How To Become A Cultivator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a cultivator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

A cultivator specializes in cultivating plants and produce, usually for commercial purposes. Cultivators often work in farms, nurseries, and greenhouses. They prepare soil, plant seeds and seedlings, water and fertilize plants, control pests and disease, and harvest crops. Cultivators must understand plant biology and growing conditions, and know how to operate and maintain agricultural equipment. They may work independently or as part of a team to ensure successful crop growth and production.

ScoreCultivatorUS Average

Salary

3.4

Avg. Salary $43,076

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.8

Growth rate 1%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.24%

Asian 1.90%

Black or African American 5.03%

Hispanic or Latino 30.02%

Unknown 3.13%

White 58.69%

Gender

female 24.78%

male 75.22%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

5.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.0

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

2.5

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a cultivator?

Pros

Possibility of working outdoors
Potential for autonomy and independence
Opportunity to work with a tight-knit community of growers
Possibility of flexible work hours during certain seasons
Potential to learn self-sufficiency through horticulture and agriculture

Cons

Physical demands of the job, including heavy lifting and prolonged standing
Risk of injury from machinery, tools, outdoor elements and exposure to hazardous substances
Potential for long hours during peak growing season
Risk of crop failure due to weather or other factors outside of the grower's control
Possibility of working in remote areas with limited access to amenities or social life

Key steps to become a cultivator

Explore cultivator education requirements

Most common cultivator degrees

Bachelor's

52.5 %

Associate

19.7 %

High School Diploma

16.4 %

Start to develop specific cultivator skills

Skills	Percentages
Harvest	31.23%
Plant Care	19.16%
CBD	15.61%
Clone	13.26%
Cultivators	10.08%

Complete relevant cultivator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New cultivators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a cultivator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real cultivator resumes.

Research cultivator duties and responsibilities

Manage and stock nursery inventory.
Purchase local organic produce for CSA boxes.
Transition plants from mom phase into clone phase, veg phase to bloom phase.
Work in the garden with plants, assist with transplanting, watering, feeding and harvest.

Prepare your cultivator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your cultivator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a cultivator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable cultivator resume templates

Build a professional cultivator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your cultivator resume.