How To Become A Grain Elevator Worker: What It Is and Career Path

What is a grain elevator worker and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Grain elevator workers are individuals that buy grain from farmers and sell them for a profit. To do this, they must negotiate with farmers for prices, determine grain grade and quality, and sell futures contracts to potential buyers. They usually work for licensed grain elevator companies but may also work for themselves.

The specific duties of a grain elevator worker typically include checking the grain for weight, purity, and moisture content. They also oversee the transfer of grain from the grain elevator or silo and process transactions for farmers. Farmers may sell directly to the grain elevator worker or may choose to pay a storage fee until they decide to sell at a future date.

The minimum requirement to become a grain elevator worker is a high school diploma or equivalent. More than that, a grain elevator worker must be knowledgeable of all safety practices in handling grain as transferring massive quantities of grain can be a dangerous job. Furthermore, they must have a keen attention to detail, excellent communication skills, and at least basic knowledge of equipment upkeep.

ScoreGrain Elevator WorkerUS Average

Salary

2.4

Avg. Salary $31,199

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.1

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.78%

Asian 6.75%

Black or African American 4.17%

Hispanic or Latino 8.02%

Unknown 3.13%

White 77.14%

Gender

female 6.48%

male 93.52%

Age - 49

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 - 49

Stress level

8.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.3

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a grain elevator worker

Explore grain elevator worker education requirements

Most common grain elevator worker degrees

High School Diploma

32.5 %

Associate

26.0 %

Bachelor's

20.8 %

Start to develop specific grain elevator worker skills

Skills	Percentages
Harvest	35.88%
General Maintenance	33.90%
ADM	15.51%
Load Trucks	5.17%
Rail Cars	4.01%

Complete relevant grain elevator worker training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New grain elevator workers 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 grain elevator worker based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real grain elevator worker resumes.

Research grain elevator worker duties and responsibilities

Operate grain elevator during harvest.
Develop a producer origination program by creating relationships with local producers.
Operate dryers to make sure the grain hits ideal moisture percentage.
Operate sweeps, bobcat, dryer, and high power pressure washers.

Prepare your grain elevator worker resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your grain elevator worker resume.

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