Agricultural Equipment Operators

• Observe and listen to machinery operation to detect equipment malfunctions.
• Irrigate soil, using portable pipes or ditch systems, and maintain ditches or pipes and pumps.
• Mix specified materials or chemicals, and dump solutions, powders, or seeds into planter or sprayer machinery.
• Operate or tend equipment used in agricultural production, such as tractors, combines, and irrigation equipment.
• Manipulate controls to set, activate, and adjust mechanisms on machinery.
• Direct and monitor the activities of work crews engaged in planting, weeding, or harvesting activities.
• Load hoppers, containers, or conveyors to feed machines with products, using forklifts, transfer augers, suction gates, shovels, or pitchforks.
• Spray fertilizer or pesticide solutions to control insects, fungus and weed growth, and diseases, using hand sprayers.
• Attach farm implements such as plows, discs, sprayers, or harvesters to tractors, using bolts and hand tools.
• Operate towed machines such as seed drills or manure spreaders to plant, fertilize, dust, and spray crops.
• Drive trucks to haul crops, supplies, tools, or farm workers.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Agricultural Equipment Operators.

• Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
• Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
• Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
• Repairing - Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Equipment Maintenance - Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Agricultural Equipment Operators.