Life As a Precision Agriculture Technician
Job Description: Apply geospatial technologies, including geographic information systems (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS), to agricultural production or management activities, such as pest scouting, site-specific pesticide application, yield mapping, or variable-rate irrigation. May use computers to develop or analyze maps or remote sensing images to compare physical topography with data on soils, fertilizer, pests, or weather.
Life As a Precision Agriculture Technician
- Prepare reports in graphical or tabular form, summarizing field productivity or profitability.
- Participate in efforts to advance precision agriculture technology, such as developing advanced weed identification or automated spot spraying systems.
- Create, layer, and analyze maps showing precision agricultural data, such as crop yields, soil characteristics, input applications, terrain, drainage patterns, or field management history.
- Apply precision agriculture information to specifically reduce the negative environmental impacts of farming practices.
- Analyze remote sensing imagery to identify relationships between soil quality, crop canopy densities, light reflectance, and weather history.
- Contact equipment manufacturers for technical assistance, as needed.
Precision Agriculture Technician Needed Skills
These are the skills Precision Agriculture Technicians say are the most useful in their careers:
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Related Job Titles for this Occupation:
- Physical Scientist
- Precision Agriculture Specialist
- Precision Farming Specialist
- Independent Crop Consultant
- Extension Precision Agriculture Specialist
Precision Agriculture Technician Employment Estimates
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 76,100 jobs in the United States for Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians.
New jobs are being produced at a rate of 9.7% which is lower than average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 7,400 new jobs for Precision Agriculture Technicians by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 9,900 job openings in this field each year.
The states with the most job growth for Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians are Texas, New York, and California.
Watch out if you plan on working in Wyoming, Maine, or Alaska. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
What is the Average Salary of a Precision Agriculture Technician
The average yearly salary of a Precision Agriculture Technician ranges between $29,830 and $80,370. The median salary for this occupation is $49,670.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for jobs of this type in different U.S. states.
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
|
Maryland |
$69,500 |
|
Massachusetts |
$63,450 |
|
Connecticut |
$62,090 |
|
District of Columbia |
$61,000 |
|
New Jersey |
$60,660 |
|
New Mexico |
$59,850 |
|
Rhode Island |
$59,480 |
|
Nebraska |
$58,150 |
|
New Hampshire |
$57,990 |
|
Oklahoma |
$57,950 |
|
Hawaii |
$57,310 |
|
South Carolina |
$56,910 |
|
California |
$56,670 |
|
Alaska |
$56,470 |
|
West Virginia |
$55,930 |
|
Washington |
$55,920 |
|
Maine |
$55,220 |
|
Texas |
$54,290 |
|
Wyoming |
$53,940 |
|
North Carolina |
$53,390 |
|
New York |
$53,380 |
|
Mississippi |
$52,950 |
|
Georgia |
$52,690 |
|
Ohio |
$52,690 |
|
Wisconsin |
$52,500 |
|
Kentucky |
$52,340 |
|
Virginia |
$52,180 |
|
North Dakota |
$52,050 |
|
Indiana |
$51,970 |
|
Kansas |
$51,960 |
|
Colorado |
$51,890 |
|
Oregon |
$51,800 |
|
Arizona |
$51,250 |
|
Illinois |
$51,130 |
|
Utah |
$50,980 |
|
Arkansas |
$50,740 |
|
Minnesota |
$50,440 |
|
Pennsylvania |
$50,410 |
|
Missouri |
$49,590 |
|
Nevada |
$47,690 |
|
Louisiana |
$47,250 |
|
Iowa |
$46,740 |
|
Alabama |
$46,600 |
|
Florida |
$45,200 |
|
South Dakota |
$45,190 |
|
Montana |
$43,930 |
|
Michigan |
$43,640 |
|
Tennessee |
$43,440 |
|
Idaho |
$42,220 |
What Tools & Technology do Precision Agriculture Technicians Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Precision Agriculture Technicians:
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Access
- ESRI ArcGIS software
Where Precision Agriculture Technicians Work
You May Also Be Interested In…
Career changers with experience as a Precision Agriculture Technician sometimes find work in one of the following fields:
- Agricultural Inspectors
References
Image Credit: Via Wikimedia Commons
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