Agricultural Equipment Operators
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 45-2091.00
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.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Low· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery highGroup-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
- Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.000
0.000Range of values carried here0.745Scale, basis and source
Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published
Mapped onto O*NET tasks
Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value
- Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.12–0.19· 6 ISCO-08 groups
Scale, basis and source
Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published
Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published
What kind of figure this source publishes
The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.
ILO value for each linked ISCO-08 group
- ISCO-08 6111Field Crop and Vegetable Growers0.18
- ISCO-08 6112Tree and Shrub Crop Growers0.17
- ISCO-08 6113Gardeners, Horticultural and Nursery Growers0.18
- ISCO-08 6114Mixed Crop Growers0.17
- ISCO-08 6130Mixed Crop and Animal Producers0.19
- ISCO-08 8341Mobile Farm and Forestry Plant Operators0.12
Task-level exposure
17 rated tasks · 0 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (0.0%)
β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.
- Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
- All rated tasks are in the O*NET 31.0 task list.
- Source
- OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
- Release
- gh-main-0471612
- License
- MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI
Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime.
| Task (O*NET 27.2) | βE1 + 0.5 × E2 |
|---|---|
Adjust, repair, and service farm machinery and notify supervisors when machinery malfunctions.O*NET Task ID 13355 | 0.0 |
Observe and listen to machinery operation to detect equipment malfunctions.O*NET Task ID 13356 | 0.0 |
Irrigate soil, using portable pipes or ditch systems, and maintain ditches or pipes and pumps.O*NET Task ID 13357 | 0.0 |
Mix specified materials or chemicals, and dump solutions, powders, or seeds into planter or sprayer machinery.O*NET Task ID 13358 | 0.0 |
Operate or tend equipment used in agricultural production, such as tractors, combines, and irrigation equipment.O*NET Task ID 13359 | 0.0 |
Manipulate controls to set, activate, and adjust mechanisms on machinery.O*NET Task ID 13360 | 0.0 |
Direct and monitor the activities of work crews engaged in planting, weeding, or harvesting activities.O*NET Task ID 13361 | 0.0 |
Load hoppers, containers, or conveyors to feed machines with products, using forklifts, transfer augers, suction gates, shovels, or pitchforks.O*NET Task ID 13362 | 0.0 |
Spray fertilizer or pesticide solutions to control insects, fungus and weed growth, and diseases, using hand sprayers.O*NET Task ID 13363 | 0.0 |
Attach farm implements such as plows, discs, sprayers, or harvesters to tractors, using bolts and hand tools.O*NET Task ID 13364 | 0.0 |
Operate towed machines such as seed drills or manure spreaders to plant, fertilize, dust, and spray crops.O*NET Task ID 13365 | 0.0 |
Drive trucks to haul crops, supplies, tools, or farm workers.O*NET Task ID 13366 | 0.0 |
Walk beside or ride on planting machines while inserting plants in planter mechanisms at specified intervals.O*NET Task ID 13367 | 0.0 |
Weigh crop-filled containers, and record weights and other identifying information.O*NET Task ID 13368 | 0.0 |
Load and unload crops or containers of materials, manually or using conveyors, handtrucks, forklifts, or transfer augers.O*NET Task ID 13369 | 0.0 |
Guide products on conveyors to regulate flow through machines, and to discard diseased or rotten products.O*NET Task ID 13370 | 0.0 |
Position boxes or attach bags at discharge ends of machinery to catch products, removing and closing full containers.O*NET Task ID 13371 | 0.0 |
β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.
Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page
All O*NET 31.0 task statements (17)
All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.
| Task (O*NET 31.0) | Type |
|---|---|
| Adjust, repair, and service farm machinery and notify supervisors when machinery malfunctions. | Core |
| Observe and listen to machinery operation to detect equipment malfunctions. | Core |
| Mix specified materials or chemicals, and dump solutions, powders, or seeds into planter or sprayer machinery. | Core |
| Operate or tend equipment used in agricultural production, such as tractors, combines, and irrigation equipment. | Core |
| Manipulate controls to set, activate, and adjust mechanisms on machinery. | Core |
| Spray fertilizer or pesticide solutions to control insects, fungus and weed growth, and diseases, using hand sprayers. | Core |
| Attach farm implements such as plows, discs, sprayers, or harvesters to tractors, using bolts and hand tools. | Core |
| Load and unload crops or containers of materials, manually or using conveyors, handtrucks, forklifts, or transfer augers. | Core |
| Irrigate soil, using portable pipes or ditch systems, and maintain ditches or pipes and pumps. | Supplemental |
| Direct and monitor the activities of work crews engaged in planting, weeding, or harvesting activities. | Supplemental |
| Load hoppers, containers, or conveyors to feed machines with products, using forklifts, transfer augers, suction gates, shovels, or pitchforks. | Supplemental |
| Operate towed machines such as seed drills or manure spreaders to plant, fertilize, dust, and spray crops. | Supplemental |
| Drive trucks to haul crops, supplies, tools, or farm workers. | Supplemental |
| Walk beside or ride on planting machines while inserting plants in planter mechanisms at specified intervals. | Supplemental |
| Weigh crop-filled containers, and record weights and other identifying information. | Supplemental |
| Guide products on conveyors to regulate flow through machines, and to discard diseased or rotten products. | Supplemental |
| Position boxes or attach bags at discharge ends of machinery to catch products, removing and closing full containers. | Supplemental |
2.13/ 3· Robot exposure index
Scale, basis and source
Each physical task is graded 0–3 by the setting in which robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated could do it (0 none · 1 purpose-built robot settings such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line · 2 structured facilities such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port · 3 unstructured settings such as a private home or a construction site), and the grades are averaged by share of working time
Physical tasks among this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks
Anthropic estimated the grades and time shares with Claude Opus 5 using web search, as of 2026.
The robot exposure index is a different measure from the AI exposure figures on this site and cannot be added to or compared with them. It does not measure actual adoption or cost, and 0 also covers occupations with no physical tasks.
Tier of each physical task
Robot environment tiers (E0–E3)
E0 noneDetails
Rated not doable by robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated, even in a purpose-built setting
E1 purpose-built robot settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting built around the machine, such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line
E2 structured facilitiesDetails
Rated doable in a human work facility that an institution keeps to a working standard, such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port
E3 unstructured settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting that no institution keeps to a working standard, such as a private home or a construction site
Only tasks classified as physical are listed; other tasks have no tier in the source.
| Task (O*NET 29.3) | Robot environment tier |
|---|---|
| Adjust, repair, and service farm machinery and notify supervisors when machinery malfunctions. | E2 structured facilities |
| Observe and listen to machinery operation to detect equipment malfunctions. | E2 structured facilities |
| Mix specified materials or chemicals, and dump solutions, powders, or seeds into planter or sprayer machinery. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Operate or tend equipment used in agricultural production, such as tractors, combines, and irrigation equipment. | E3 unstructured settings |
| Manipulate controls to set, activate, and adjust mechanisms on machinery. | E3 unstructured settings |
| Spray fertilizer or pesticide solutions to control insects, fungus and weed growth, and diseases, using hand sprayers. | E3 unstructured settings |
| Attach farm implements such as plows, discs, sprayers, or harvesters to tractors, using bolts and hand tools. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Load and unload crops or containers of materials, manually or using conveyors, handtrucks, forklifts, or transfer augers. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Irrigate soil, using portable pipes or ditch systems, and maintain ditches or pipes and pumps. | E0 none |
| Load hoppers, containers, or conveyors to feed machines with products, using forklifts, transfer augers, suction gates, shovels, or pitchforks. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Operate towed machines such as seed drills or manure spreaders to plant, fertilize, dust, and spray crops. | E3 unstructured settings |
| Drive trucks to haul crops, supplies, tools, or farm workers. | E2 structured facilities |
| Walk beside or ride on planting machines while inserting plants in planter mechanisms at specified intervals. | E3 unstructured settings |
| Weigh crop-filled containers, and record weights and other identifying information. | E2 structured facilities |
| Guide products on conveyors to regulate flow through machines, and to discard diseased or rotten products. | E2 structured facilities |
| Position boxes or attach bags at discharge ends of machinery to catch products, removing and closing full containers. | E2 structured facilities |
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
- Employment, 2025
- 67K
- Projected employment, 2035
- 73K
- Change (2025–35)
- +8.6%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $41,730
- Typical education needed for entry
- No formal educational credential
Korea classification links (KSCO)
Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.
| KSCO code | KSCO title | Relation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 87409 | 그 외 건설 및 채굴기계 운전원 | This occupation is narrower | confirmed |
Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)
ILO occupational description
AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.
- ISCO-08 6111Field Crop and Vegetable Growers
- ISCO-08 6112Tree and Shrub Crop Growers
- ISCO-08 6113Gardeners, Horticultural and Nursery Growers
- ISCO-08 6114Mixed Crop Growers
- ISCO-08 6130Mixed Crop and Animal Producers
- ISCO-08 8341Mobile Farm and Forestry Plant Operators
Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits
ESCO occupational vocabulary
Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.
- land-based machinery operatorESCO 8341.2Same scope
Land-based machinery operators operate specialised equipment and machinery for agricultural production and maintenance of landscape.
- aquaculture cage mooring workerESCO 9216.1This occupation is broader
Aquaculture cage mooring workers operate highly-specialised equipment in order to moor cages in stable stations, drifting cages or even self-propelled and semi-submerged cages.
- cotton gin operatorESCO 8151.1This occupation is broader
Cotton gin operators perform ginning operations for separating cotton fibres from the seeds. They tend bale presses and remove the processed bales from the gin. They perform machine maintenance and ensure smooth running of processing operations.
- agricultural machinery technicianESCO 7233.8.1Overlapping, not the same
Agricultural equipment technicians repair, overhaul and maintain agricultural equipment including tractors, tillage equipment, seeding equipment and harvesting equipment. They perform evaluations of the equipment, perform preventive maintenance activities and repair faults.
- crop production workerESCO 9213.1Overlapping, not the same
Crop production workers carry out practical activities and assist in the production of agronomical crops.
- forestry machinery technicianESCO 7233.8.2Overlapping, not the same
Forestry machinery technicians maintain and transport forestry machinery. As part of the maintenance of forestry machinery, they make use of specialised software and data recording systems and instruments.
- land-based machinery technicianESCO 7233.8Overlapping, not the same
Land-based machinery technicians maintain, overhaul and repair agricultural equipment and machinery.
Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)
License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)
ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.
France classification links (ROME)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.
| ROME code | ROME title (French) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| A1101 | Conducteur / Conductrice d'engins agricoles | Same scopeprovisional |
| A1419 | Ouvrier agricole polyvalent / Ouvrière agricole polyvalente | Related, not a match |
Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.
ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)
Spain classification links (CNO-11)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| CNO-11 code | CNO-11 title (Spanish) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 8321 | Operadores de maquinaria agrícola móvil | Same scopeprovisional |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)
Germany classification links (KldB)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| KldB code | KldB title (German) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 52512 | Führer/innen von land- und forstwirtschaftlichen Maschinen - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
| 11102 | Berufe in der Landwirtschaft (ohne Spezialisierung) - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)
Japan classification links (JSCO)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| JSCO code | JSCO title (Japanese) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 461 | 農耕従事者 | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
| 462 | 養畜従事者 | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)
Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources