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Agricultural Inspectors

Also called: Seed and Fertilizer Specialist, Grain Inspector, Meat and Poultry Inspector, Plant Protection Specialist

What they do:
Inspect agricultural commodities, processing equipment, and facilities, and fish and logging operations, to ensure compliance with regulations and laws governing health, quality, and safety.
On the job, you would:
  • Inspect agricultural commodities or related operations, as well as fish or logging operations, for compliance with laws and regulations governing health, quality, and safety.
  • Inspect or test horticultural products or livestock to detect harmful diseases, chemical residues, or infestations and to determine the quality of products or animals.
  • Verify that transportation and handling procedures meet regulatory requirements.

Knowledge

Safety and Government
  • law and government
  • public safety and security
Arts and Humanities
  • English language
Education and Training
  • teaching and course design
Math and Science
  • biology

Skills

Basic Skills
  • listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
  • thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem
Problem Solving
  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
People and Technology Systems
  • thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
  • figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it

Abilities

Ideas and Logic
  • notice when problems happen
  • make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information
Verbal
  • listen and understand what people say
  • communicate by speaking
Visual Understanding
  • see hidden patterns
  • quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include
practical, hands-on problems and solutions.
They do well at jobs that need:
  • Integrity
  • Dependability
  • Attention to Detail
  • Independence
  • Self Control
  • Cooperation

Technology

You might use software like this on the job:

Spreadsheet software
  • Microsoft Excel
Graphics or photo imaging software
  • Image processing software
Word processing software
  • Microsoft Word

Education

Education: (rated 3 of 5)
high school diploma or
bachelor's degree
usually needed

Get started on your career:

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Job Outlook

Below Average Outlook
New job opportunities are less likely in the future.
Salary
$41,390
per year, on average
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Green
This work is part of the green economy.

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See more details at O*NET OnLine about agricultural inspectors.