All About Agricultural Products Graders and Sorters
Career Description Grade, sort, or classify unprocessed food and other agricultural products by size, weight, color, or condition.
A Day in the Life of an Agricultural Products Grader or Sorter
- Weigh products or estimate their weight, visually or by feel.
- Discard inferior or defective products or foreign matter, and place acceptable products in containers for further processing.
- Grade and sort products according to factors such as color, species, length, width, appearance, feel, smell, and quality to ensure correct processing and usage.
- Separate fiber tufts between fingers to assess strength, uniformity, and cohesive quality of fibers.
- Place products in containers according to grade and mark grades on containers.
- Record grade or identification numbers on tags or on shipping, receiving, or sales sheets.
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What an Agricultural Products Grader or Sorter Should Know
These are the skills Agricultural Products Graders and Sorters say are the most useful in their careers:
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
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.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Related Job Titles for this Occupation:
- Nut Packer
- Grain Grader
- Oyster Sorter
- Fruit Sorter
- Agricultural Produce Sorter
Is There Going to be Demand for Agricultural Products Graders and Sorters?
In the United States, there were 42,900 jobs for Agricultural Products Grader or Sorter in 2016. There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Agricultural Products Grader or Sorter. The BLS estimates 5,700 yearly job openings in this field.

The states with the most job growth for Agricultural Products Grader or Sorter are Montana, Washington, and Oregon. Watch out if you plan on working in Florida, South Carolina, or Maine. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Average Agricultural Products Graders and Sorters Salary
The salary for Agricultural Products Graders and Sorters ranges between about $19,190 and $33,390 a year.

Agricultural Products Graders and Sorters who work in North Dakota, Minnesota, or Kansas, make the highest salaries.
How much do Agricultural Products Graders and Sorters make in each U.S. state?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $25,610 |
Arizona | $24,530 |
Arkansas | $26,190 |
California | $25,140 |
Colorado | $22,740 |
Delaware | $26,690 |
Georgia | $22,140 |
Idaho | $21,480 |
Illinois | $26,980 |
Indiana | $26,500 |
Iowa | $30,940 |
Kansas | $33,910 |
Kentucky | $26,540 |
Louisiana | $32,520 |
Maine | $31,950 |
Maryland | $27,240 |
Massachusetts | $28,730 |
Michigan | $23,740 |
Minnesota | $35,900 |
Mississippi | $24,630 |
Missouri | $27,630 |
Nebraska | $31,360 |
New Jersey | $31,790 |
New Mexico | $20,900 |
New York | $28,050 |
North Carolina | $24,750 |
North Dakota | $39,660 |
Ohio | $24,680 |
Oklahoma | $26,220 |
Oregon | $26,380 |
Pennsylvania | $25,360 |
South Carolina | $23,450 |
South Dakota | $27,440 |
Tennessee | $26,470 |
Texas | $24,440 |
Vermont | $29,260 |
Virginia | $26,400 |
Washington | $29,340 |
Wisconsin | $31,840 |
What Tools & Technology do Agricultural Products Graders and Sorters Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Agricultural Products Graders and Sorters may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Word processing software
- Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP
How to Become an Agricultural Products Grader or Sorter
What education or degrees do I need to become an Agricultural Products Grader or Sorter?

What work experience do I need to become an Agricultural Products Grader or Sorter?

Where Agricultural Products Graders and Sorters Work

Agricultural Products Graders and Sorters work in the following industries:

References:
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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