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Agricultural Equipment Operators in South Dakota

Considering working as an Agricultural Equipment Operators in South Dakota? Here’s what the data says. 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.

What do Agricultural Equipment Operators Make in South Dakota?

For agricultural equipment operators working in South Dakota, the median annual wage is $45,890 per year (or roughly $22.06/hour).Annual wages span from $39,160 at the 10th percentile to $53,560 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$39,160	$18.83
25th percentile	$43,680	$21.00
Median (50th)	$45,890	$22.06
75th percentile	$49,400	$23.75
90th percentile	$53,560	$25.75

The location quotient — a measure of how concentrated this occupation is in South Dakota compared to the national average — is 2.54, indicating that agricultural equipment operators are more concentrated here than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, agricultural equipment operators earn a median of $25,669 per year ($12.34/hour), higher than the South Dakota median.

Employment Outlook

Nationally, total employment in this occupation is 143,965 agricultural equipment operators nationwide. In South Dakota alone, around 230 people work in this role. That’s fewer than the typical state, which employs around 400 agricultural equipment operators.

Top States for Agricultural Equipment Operators Employment

The table below shows the states where the most agricultural equipment operators work.

State	Number Employed
California	8,480
Illinois	2,310
Iowa	1,710
Texas	1,480
Missouri	1,080
Nebraska	1,070
Arizona	1,020
Ohio	970
Florida	920
Georgia	890
Kansas	890
Washington	860
Indiana	830
Minnesota	780
Michigan	670
Wisconsin	670
Arkansas	670
North Carolina	570
Tennessee	550
Pennsylvania	450

Highest-Paying States for Agricultural Equipment Operators

The highest-paying states for agricultural equipment operators.

State	Annual Median Salary
Montana	$53,900
New York	$51,100
Delaware	$50,450
Ohio	$49,070
Indiana	$48,930
Iowa	$48,690
Minnesota	$48,390
North Dakota	$47,640
Wisconsin	$47,520
Maine	$47,500

Skills

Key agricultural equipment operators skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Important knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Abilities

Key abilities for agricultural equipment operators, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Daily Tasks

Agricultural Equipment Operators typically:

• Load and unload crops or containers of materials, manually or using conveyors, handtrucks, forklifts, or transfer augers.
• Mix specified materials or chemicals, and dump solutions, powders, or seeds into planter or sprayer machinery.
• Spray fertilizer or pesticide solutions to control insects, fungus and weed growth, and diseases, using hand sprayers.
• Observe and listen to machinery operation to detect equipment malfunctions.
• Manipulate controls to set, activate, and adjust mechanisms on machinery.
• Operate or tend equipment used in agricultural production, such as tractors, combines, and irrigation equipment.
• Adjust, repair, and service farm machinery and notify supervisors when machinery malfunctions.
• Attach farm implements such as plows, discs, sprayers, or harvesters to tractors, using bolts and hand tools.
• Load hoppers, containers, or conveyors to feed machines with products, using forklifts, transfer augers, suction gates, shovels, or pitchforks.
• Direct and monitor the activities of work crews engaged in planting, weeding, or harvesting activities.
• Operate towed machines such as seed drills or manure spreaders to plant, fertilize, dust, and spray crops.
• Weigh crop-filled containers, and record weights and other identifying information.

Work Activities

• Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
• Controlling Machines and Processes
• Handling and Moving Objects
• Processing Information
• Performing General Physical Activities
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others

Tools & Technology

Common tools and software used in this occupation include: Hot technologies: Microsoft Access

Related Careers

Careers similar to agricultural equipment operators include:

• Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation
• Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse
• Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators
• Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
• Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining
• Industrial Machinery Mechanics

Also Known As

Agricultural Equipment Operator (Ag Equipment Operator), Agricultural Equipment Operators, Agricultural Farm Equipment Operator, Agricultural Plow Operator, Agriculture Equipment Operator, Baler, Baler Operator, Bean Picker Machine Operator, Berry Picker Machine Operator, Broomcorn Thresher, Cane Cutter Machine Operator, Cane Flume Chute Operator, Cane Flume Feeding Machine Operator, Cane Piler, Chopper Operator.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
• O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
• BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
• O*NET-SOC code: 45-2091.00