Agricultural Equipment Technicians
Overview
Introduction
Agricultural equipment technicians work with modern farm machinery. They assemble, adjust, operate, maintain, modify, test, and even help design it. This machinery includes automatic animal feeding systems; milking machine systems; and tilling, planting, harvesting, irrigating, drying, and handling equipment. Agricultural equipment technicians work on farms or for agricultural machinery manufacturers or dealerships. They often supervise skilled mechanics and other workers who keep machines and systems operating at maximum efficiency...
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
Agricultural technicians working for the government may be able to enter a position at GS-5 (government wage scale), which was $29,350 in 2019. The U.S. Department of Labor reports that median annual earnings for agricultural equipment mechanics was $40,630 in May 2018. Hourly wages ranged from less than $12.88 ($26,790 a year) to more than $29.13 ($60,590 a year). Those working on farms often ...
Work Environment
Working conditions vary according to the type of field chosen. Technicians who are employed by large farming operations will work indoors or outdoors depending on the season and the tasks that need to be done. Planning machine overhauls and the directing of such work usually is done in enclosed spaces equipped for it. As implied by its name, field servicing and repairs are done in the field.
Outlook
The U.S. Department of Labor reports that employment of agricultural equipment technicians is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all careers through 2028. Agricultural equipment businesses now demand more expertise than ever before, so there will be opportunities for technicians. A variety of complex specialized machines and mechanical devices are steadily being produced and modi...
