My Colorado Journey
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Agriculture

Farmworker and Laborer: Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse

Manually plant, cultivate, and harvest vegetables, fruits, nuts, horticultural specialties, and field crops. Use hand tools, such as shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, pruning hooks, shears, and knives. Duties may include tilling soil and applying fertilizers; transplanting, weeding, thinning, or pruning crops; applying pesticides; or cleaning, grading, sorting, packing, and loading harvested products. May construct trellises, repair fences and farm buildings, or participate in irrigation activities.

Annual openings

1,340

Median wage

$38,170

Typical education

High school (GED)

Growth 2026–2032

+4%

Median wage source: Colorado BLS OEWS (2025).

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Career requirements

What does this career require?

Explore education, required qualifications, voluntary credentials and employer preferences for this role. Check the details to see which apply.

Typical education

High school (GED)

Credential requirement

No certification is required or expected for this job.

Work experience

No previous work experience is required.

Is this work a fit?

What the work actually feels like

How people in this career tend to spend their time, the interests it draws on, and a look at a typical day.

Work style

The type of work can vary by job and employer.

  • With childrenNo
  • On a computerNo
  • OutdoorsYes
  • With your handsYes

Interests it draws on

  • Agriculture and Sustainability
  • Farming

Automation exposure

High exposure

Many tasks are repeatable, so technology could reshape the day-to-day over time.

A typical day

  1. Repair and maintain farm vehicles, implements, and mechanical equipment.
  2. Set up and operate irrigation equipment.
  3. Inform farmers or farm managers of crop progress.
  4. Identify plants, pests, and weeds to determine the selection and application of pesticides and fertilizers.
  5. Record information about crops, such as pesticide use, yields, or costs.
  6. Load agricultural products into trucks, and drive trucks to market or storage facilities.
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