Feed mill operator vs finisher operator

The differences between feed mill operators and finisher operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a feed mill operator has an average salary of $37,710, which is higher than the $35,406 average annual salary of a finisher operator.

The top three skills for a feed mill operator include CDL, FDA and grinders. The most important skills for a finisher operator are hand tools, math, and quality checks.

Feed mill operator vs finisher operator overview

	Feed Mill Operator	Finisher Operator
Yearly salary	$37,710	$35,406
Hourly rate	$18.13	$17.02
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	35,212	77,850
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 45%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	-	4

Feed mill operator vs finisher operator salary

Feed mill operators and finisher operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Feed Mill Operator	Finisher Operator
Average salary	$37,710	$35,406
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $45,000	Between $28,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	Aurora, CO	Horsham, PA
Highest paying state	Minnesota	Alaska
Best paying company	University of Wisconsin System	Elanco
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Technology

Differences between feed mill operator and finisher operator education

There are a few differences between a feed mill operator and a finisher operator in terms of educational background:

	Feed Mill Operator	Finisher Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 45%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Feed mill operator vs finisher operator demographics

Here are the differences between feed mill operators' and finisher operators' demographics:

	Feed Mill Operator	Finisher Operator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 91.9% Female, 8.1%	Male, 69.4% Female, 30.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 5.8% White, 69.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 15.0% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 2.5% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	5%	4%

Differences between feed mill operator and finisher operator duties and responsibilities

Feed mill operator example responsibilities.

Experience following procedures and managing GMP documentation.
Operate tube mill, and Mig and Tig welding.
Check and start equipment such as agitators, pumps, and filters.
Coordinate with material engineers and chemists to troubleshoot areas of improvement.
Prepare rough cut wood for assembly by ripping, jointing, planing, and cutting various exotic woods.

Finisher operator example responsibilities.

Experience following procedures and managing GMP documentation.
Position and secure workpieces, using hoists, banding machines or hand tools.
Cross train in CIP validation.
Perform labor duties of concrete demolition.
Operate multiple CNC machines and shadow CNC programmers
Process parts for fluorescent penetrant inspection (FPI/ NDT).

Feed mill operator vs finisher operator skills

Common feed mill operator skills

CDL, 45%
FDA, 28%
Grinders, 6%
Mill Equipment, 4%
Rail Cars, 4%
Load Trucks, 3%

Common finisher operator skills

Hand Tools, 10%
Math, 9%
Quality Checks, 7%
Safety Procedures, 5%
Quality Standards, 5%
Product Quality, 5%