How to hire a farm equipment technician

How to hire a farm equipment technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step farm equipment technician hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a farm equipment technician job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new farm equipment technician
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the farm equipment technician you need to hire. Certain farm equipment technician roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a farm equipment technician to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a farm equipment technician that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of farm equipment technician salaries for various roles:

   Type of Farm Equipment Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Farm Equipment Technician	Heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians inspect, maintain, and repair vehicles and machinery used in construction, farming, rail transportation, and other industries.	$13-25
   Farm Labour	Also called agricultural workers, farm laborers are people who inspect and harvest crops. The workers irrigate soil on the farm and maintain their pumps, pipes, or ditches... Show more	$10-15
   Farm Worker	A farmworker is responsible for applying fertilizer, pesticides, and herbicides to crops and livestock. You will operate agricultural machinery under the direction of a rancher, farmer, or an agricultural manager... Show more	$10-15

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Routine Maintenance
   • Pigs
   • Insemination
   • Harvest
   • Farm Work
   • Farm Equipment
   • Ventilation
   • Poultry Houses
   • Pest Control
   • Milking
   • General Maintenance
   • Water Lines
   • Nursery
   • Research Projects

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead farm tours and help organize CSA member events.
   • Receive nursery pigs, sort and group pigs, treat small and sick pigs.
   • Do field visitation, piglet's castration and vaccination, artificial insemination and other relate activities.
   • Isolate and medicate sick and injure pigs.
   • Complete welding operations, including MIG, arc, and acetylene welding.
   • Plant, fertilize, water, and harvest fruit and vegetable crops by hand.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your farm equipment technician job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A farm equipment technician salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, farm equipment technicians' average salary in alabama is 50% less than in massachusetts.
   • Seniority. Entry-level farm equipment technicians earn 46% less than senior-level farm equipment technicians.
   • Certifications. A farm equipment technician with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a farm equipment technician's salary.

   Average farm equipment technician salary

   $38,572yearly

   $18.54 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level farm equipment technician salary

   $28,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

4. Writing a farm equipment technician job description

   A farm equipment technician job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a farm equipment technician job description:

   Farm equipment technician job description example

   Perdue Foods is part of Perdue Farms, a family-owned company heading into it's second century of growth and innovation. With a goal of becoming the most trusted name in premium proteins, we create products for consumers and for retail and foodservice customers around the globe, while changing the way animals are raised for food.
   **Summary**
   
   The Farrowing Tech assists in all aspects of farrowing and lactation in order to meet weekly shipping targets of full-value pigs. They will ensure that ALL animals across the farm have received proper feed, water, ventilation, and bedding on a daily basis. They will also assist with all other aspects of the farm to ensure farm goals are met and tasks are completed on a daily basis.
   
   Sign On Bonus of $2,500 is employment starts by September 30th.
   
   **Principal and Essential Duties & Responsibilities**
   
   + Ensure proper procedures are followed for Day-One pig, fostering, etc.
   
   + Processing of piglets in accordance with company procedures
   
   + Proper treatment/care of sows in farrowing
   
   + Maintain cleaning/bedding of farrowing pens; and clean-out and disinfecting farrowing room after weaning
   
   + Keep, communicate, and report accurate records on a daily basis
   
   + Notify and discuss openly with management any problems, concerns or questions
   
   + Conserve farm resources such as supplies, equipment, and time
   
   + Promote cooperation within the unit and contributes to adequate staffing
   
   + Communicate openly and freely with others
   
   + Any other duties as assigned, requested, or directed by management/supervisor
   
   **Minimum Education**
   
   + Minimum of High School Diploma or equivalent
   
   **Experience Requirements**
   
   + Experience working with and caring for livestock
   
   + Ability to lift a minimum of 50 lbs.
   
   + Ability to lead by example, and work with a team of 2-5 people
   
   + Ability to problem solve, be a critical thinker, goal oriented, and a team player
   
   _Perdue Farms, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status._

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right farm equipment technician for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with farm equipment technicians they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit farm equipment technicians who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your farm equipment technician job on Zippia to find and recruit farm equipment technician candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit farm equipment technicians, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new farm equipment technician

   Once you've selected the best farm equipment technician candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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