Farm equipment operator vs fertilizer applicator

The differences between farm equipment operators and fertilizer applicators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a fertilizer applicator has an average salary of $46,570, which is higher than the $27,872 average annual salary of a farm equipment operator.

The top three skills for a farm equipment operator include harvest, CDL and mowing. The most important skills for a fertilizer applicator are CDL, GPS, and mowing.

Farm equipment operator vs fertilizer applicator overview

	Farm Equipment Operator	Fertilizer Applicator
Yearly salary	$27,872	$46,570
Hourly rate	$13.40	$22.39
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	45,459	2,969
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	High School Diploma, 39%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

Farm equipment operator vs fertilizer applicator salary

Farm equipment operators and fertilizer applicators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Farm Equipment Operator	Fertilizer Applicator
Average salary	$27,872	$46,570
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $35,000	Between $23,000 And $90,000
Highest paying City	Aberdeen, SD	-
Highest paying state	North Dakota	-
Best paying company	The Wonderful Company	-
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	-

Differences between farm equipment operator and fertilizer applicator education

There are a few differences between a farm equipment operator and a fertilizer applicator in terms of educational background:

	Farm Equipment Operator	Fertilizer Applicator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	High School Diploma, 39%
Most common major	Automotive Technology	Plant Sciences
Most common college	-	-

Farm equipment operator vs fertilizer applicator demographics

Here are the differences between farm equipment operators' and fertilizer applicators' demographics:

	Farm Equipment Operator	Fertilizer Applicator
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 93.3% Female, 6.7%	Male, 100.0% Female, 0.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 3.0% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 1.7% White, 69.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 2.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 1.7% White, 74.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between farm equipment operator and fertilizer applicator duties and responsibilities

Farm equipment operator example responsibilities.

Manage and conduct the baling, hauling, advertising, and selling of 2000 straw square bales a year from 2002-2006.
Operate combines, grain trucks, tractors, cultivator, and augers.
Landscape work (leaf pickup, lawn mowing, weed spraying, repairing fencing, etc . )
Utilize GPS while planting grain.
Used GPS to navigate farm equipment.
Use of tractor for raking and baling.

Fertilizer applicator example responsibilities.

Load and unload chemicals, mix herbicide, fill sprayers and used GPS and GIS systems.
Preform all troubleshooting and diagnostics for termite infestations.
Start motors and engage machinery, such as sprayer agitators or pumps or portable spray equipment.

Farm equipment operator vs fertilizer applicator skills

Common farm equipment operator skills

Harvest, 28%
CDL, 7%
Mowing, 5%
GPS, 5%
Routine Maintenance, 5%
Equipment Maintenance, 4%

Common fertilizer applicator skills

CDL, 60%
GPS, 39%
Mowing, 1%
Application Equipment, 1%

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Farm Equipment Operator vs Fertilizer Applicator

Updated January 8, 2025

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