401 Grain Farming

This group includes occupations concerned with growing and harvesting grain crops, such as corn, sorghum, wheat, barley, and rice; and field peas, field beans, and soybeans.

401.137-010 SUPERVISOR, AREA (agric.)

Supervises and coordinates activities of workers engaged in detasseling corn on hybrid seed-corn farm: Examines ears of corn in field to determine time of emergence of silk and its retention of accompanying pollen from tassels, and schedules workload. Assigns block and field code numbers and identifies and marks male and female rows of stalks. Examines fields to find areas of rapidly growing tassels and orders crew to remove tassels before emergence of silk from ears of corn. Assigns fields to SUPERVISOR, DETASSELING CREW (agric.). Determines frequency of detasseling according to factors, such as temperature, moisture, time of season, and variety of corn grown. Inspects fields for undetasseled corn plants, estimates number of plants in field, and computes percent of tassels pulled by making sample counts of plants. Registers corn detasseling crew and issues identification badges. Performs other duties as described under SUPERVISOR (any ind.).

401.137-014 SUPERVISOR, DETASSELING CREW (agric.)

Supervises and coordinates activities of workers engaged in breaking and pulling tassels from corn plants: Directs crew members in methods of pulling tassels and stems from corn plants. Designates rows of corn to be detasseled so that ears of corn will be pollinated by tassels of adjacent rows of corn. Records detasseling time and acreage covered. Performs other duties as described under SUPERVISOR (any ind.). May direct workers in method of pulling corn suckers. May recruit crew members and transport them to fields.

401.161-010 FARMER, CASH GRAIN (agric.) cash grain grower; grain farmer.

Plants, cultivates, and harvests one or more grain crops, such as barley, corn, rice, soybeans, and wheat, for cash sale: Selects and buys type and amount of seed to be grown, taking into consideration local growing conditions and market demands. Operates equipment to plow, disk, harrow, and fertilize ground and to plant grain. Plans harvesting, considering ripeness and maturity of grain and weather conditions and operates grain-harvesting equipment. Sells grain or stores grain for future sale. Directs activities of workers. Hires and discharges workers. May be designated according to specific grain grown as CORN GROWER (agric.); RICE FARMER (agric.); SOYBEAN GROWER (agric.); WHEAT GROWER (agric.).

401.683-010 FARM WORKER, GRAIN (agric.)I

Drives and operates farm machinery to plant, cultivate, harvest, and store grain crops, such as wheat, oats, rye, and corn: Attaches farm implements, such as plow, disc, and drill, to tractor and drives tractor in fields to till soil and plant and cultivate grain, according to instructions. Tows harvesting equipment or drives and operates self-propelled combine to harvest crop. Performs variety of other duties, such as husking and shelling corn, lubricating and repairing farm machinery, and unloading grain onto conveyors to storage bins or elevators. May plan and schedule plowing, cultivating, and harvesting operations.

401.683-014 FARM WORKER, RICE (agric.)

Drives and operates rice-farm machinery to prepare land, till soil, build ditches and levees, and harvest rice crop: Hitches farm implements to tractor, and drives tractor along existing swaths and contours of rice field to plow and level fields and build or shore-up ditches and levees of flood-irrigation system. Plants rice seed, or soaks rice seed in water and loads germinated seed onto airplane for aerial seeding of field. Loads fertilizer and weed killer into airplane, and stands at edge of field or positions markers indicating field pass by airplane to prevent overlap and gaps during aerial spraying. Drives tractor with harrow attachment over aerially-seeded fields to cover seeds with dirt. Sets mowing controls and drives combine through fields to cut and thresh rice, stopping to adjust controls when amount of grain-observed in chaff and amount of chaff observed in grain hoppers exceed allowable amounts. Transfers grain from combine hopper to grain truck, using transfer auger. Patrols irrigation ditches to detect obstructions and earthen deterioration, and removes debris and shores-up levees and ditches with shovel to insure complete flooding of fields. Starts irrigation pumps, removes levee gates, and breaks apart levees to flood or drain field sections as directed. Performs miscellaneous duties, such as cleaning and lubricating farm equipment, loading and unloading trucks, and repairing buildings and fences.

401.687-010 FARM WORKER, GRAIN (agric.) II

Performs variety of manual tasks appropriate for grain crop being cultivated and harvested: Cultivates and thins crops, using hoe. Removes undesirable and excess growth, such as tassels, suckers, and weeds, by hand. Carries supplies, such as bags and baling wires, to workers in fields. Clears irrigation ditches, using carpenter's hand tools. Cleans and lubricates farm machines. may be identified with task being performed, such as hoeing, detasseling, and picking; or with crop being worked, such as hybrid seed-corn, field beans and peas, and wheat.

Adapted from US Department of Labor DOT for Dictionary of Agricultural Occupations

15 November 2004