National
| Median wages (2008) |
$9.06 hourly, $18,850 annual |
| Employment (2006) |
42,000 employees |
| Projected growth (2006-2016) |
Little or no change (-2% to 2%)
|
| Projected need (2006-2016) |
6,000 additional employees |
45-2041.00 - Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products
Grade, sort, or classify unprocessed food and other agricultural products by size, weight, color, or condition.
Sample of reported job titles:
Sorter, Grader, Apple Sorter, Potato Grader, Corn Lab Technician, Agriculture Laborer, Egg Worker, Potato Sorter, Apple Inspector, Laboratory Technician
Tasks
- Grade and sort products according to factors such as color, species, length, width, appearance, feel, smell, and quality to ensure correct processing and usage.
- Discard inferior or defective products and/or foreign matter, and place acceptable products in containers for further processing.
- Weigh products or estimate their weight, visually or by feel.
- Place products in containers according to grade and mark grades on containers.
- Record grade and/or identification numbers on tags or on shipping, receiving, or sales sheets.
- Separate fiber tufts between fingers to assess strength, uniformity, and cohesive quality of fibers.
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Tools & Technology
Tools used in this occupation:
| Calipers — 12-inch aluminum Kemper calipers; 6-inch plastic calipers; Digital calipers |
| Centrifugal separation equipment or parts or screens — Rotary sifters; Specific gravity separators |
| Electronic measuring probes — Meat probes; Probes |
| Grading machines for seed or grain or dried leguminous vegetables — Cherry sizers; Deformation testers; Seed graders; Tomato sizers |
| Sample holders — Diverter samplers; Peanut triers |
| Sorting machines for seed or grain or dried leguminous vegetables — Color sorters; Cross belt sorters; Shape sorting machines; Weight sorting machines |
| Vibratory separation equipment or parts or screens — Vibrating screens |
Technology used in this occupation:
| Electronic mail software — Microsoft Outlook |
| Spreadsheet software — Microsoft Excel |
| Word processing software — Microsoft Word |
