Will AI replace farmers?
Updated
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 |
| Inform farmers or farm managers of crop progress. Crop status reports can be drafted from logs, then verified. | 45% AI helps |
| Regulate greenhouse conditions, and indoor and outdoor irrigation systems. Controllers automate setpoints; AI can tune them, staff adjust hardware. | 30% AI helps |
| Sell and deliver plants and flowers to customers. Delivery and counter sales need people; AI helps little. | 20% Needs a person |
| Feel plants' leaves and note their coloring to detect the presence of insects or disease. Leaf touch checks are physical; camera photos can assist. | 18% Needs a person |
| Direct and monitor the work of casual and seasonal help during planting and harvesting. Live supervision of seasonal crews is people-led and in person. | 12% Needs a person |
Show the other 17 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Inspect plants and bud ties to assess quality. Bud and plant quality checks need trained eyes and hands. | 12% Needs a person |
| Participate in the inspection, grading, sorting, storage, and post-harvest treatment of crops. Visual grading and sorting of produce needs hands and eyes. | 10% Needs a person |
| Set up and operate irrigation equipment. Setting up and running irrigation gear is physical site work. | 10% Needs a person |
| Repair and maintain farm vehicles, implements, and mechanical equipment. Mechanical repair of machinery; AI only advises. | 8% Needs a person |
| Operate tractors, tractor-drawn machinery, and self-propelled machinery to plow, harrow and fertilize soil, or to plant, cultivate, spray and harvest crops. Driving and operating field machinery is physical and on site. | 8% Needs a person |
| Maintain and repair irrigation and climate control systems. Diagnosing and fixing pumps, valves and controls needs hands. | 8% Needs a person |
| Tie and bunch flowers, plants, shrubs, and trees, wrap their roots, and pack them into boxes to fill orders. Tying and packing plants is manual; order lists are digital. | 8% Needs a person |
| Load agricultural products into trucks, and drive trucks to market or storage facilities. Loading heavy produce and driving trucks is physical work. | 5% Needs a person |
| Clean work areas, and maintain grounds and landscaping. Cleaning grounds and clearing debris is physical outdoor work. | 5% Needs a person |
| Harvest plants, and transplant or pot and label them. Lifting, potting and labeling plants is physical handwork. | 4% Needs a person |
| Repair farm buildings, fences, and other structures. Building and fixing fences and structures is physical construction work. | 4% Needs a person |
| Harvest fruits and vegetables by hand. Hand picking produce is purely physical and seasonal work. | 3% Needs a person |
| Plant, spray, weed, fertilize, water, and prune plants, shrubs, and trees, using gardening tools. Planting, spraying, pruning and watering are physical tasks. | 3% Needs a person |
| Dig, cut, and transplant seedlings, cuttings, trees, and shrubs. Digging and transplanting roots is physical, skilled handwork. | 3% Needs a person |
| Dig, rake, and screen soil, filling cold frames and hot beds in preparation for planting. Digging, raking and screening soil is heavy physical labor. | 3% Needs a person |
| Move containerized shrubs, plants, and trees, using wheelbarrows or tractors. Moving heavy containers by wheelbarrow or tractor is physical. | 2% Needs a person |
| Haul and spread topsoil, fertilizer, peat moss, and other materials to condition soil, using wheelbarrows or carts and shovels. Hauling and spreading soil and fertilizer is heavy manual labor. | 2% Needs a person |
How farmworkers compare
All occupations (923)
Farming, fishing and forestry (12)
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.
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.
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