Farming & Forestry · SOC 45-2092
Manual planting, harvesting, and crop care involves fine motor skills in unstructured environments far beyond current robotics.
Hands-on, interpersonal or high-stakes work AI struggles to replace.
Timeline: Harvest robotics are improving for select crops like strawberries, but dexterity requirements and crop variety mean manual farmwork remains largely human for 10+ years in most operations.
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$42,580 median pay
$36,150 median pay
$43,680 median pay
$53,900 median pay
$52,000 median pay
Farming & Forestry
AI job-risk card
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse is resilient on AIFear. Hands-on, interpersonal or high-stakes work AI struggles to replace.
AIFear.com
Our AI Fear Score for Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse is 14/100 (Resilient). Hands-on, interpersonal or high-stakes work AI struggles to replace.
14 out of 100, based on an AI-model review of this occupation's O*NET tasks against what current AI can actually do.
Most exposed: Recording pesticide use, yields, and cost data. Harder to automate: Directing and monitoring seasonal planting and harvest crews, Transplanting, potting, and labeling plants, Grading, sorting, and storing harvested crops, Repairing farm vehicles and mechanical equipment.
Lean into Crop production techniques, Greenhouse management, Team supervision, Agricultural safety. Consider roles such as Greenhouse manager or Crop production supervisor or Agricultural technician.
Tasks, skills and AI-exposure for this role were reviewed by an AI model against its O*NET task profile (curated roles use published research anchors). Pay and employment, where shown, are U.S. BLS OEWS (May 2024) figures. This is an estimate, not a prediction about any individual's job. Compare all occupations.