Life, Physical & Social Science
Precision Agriculture Technicians
Also called: Agrintelligence Specialist (Agriculture Intelligence Specialist), Agronomist, Agronomy Consultant, Crop Consultant
US median pay
$49,630
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
+5.4%
faster than average
Openings a year (US)
2,800
19,500 employed
Typical entry education
Associate's degree
Preparation 3/5 · Medium preparation
What this job is
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.
What they do day to day
- 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.
- Identify spatial coordinates, using remote sensing and Global Positioning System (GPS) data.
- Analyze data from harvester monitors to develop yield maps.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Complex Problem Solving3.4/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.2/5
- Systems Evaluation3.1/5
- Systems Analysis3.1/5
- Time Management3.0/5
- Coordination3.0/5
- Operations Monitoring2.9/5
- Operations Analysis2.9/5
Knowledge
- 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 rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 3 of 5 — Medium preparation. Usually vocational training, an associate's degree or an apprenticeship.
Typical entry education (BLS): Associate's degree.
Highest education of people in this job:
- Bachelor's degree35%
- Associate's degree30%
- Post-secondary certificate17%
Who this job suits
Mostly Realistic
Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
Investigative
Ideas, research and solving problems
Conventional
Organising data, details and procedures
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.