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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Agricultural Technicians?
Task-level automation exposure for Agricultural Technicians: 26 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
31%
weighted task index
26 of 26 tasks scored
Median Salary
$49,630 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Low
15,130 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+5.4%
employment change
2,800 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 39 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$37,840 – $64,070
Highest medians
Iowa $64,070
Wyoming $63,120
Arizona $62,990
California $60,320
Kentucky $59,860
Lowest medians
Oklahoma $37,840
Virginia $41,210
South Carolina $41,290
South Dakota $41,420
New Hampshire $42,520
State figures come from the 19-4012 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.
What the score is made of
Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.
Automation potential 31%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 45%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 14%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 12%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 0%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Consequence of error 14/100
Low
O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.
Constituent Task Mix
26 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.
High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 21%
6 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 16%
5 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 63%
15 tasks
How would you survive?
Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.
Simulate Upskilling →Constituent Tasks
#20533 · Core · 3% automatable
Prepare land for cultivated crops, orchards, or vineyards by plowing, discing, leveling, or contouring.
physical manipulation — Cultivating land is heavy physical labor
Cultivate land.
#5541 · Core · 8% automatable
Operate farm machinery, including tractors, plows, mowers, combines, balers, sprayers, earthmoving equipment, or trucks.
situated mobility — Farming equipment operation in unstructured fields
Operate farming equipment.
#5528 · Core · 82% automatable
Record data pertaining to experimentation, research, or animal care.
data analysis — Record research or operational data into schemas
Record research or operational data.
#5544 · Core · 18% automatable
Maintain or repair agricultural facilities, equipment, or tools to ensure operational readiness, safety, and cleanliness.
physical manipulation — Hands-on lab/technical equipment upkeep
Maintain laboratory or technical equipment.
#5542 · Core · 3% automatable
Perform crop production duties, such as tilling, hoeing, pruning, weeding, or harvesting crops.
physical manipulation — Cultivating land is heavy physical labor
Cultivate land.
#20530 · Core · 8% automatable
Collect animal or crop samples.
physical manipulation — Physical collection of biological specimens
Collect biological specimens.
#20529 · Core · 35% automatable
Examine animals or crop specimens to determine the presence of diseases or other problems.
physical manipulation — Examining live organisms needs hands-on lab work
Examine characteristics or behavior of living organisms.
#20527 · Core · 8% automatable
Set up laboratory or field equipment as required for site testing.
physical manipulation — Physical lab equipment setup
Set up laboratory or field equipment.
#5548 · Core · 33% automatable
Supervise or train agricultural technicians or farm laborers.
interpersonal — Technical procedure training needs live demonstration and correction
Train personnel in technical or scientific procedures. Supervise scientific or technical personnel. Manage agricultural or forestry operations.
#19781 · Supplemental · 62% automatable
Conduct studies of nitrogen or alternative fertilizer application methods, quantities, or timing to ensure satisfaction of crop needs and minimization of leaching, runoff, or denitrification.
information retrieval — Sustainable practice synthesis, human validates
Research sustainable agricultural processes or practices.
#20528 · Supplemental · 8% automatable
Prepare laboratory samples for analysis, following proper protocols to ensure that they will be stored, prepared, and disposed of efficiently and effectively.
physical manipulation — Hands-on sample preparation
Prepare biological samples for testing or analysis.
#20526 · Supplemental · 25% automatable
Measure or weigh ingredients used in laboratory testing.
physical manipulation — Physical measuring of ingredients by hand
Measure ingredients.
#20535 · Supplemental · 28% automatable
Perform tests on seeds to evaluate seed viability.
visual inspection — Quality testing of materials is hands-on inspection
Test quality of materials or finished products.
#5530 · Supplemental · 72% automatable
Prepare data summaries, reports, or analyses that include results, charts, or graphs to document research findings and results.
text generation — Reports drafted; presentations need human delivery
Prepare scientific or technical reports or presentations.
#20534 · Supplemental · 20% automatable
Perform laboratory or field testing, using spectrometers, nitrogen determination apparatus, air samplers, centrifuges, or potential hydrogen (pH) meters to perform tests.
physical manipulation — Hands-on lab/field equipment operation with samples
Operate laboratory or field equipment.
#20531 · Supplemental · 28% automatable
Supervise pest or weed control operations, including locating and identifying pests or weeds, selecting chemicals and application methods, or scheduling application.
interpersonal — Managing farm operations needs situated human judgment
Manage agricultural or forestry operations.
#5543 · Supplemental · 50% automatable
Devise cultural methods or environmental controls for plants for which guidelines are sketchy or nonexistent.
text generation — Industrial methods need domain validation and testing
Develop sustainable industrial or development methods.
#5538 · Supplemental · 45% automatable
Conduct insect or plant disease surveys.
data analysis — Literature and data aided; lab work human
Research diseases or parasites.
#5540 · Supplemental · 5% automatable
Perform general nursery duties, such as propagating standard varieties of plant materials, collecting and germinating seeds, maintaining cuttings of plants, or controlling environmental conditions.
physical manipulation — Plant/animal care is physical work with living things
Care for plants or animals.
#19782 · Supplemental · 82% automatable
Record environmental data from field samples of soil, air, water, or pests to monitor the effectiveness of integrated pest management (IPM) practices.
data analysis — Record research or operational data into schemas
Record research or operational data.
#20537 · Supplemental · 62% automatable
Determine the germination rates of seeds planted in specified areas.
information retrieval — Crop method research aided; field trials human
Research crop management methods.
#5547 · Supplemental · 3% automatable
Transplant trees, vegetables, or horticultural plants.
physical manipulation — Cultivating land is heavy physical labor
Cultivate land.
#20536 · Supplemental · 8% automatable
Prepare culture media, following standard procedures.
physical manipulation — Physical solution preparation
Prepare compounds or solutions for products or testing.
#20532 · Supplemental · 55% automatable
Respond to general inquiries or requests from the public.
information retrieval — Technical public assistance partly automatable; trust needs human
Provide technical information or assistance to public.
#5549 · Supplemental · 55% automatable
Prepare or present agricultural demonstrations.
information retrieval — Technical public assistance partly automatable; trust needs human
Provide technical information or assistance to public.
#19780 · Supplemental · 62% automatable
Assess comparative soil erosion from various planting or tillage systems, such as conservation tillage with mulch or ridge till systems, no-till systems, or conventional tillage systems with or without moldboard plows.
information retrieval — Sustainable practice synthesis, human validates
Research sustainable agricultural processes or practices.
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How this was scored
- 1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
- 2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
- 3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
- 4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.
Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.
Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast
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