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Agricultural Inspector

What You Need to Know About Agricultural Inspector

Career Description Inspect agricultural commodities, processing equipment, and facilities, and fish and logging operations, to ensure compliance with regulations and laws governing health, quality, and safety.

List of Agricultural Inspector Job Duties

  • Write reports of findings and recommendations and advise farmers, growers, or processors of corrective action to be taken.
  • Inspect food products and processing procedures to determine whether products are safe to eat.
  • Set labeling standards and approve labels for meat or poultry products.
  • Interpret and enforce government acts and regulations and explain required standards to agricultural workers.
  • Provide consultative services in areas such as equipment or product evaluation, plant construction or layout, or food safety systems.
  • Label and seal graded products and issue official grading certificates.

What Skills Do You Need to Work as an Agricultural Inspector?

These are the skills Agricultural Inspectors say are the most useful in their careers:

Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

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.

Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Types of Agricultural Inspector

  • Inspector
  • Cotton Inspector
  • Agriculture Inspector
  • Shipping Point Inspector
  • Livestock Inspector

Agricultural Inspector Job Outlook

In 2016, there was an estimated number of 15,600 jobs in the United States for Agricultural Inspector. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 4.5% which is below the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 700 new jobs for Agricultural Inspector by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 2,200 job openings in this field each year.

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The states with the most job growth for Agricultural Inspector are Montana, North Dakota, and Washington. Watch out if you plan on working in Maryland, Vermont, or Ohio. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Agricultural Inspector Average Salary

The typical yearly salary for Agricultural Inspectors is somewhere between $27,930 and $67,400.

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Agricultural Inspectors who work in Connecticut, New York, or Vermont, make the highest salaries.

Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Agricultural Inspectors in different U.S. states.

State Annual Mean Salary
Arizona $35,650
Arkansas $44,320
California $49,950
Colorado $47,390
Connecticut $73,150
Delaware $45,130
Florida $36,350
Georgia $41,670
Idaho $41,330
Illinois $56,050
Indiana $46,070
Iowa $51,760
Kansas $44,750
Kentucky $42,690
Louisiana $51,140
Maryland $47,090
Minnesota $45,600
Mississippi $39,410
Missouri $42,610
Montana $43,930
Nebraska $43,140
Nevada $30,430
New Jersey $59,590
New Mexico $38,270
New York $63,330
North Carolina $43,530
North Dakota $43,130
Ohio $45,630
Oklahoma $37,810
Oregon $44,020
Pennsylvania $55,700
South Carolina $41,780
Tennessee $44,860
Texas $49,840
Vermont $58,960
Virginia $42,060
Washington $46,720
West Virginia $35,750
Wisconsin $47,350
Wyoming $30,570

What Tools do Agricultural Inspectors Use?

Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Agricultural Inspectors may use on a daily basis:

  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Word
  • Microsoft Office
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft Access
  • Word processing software
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer
  • Image processing software

Becoming an Agricultural Inspector

What education or degrees do I need to become an Agricultural Inspector?

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How Long Does it Take to Become an Agricultural Inspector?

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Similar Careers

Those interested in being an Agricultural Inspector may also be interested in:

Those who work as an Agricultural Inspector sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:

References:

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More about our data sources and methodologies.

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