Farm Crop Production Technicians
Overview
Introduction
Farm crop production technicians assist farmers and agricultural businesses in all aspects of planting, growing, and marketing crops. With backgrounds in agriculture and scientific research, they advise farmers on the best techniques to produce crops. They also work for companies that produce agricultural products such as fertilizer and equipment to make sure they are meeting the needs of farmers. There are approximately 29,200 agricultural and food science technicians, including farm crop production technicians, employed in the Uni...
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
Salaries of farm crop production technicians vary widely. Technicians employed in off-the-farm jobs often receive higher salaries than technicians working on farms. Salaries are influenced by such factors as the technicians educational background, the geographic area he or she is employed in, the technicians agricultural experience, and the type of crop involved.
The U.S. Department of L...
Work Environment
Certain technicians in this field work primarily outdoors and must be able to adapt to extreme weather conditions. There may be certain seasons of the year when they are required to work long hours under considerable pressure to get a crop harvested or processed at just the right time.
The work of laboratory technicians in this field involves exacting, systematic procedures in facilities...
Outlook
Farm products have not decreased in importance, but the employment of farmers today is on the decline as farms consolidate and become more mechanized. This should result in fewer opportunities overall for farm crop production technicians. However, workers will be needed to replace those who leave the field.
Employment predictions vary based on job title. For example, employment for agric...