What does a harvester operator do?
Harvester operator responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real harvester operator resumes:
- Manage the master calendar and schedule resources such as communication equipment, weapons, transportation and ammunition forecast and delivery.
- Operate harvesters, tractors and tractor-drawn machinery.
- Operate tractors in the harvest of wheat and corn.
- Show dedication to the company by finishing the full pea harvest.
- Monitor combat missions through satellite and computer global positioning systems in order to prepare accurate reports for unit commanders.
- Monitor combat missions through satellite and computer global positioning systems in order to prepare accurate reports for unit commanders.
Harvester operator skills and personality traits
We calculated that 79% of Harvester Operators are proficient in Harvest, Safety Policies, and Farm Equipment. They’re also known for soft skills such as Dexterity, Listening skills, and Physical strength.
We break down the percentage of Harvester Operators that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Harvest, 79%
Certificate of Achievement - Meritorious Service as a member of Operation Harvest Table Thanksgiving 98.
- Safety Policies, 14%
Comply with all safety policies, practices and procedures.
- Farm Equipment, 6%
Transported large farm equipment to local farms.
- Harvesters, 2%
Operated and maintained FMC Pea Harvesters to ensure proper operation and productivity.
Most harvester operators use their skills in "harvest," "safety policies," and "farm equipment" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential harvester operator responsibilities here:
Dexterity. One of the key soft skills for a harvester operator to have is dexterity. You can see how this relates to what harvester operators do because "agricultural workers need excellent hand-eye coordination to harvest crops and operate farm machinery." Additionally, a harvester operator resume shows how harvester operators use dexterity: "produced quality local newspaper placed plates on press, filled ink trays, loaded paper performed routine maintenance on press operated forklift"
Listening skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling harvester operator duties is listening skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "agricultural workers must listen carefully to ensure that they understand instructions from farmers and other agricultural managers and supervisors." According to a harvester operator resume, here's how harvester operators can utilize listening skills in their job responsibilities: "listened to machine operation to detect malfunctions. "
Physical strength. This is an important skill for harvester operators to perform their duties. For an example of how harvester operator responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "agricultural workers must be strong enough to lift heavy objects, including tools and crops." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a harvester operator: "complete overhaul of voice and data contractual and physical structures. ".
Mechanical skills. A big part of what harvester operators do relies on "mechanical skills." You can see how essential it is to harvester operator responsibilities because "agricultural workers must be able to operate complex farm machinery." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical harvester operator tasks: "preform service and mechanical work on farm equipment and vehicles. "
The three companies that hire the most harvester operators are:
- Lamb Weston2 harvester operators jobs
- JBS USA2 harvester operators jobs
- Constellation Brands1 harvester operators jobs
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Compare different harvester operators
Harvester operator vs. Baler
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, harvester operator responsibilities require skills like "harvest," "safety policies," "farm equipment," and "harvesters." Meanwhile a typical baler has skills in areas such as "pallets," "baling," "waste paper," and "aug." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Balers tend to make the most money working in the media industry, where they earn an average salary of $34,296. In contrast, harvester operators make the biggest average salary, $29,368, in the manufacturing industry.The education levels that balers earn slightly differ from harvester operators. In particular, balers are 3.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a harvester operator. Additionally, they're 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Harvester operator vs. Building equipment operator
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, harvester operator responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "harvest," "safety policies," "farm equipment," and "harvesters." Meanwhile, a building equipment operator has duties that require skills in areas such as "loaders," "grinders," "hvac," and "plumbing." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
In general, building equipment operators achieve similar levels of education than harvester operators. They're 1.1% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Harvester operator vs. Fertilizer applicator
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, harvester operators are more likely to have skills like "harvest," "safety policies," "farm equipment," and "harvesters." But a fertilizer applicator is more likely to have skills like "cdl," "gps," "application equipment," and "irrigation systems."
When it comes to education, fertilizer applicators tend to earn similar degree levels compared to harvester operators. In fact, they're 3.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Harvester operator vs. Custom harvester
Even though a few skill sets overlap between harvester operators and custom harvesters, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a harvester operator might have more use for skills like "safety policies," "harvesters," "processing plant," and "mowing." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of custom harvesters require skills like "cdl," "mechanical problems," "grain trucks," and "pre trip. "
Custom harvesters reach similar levels of education compared to harvester operators, in general. The difference is that they're 0.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of harvester operator
Updated January 8, 2025
