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.

What you'd actually do

• 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.
• Participate in the inspection, grading, sorting, storage, and post-harvest treatment of crops.
• Harvest plants, and transplant or pot and label them.
• Repair and maintain farm vehicles, implements, and mechanical equipment.
• Harvest fruits and vegetables by hand.

How you get there

Typical entry-level education: Less than high school. Overall preparation: little or no preparation (Job Zone 1 of 5).

The feel of the work

Much of the work happens outdoors; much of the day is spent working solo. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)

Working for yourself

About 7.9% of farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse are self-employed.

Who it tends to fit

This work tends to fit people who are hands-on and organized and detail-focused.

Related careers

• Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products
• Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals
• Agricultural Workers, All Other
• Agricultural Equipment Operators
• Forest and Conservation Workers
• Log Graders and Scalers

Quick questions

How much does a farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse make?

The median pay is $17.15 per hour — roughly $35,500 a year, with the real range running from about $15.82/hr (10th percentile) to $21.96/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Do you need a degree to be a farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse?

The typical entry-level education is: Less than high school. Overall preparation level: little or no preparation (Job Zone 1 of 5).

What does a farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse actually do all day?

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. Participate in the inspection, grading, sorting, storage, and post-harvest treatment of crops.