Life, Physical, and Social Science · Holland code RIC
Precision Agriculture Technicians
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.
Also called: Agronomist, Crop Specialist, Precision Agriculture Specialist (Precision Ag Specialist), Precision Agronomist, Agrintelligence Specialist (Agriculture Intelligence Specialist), Agronomy Consultant, Crop Consultant, Precision Agriculture Analyst (Precision Ag Analyst).
O*NET 19-4012.01
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $49,630
- Middle half earn $40,950 to $63,630. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Most common education
- Bachelor's Degree
- 35% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 3 of 5
- Medium preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Document and maintain records of precision agriculture information.
- Collect information about soil or field attributes, yield data, or field boundaries, using field data recorders and basic geographic information systems (GIS).
- Use geospatial technology to develop soil sampling grids or identify sampling sites for testing characteristics such as nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium content, pH, or micronutrients.
- Divide agricultural fields into georeferenced zones, based on soil characteristics and production potentials.
- Install, calibrate, or maintain sensors, mechanical controls, GPS-based vehicle guidance systems, or computer settings.
- Create, layer, and analyze maps showing precision agricultural data, such as crop yields, soil characteristics, input applications, terrain, drainage patterns, or field management history.
- Compare crop yield maps with maps of soil test data, chemical application patterns, or other information to develop site-specific crop management plans.
- Analyze geospatial data to determine agricultural implications of factors such as soil quality, terrain, field productivity, fertilizers, or weather conditions.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Reading Comprehension3.9 / 5
- Active Listening3.8 / 5
- Speaking3.8 / 5
- Critical Thinking3.8 / 5
- Writing3.5 / 5
- Active Learning3.4 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service4.2 / 5
- Computers and Electronics4.1 / 5
- Sales and Marketing3.5 / 5
- Mathematics3.5 / 5
- English Language3.5 / 5
- Engineering and Technology3.4 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic91
- Investigative73
- Artistic4
- Social6
- Enterprising18
- Conventional66
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- agricultural scientist · DE Agrarwissenschaftler/Agrarwissenschaftlerin · FR scientifique agricole
- agronomist · DE Agronom/Agronomin · FR agronome
- agricultural engineer · DE Ingenieur Agrarwirtschaft/Ingenieurin Agrarwirtschaft · FR ingénieur agronome/ingénieure agronome
- agricultural equipment design engineer · DE Entwicklungsingenieur für landwirtschaftliche Ausrüstung/Entwicklungsingenieurin für landwirtschaftliche Ausrüstung · FR ingénieur sciences et techniques des équipements agricoles/ingénieure sciences et techniques des équipements agricoles
- agricultural technician · DE Agrartechniker/Agrartechnikerin · FR technicien agricole/technicienne agricole
- agricultural inspector · DE Landwirtschaftskontrolleur/Landwirtschaftskontrolleurin · FR inspecteur du travail en agriculture/inspectrice du travail en agriculture
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Rail and rolling stock builders and repairers (5236)16,800 employed
- Mechanical engineers (professional) (2122)94,400 employed
- Metal working production and maintenance fitters and technicians (5223)135,500 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €61,714 |
| Germany | €59,529 |
| Ireland | €56,877 |
| Austria | €55,374 |
| Netherlands | €53,595 |
| Sweden | €43,567 |
| France | €41,515 |
| Spain | €35,735 |
| Italy | €33,649 |
| Portugal | €26,072 |
| Poland | €14,380 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
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