in plowing, sowing, maintaining, and harvesting agricultural products. The equipment may include tractors, fertilizer spreaders, haybines, raking equipment, balers, combines, and threshers, as well as trucks. These farmworkers also operate machines used in moving and treating crops after their harvest, such as conveyor belts, loading machines, separators, cleaners, and dryers. In addition, they may make adjustments and minor repairs to equipment. When not operating machines, agricultural equipment operators may perform other farm duties that are not typical of other farmworkers.

Agricultural inspectors, another type of agricultural worker, are employed by Federal and State governments to ensure compliance with laws and regulations governing the health, quality, and safety of agricultural commodities. Inspectors also make sure that the facilities and equipment used in processing the commodities meet quality standards. Meat safety is one of their prime responsibilities, and they try to ensure that the meat we eat is free of harmful ingredients or bacteria. In meat-processing facilities, inspectors may collect samples of suspected diseased animals or materials and send the samples to a laboratory for identification and analysis. They also may inspect livestock to help determine the effectiveness of medication and feeding programs. Some inspectors are stationed at export and import sites to weigh and inspect agricultural shipments leaving and entering the country to ensure the quality and quantity of the shipments. A few work at logging sites, making sure that safety regulations are enforced.

Graders and sorters of agricultural products examine agricultural commodities being prepared to be packed for market and classify them according to quality or size guidelines. They grade, sort, or classify unprocessed food and other agricultural products by size, weight, color, or condition and discard inferior or defective products. For example, graders sort eggs by color and size and also examine the fat content, or marbling, of beef, assigning a grade of "Prime," "Choice," or something else, as appropriate. The grade that is assigned determines the price at which the commodity may be sold.

Animal breeders select and breed animals using their knowledge of genetics and animal science to produce offspring with desired traits and characteristics, such as chickens that lay more eggs, pigs that produce leaner meat, and sheep with more desirable wool. Animal breeders also raise and breed animals simply to sell their offspring for money, including cats and dogs and other household pets. The larger and more expensive animals that are bred, such as horses and cattle, are usually bred through artificial insemination, which requires the taking of semen from the male and then inseminating the female with it. Using this process insures better results and also enables one prized male to sire many more offspring than through conventional mating. To know when and which animals to breed, breeders keep detailed records, including the health of the animal, its size and weight, and the amount and quality of the product produced by the animal. They also keep track of the traits of the offspring. Some breeders work as consultants for a number of farmers, while others breed and raise their own animals for eventual sale or breeding. For breeders that raise animals, they may also have to care and clean animal shelters, feed and water the animals, and oversee their day-to-day health or supervise others that perform these jobs. Additionally, animal breeders read journals and newsletters to remain current with the latest information on animal breeding and veterinary advice.

Task	Level of Importance	Frequency
Adjust, repair, and service farm machinery and notify supervisors when machinery malfunctions.	4.16	Daily (38.26%)
Observe and listen to machinery operation to detect equipment malfunctions.	4.06	Daily (36.45%)
Irrigate soil, using portable pipes or ditch systems, and maintain ditches or pipes and pumps.	3.96	Yearly or less (37.27%)
Mix specified materials or chemicals, and dump solutions, powders, or seeds into planter or sprayer machinery.	3.67	Daily (31.15%)
Operate or tend equipment used in agricultural production, such as tractors, combines, and irrigation equipment.	3.65	Weekly or more (34.30%)
Manipulate controls to set, activate, and adjust mechanisms on machinery.	3.60	Weekly or more (30.37%)
Direct and monitor the activities of work crews engaged in planting, weeding, or harvesting activities.	3.47	Daily (33.98%)
Load hoppers, containers, or conveyors to feed machines with products, using forklifts, transfer augers, suction gates, shovels, or pitchforks.	3.46	Yearly or more (34.11%)
Spray fertilizer or pesticide solutions to control insects, fungus and weed growth, and diseases, using hand sprayers.	3.38	Yearly or more (38.01%)
Attach farm implements such as plows, discs, sprayers, or harvesters to tractors, using bolts and hand tools.	3.36	Daily (38.93%)
Operate towed machines such as seed drills or manure spreaders to plant, fertilize, dust, and spray crops.	3.31	Monthly or more (33.80%)
Drive trucks to haul crops, supplies, tools, or farm workers.	3.29	Daily (38.08%)
Walk beside or ride on planting machines while inserting plants in planter mechanisms at specified intervals.	3.29	Yearly or more (37.02%)
Weigh crop-filled containers, and record weights and other identifying information.	3.16	Yearly or more (46.05%)
Load and unload crops or containers of materials, manually or using conveyors, handtrucks, forklifts, or transfer augers.	3.15	Yearly or more (46.55%)
Guide products on conveyors to regulate flow through machines, and to discard diseased or rotten products.	2.36	Yearly or less (36.60%)
Position boxes or attach bags at discharge ends of machinery to catch products, removing and closing full containers.	2.15	Yearly or less (62.23%)

Importance Controlling Machines and Processes [ ? ]  4.39 Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material [ ? ]  4.38 Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment [ ? ]  4.37 Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment [ ? ]  4.37 Handling and Moving Objects [ ? ]  3.62 Getting Information [ ? ]  3.61 Performing General Physical Activities [ ? ]  3.42 Making Decisions and Solving Problems [ ? ]  3.23 Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates [ ? ]  3.06 Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings [ ? ]  2.85 Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work [ ? ]  2.65 Scheduling Work and Activities [ ? ]  2.60 Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events [ ? ]  2.47 Training and Teaching Others [ ? ]  2.45 Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others [ ? ]  2.43 Monitoring and Controlling Resources [ ? ]  2.41 Documenting/Recording Information [ ? ]  2.39 Developing Objectives and Strategies [ ? ]  2.39 Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information [ ? ]  2.25 Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge [ ? ]  2.25 Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships [ ? ]  2.23 Analyzing Data or Information [ ? ]  2.21 Performing Administrative Activities [ ? ]  2.19 Interacting With Computers [ ? ]  2.19 Thinking Creatively [ ? ]  2.07 Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People [ ? ]  2.06 Assisting and Caring for Others [ ? ]  2.05 Coaching and Developing Others [ ? ]  2.05 Processing Information [ ? ]  1.86 Provide Consultation and Advice to Others [ ? ]  1.84 Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment [ ? ]  1.83 Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment [ ? ]  1.82 Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates [ ? ]  1.82 Communicating with Persons Outside Organization [ ? ]  1.81 Staffing Organizational Units [ ? ]  1.79 Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards [ ? ]  1.50 Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others [ ? ]  1.49 Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others [ ? ]  1.46 Developing and Building Teams [ ? ]  1.45 Selling or Influencing Others [ ? ]  1.43 Performing for or Working Directly with the Public [ ? ]  1.43

Level Handling and Moving Objects [ ? ]  5.40 Controlling Machines and Processes [ ? ]  4.61 Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment [ ? ]  4.60 Performing General Physical Activities [ ? ]  4.41 Getting Information [ ? ]  3.95 Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment [ ? ]  3.81 Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings [ ? ]  3.80 Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material [ ? ]  3.80 Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work [ ? ]  3.64 Making Decisions and Solving Problems [ ? ]  3.43 Scheduling Work and Activities [ ? ]  3.35 Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates [ ? ]  3.23 Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships [ ? ]  3.22 Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others [ ? ]  2.99 Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge [ ? ]  2.66 Monitoring and Controlling Resources [ ? ]  2.59 Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events [ ? ]  2.42 Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment [ ? ]  2.40 Training and Teaching Others [ ? ]  2.23 Developing Objectives and Strategies [ ? ]  2.18 Thinking Creatively [ ? ]  2.06 Assisting and Caring for Others [ ? ]  2.03 Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information [ ? ]  2.03 Coaching and Developing Others [ ? ]  2.02 Analyzing Data or Information [ ? ]  2.01 Performing Administrative Activities [ ? ]  1.98 Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People [ ? ]  1.86 Interacting With Computers [ ? ]  1.81 Communicating with Persons Outside Organization [ ? ]  1.79 Documenting/Recording Information [ ? ]  1.78 Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates [ ? ]  1.78 Staffing Organizational Units [ ? ]  1.75 Processing Information [ ? ]  1.65 Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment [ ? ]  1.62 Provide Consultation and Advice to Others [ ? ]  1.62 Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others [ ? ]  1.24 Developing and Building Teams [ ? ]  1.03 Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others [ ? ]  1.02 Performing for or Working Directly with the Public [ ? ]  0.81 Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards [ ? ]  0.69 Selling or Influencing Others [ ? ]  0.62