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Farm hand vs farm worker

The differences between farm hands and farm workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a farm worker has an average salary of $26,598, which is higher than the $26,594 average annual salary of a farm hand.

The top three skills for a farm hand include drive tractor, beef cattle and milking. The most important skills for a farm worker are harvest, mowing, and farm equipment.

Farm hand vs farm worker overview

Farm HandFarm Worker
Yearly salary$26,594$26,598
Hourly rate$12.79$12.79
Growth rate1%1%
Number of jobs9,89025,368
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 39%Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age4040
Years of experience--

What does a farm hand do?

A Farm Hand is responsible for assisting Farmers in their daily tasks of taking care of the farm, raising the animals, and growing crops. Most of the duties involved require good communication skills, active listening, knowledge of farming, and determination to accomplish tasks as they can be tiring due to the involvement of physical work. The working conditions are diverse, and the tasks of a Farm Hand will vary through the seasons and situations, it can be unpredictable and will require a great deal of effort and passion.

What does a farm worker do?

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. Your duties will typically include harvesting and inspecting crops manually, irrigating farm soil and maintaining pipes, pumps, d ditches, and feeding livestock. As a farmworker, you will operate milking machinery and other farm machinery such as plows and tractors, maintain farm buildings, and trim hedges. You are also expected to mend walls and fences and clear drainage ditches.

Farm hand vs farm worker salary

Farm hands and farm workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Farm HandFarm Worker
Average salary$26,594$26,598
Salary rangeBetween $21,000 And $33,000Between $21,000 And $33,000
Highest paying CityHurdsfield, NDGreenville, MS
Highest paying stateNorth DakotaNorth Dakota
Best paying companyTyson FoodsFAT CATS CAFE
Best paying industryHospitalityManufacturing

Differences between farm hand and farm worker education

There are a few differences between a farm hand and a farm worker in terms of educational background:

Farm HandFarm Worker
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 39%Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Farm hand vs farm worker demographics

Here are the differences between farm hands' and farm workers' demographics:

Farm HandFarm Worker
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 77.7% Female, 22.3%Male, 72.6% Female, 27.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 3.0% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 1.7% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 3.0% Hispanic or Latino, 25.2% Asian, 1.8% White, 64.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage3%3%

Differences between farm hand and farm worker duties and responsibilities

Farm hand example responsibilities.

  • Manage and conduct the baling, hauling, advertising, and selling of 2000 straw square bales a year from 2002-2006.
  • Root rakes, bush-hogs, heiress disc plow, seeder, sub-soiler, ect . )
  • Position also consist of property maintenance and repairs to include fencing, lawn care, and bobcat operations.
  • Muck stalls, fed hayed, and water horses, clean water buckets, and blow out the barn
  • Field work to include mowing, baling, and transportation of straw, hay, corn, beans, and silage.
  • Water rice, tractor driver, big truck driver (no CDL )
  • Show more

Farm worker example responsibilities.

  • General farm operations including health checks and care of calves, manage cleanliness of barns, milking
  • Manage regular routines of dairy calf sector, developing skill in feeding, housing, sanitation, parasite and disease control.
  • Care for domestic farm animals, lawn mowing, lifting supplies and feed, general grounds work.
  • Adhere to farm procedures for newborn calf management.
  • Serve as vacation relief foreman and semi trailer spotter.
  • Farm aid carrry trees to customers cars, drive a bobcat.
  • Show more

Farm hand vs farm worker skills

Common farm hand skills
  • Drive Tractor, 17%
  • Beef Cattle, 13%
  • Milking, 11%
  • Mowing, 7%
  • Farm Work, 5%
  • Farm Machinery, 5%
Common farm worker skills
  • Harvest, 25%
  • Mowing, 11%
  • Farm Equipment, 10%
  • Farm Machinery, 7%
  • Farm Work, 5%
  • Beef Cattle, 3%

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