Skills
Farmworker Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in farmworkers, and how to build and show them.
What skills do farmworkers need?
Farmworkers need technical skills such as planting and harvesting, pruning, and irrigation, plus people skills like stamina and reliability. They also use tools such as Hand tools such as hoes and pruners and Harvest bins and containers.
Technical (hard) skills
- Planting and harvesting
- Pruning
- Irrigation
- Plant care
- Packing
- Hand tool use
People (soft) skills
- Stamina
- Reliability
- Teamwork
- Speed
Tools, equipment and technology
- Hand tools such as hoes and pruners
- Harvest bins and containers
- Irrigation equipment
- Greenhouse equipment
- Ladders for orchards
- Packing equipment
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how farmworkers put their skills to work:
- How to harvest produce safely and gently
- How to prevent heat illness
- How to follow pesticide safety rules
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Planting and harvesting” and “Pruning.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “stamina,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as Worker Protection Standard training near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our farmworker glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Farmworker training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.