# Will AI replace farmers? Updated October 2026 Farmworkers score 22 of 100 for AI exposure. 74% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 11% today and speed up another 15%. - **11%** AI can do it - **15%** AI helps - **74%** Needs a person Low exposure Lower than 76% of the 923 occupations we scored. ## Task by task We graded 27 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 3 of them today, speeds up 4 and leaves 20 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Record information about crops, such as pesticide use, yields, or costs. Logging spray, yield and cost data is structured digital entry. | 70% AI can do it | | Maintain inventory, ordering materials as required. Stock counts, reorder alerts and purchase orders suit software automation. | 70% AI can do it | | Record information about plants and plant growth. Growth observations can be logged by voice or photo, then structured. | 65% AI can do it | | Identify plants, pests, and weeds to determine the selection and application of pesticides and fertilizers. Image recognition handles pest and weed ID; grower confirms treatment. | 55% AI helps | | Provide information and advice to the public regarding the selection, purchase, and care of products. AI can answer routine care questions; in person advice remains. | 50% AI helps | ## How farmworkers compare All occupations (923) Farming, fishing and forestry (12) **Farmworkers score 22**, marked by the dark line. Each dot is a score, darker where more occupations share it. The short marks show the averages, 37 for all occupations and 20 for farming, fishing and forestry. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $35,660 a year, May 2025 People employed 265,500 in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs \-2.4% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Log spray, yield and cost records in Farm Works Software Trac - Maintain crop records in BCL Landview WinCrop - Map field blocks and rows with GPS software - Hold a state pesticide applicator licence - Harvest produce and transplant seedlings manually - Verify pest and weed IDs before applying treatment ## Safer roles nearby 5 related occupations with lower scores. - [Agricultural equipment operators12 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/agricultural-equipment-operators/) - [Livestock workers18 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/livestock-workers/) - [Landscapers11 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/landscapers/) - [Pesticide applicators15 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/pesticide-applicators/) - [Separating machine operators20 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/separating-machine-operators/) ## Questions about farmworkers and AI Will farmers be replaced by AI? Unlikely. About 2 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly recording crop, pesticide and yield data and keeping inventory stocked. Physical work in the field, such as harvesting, planting and hauling, stays with people. Which tasks is AI taking over for farmworkers? Recording crop data and maintaining inventory are the tasks AI is taking over first. Logging pesticide use, yields and costs scores 70 on exposure because it is structured digital entry. Stock counts, reorder alerts and purchase orders also score 70 and suit software automation. Which farmworker tasks stay human? Harvesting manually, transplanting seedlings and moving containers stay with farmworkers. Hand harvesting scores 3 on exposure and moving containers scores 2, because picking produce, digging roots and lifting heavy pots need a person working manually in the field. How can farmworkers stay valuable as AI spreads? Become the person who checks what software records. Log spray and yield data in Farm Works Software Trac, verify AI pest and weed IDs before any pesticide goes on, and confirm drafted crop status reports before they reach farm managers. Hold a state pesticide applicator licence to sign off applications. ## Related jobs - [Tree trimmers12 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/tree-trimmers/) - [Warehouse workers17 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/warehouse-workers/) - [Packers19 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/packers/) - [Food batchmakers24 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/food-batchmakers/) ## Next steps for farmworkers - ### Check your job Your job title is a rough guide. Your actual tasks decide your score. Paste your job description or CV and see which of your tasks AI can do. [Check your job](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/ai-exposure-checker/) [Check your CV](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/cv-checker/) ### Check which roles in your team AI can take on We map your team's tasks, show what AI can do today and build the automations that pay back first. [Book an AI audit](https://www.aigentcy.com/audit/) ## Related topics - [**Jobs AI can't replace**Cement masons score lowest, at 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-cant-replace/) - [**Jobs most at risk from AI**Proofreaders score highest, at 76.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-most-exposed-to-ai/) - [**High-paying jobs with low AI exposure**Radiologists earn a median $420,860 and score 46.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/high-paying-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Entry-level jobs with low AI exposure**Cement masons need little prior training and score 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/entry-level-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Jobs AI speeds up the most**For natural sciences managers, AI speeds up 96% of task time.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-speeds-up/) - [**AI and jobs in Malta**15 iGaming roles graded task by task.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/malta/) - [**Skills that keep work human**The skills to build in the jobs AI changes least.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/skills/) - [**Jobs A to Z**Every job we publish, by first letter.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs/) - [**AI exposure by industry**Average scores for 22 occupation groups.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/industries/) - [**Write a CV screening software can read**How applicant tracking systems read a CV, and what to change.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cv-screening-guide/) - [**AI for businesses**The tasks to automate first in each team and industry.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-for/) - [**How we score AI exposure**The grading, the weights and every source.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/) Occupation data from the O\*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and modified by Aigentcy. O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Wage, employment and projection data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. EU occupation names from ESCO, European Commission. AI usage signals from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY) and Microsoft Research (CC BY 4.0). [Methodology and sources](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/). Scores © Aigentcy. Quote them with a link to the page.