Will AI replace farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals?

Some tasks are already handled by AI or machines; the rest still needs a person. About 4h 51m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks that AI or robots largely take over. The other 3h 9m (39%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 3.2% fewer of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

None of this job's tasks show regular AI use yet. That can mean the work is hands-on or in person, or simply that it rarely comes up in AI usage data.

For some tasks, yes. Robots have done 8 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 4h 51m of a typical shift. 2 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 7 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• Feed and water livestock and monitor food and water supplies. (1h 52m a shift; e.g. Lely Vector automatic feeding system, in use)
• Clean stalls, pens, and equipment, using disinfectant solutions, brushes, shovels, water hoses, or pumps. (56m a shift; e.g. Lely Discovery Scraper / Discovery Collector, in use)
• Drive trucks, tractors, and other equipment to distribute feed to animals. (36m a shift; e.g. Lely Vector automatic feeding system, in use)
• Herd livestock to pastures for grazing or to scales, trucks, or other enclosures. (31m a shift; e.g. Halter smart cattle collar (virtual fencing / virtual herding), in use)

3h 9m of a typical shift, or 39%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Inspect, maintain, and repair equipment, machinery, buildings, pens, yards, and fences. (46m a shift)
• Examine animals to detect illness, injury, or disease, and to check physical characteristics, such as rate of weight gain. (31m a shift)
• Provide medical treatment, such as administering medications and vaccinations, or arrange for veterinarians to provide more extensive treatment. (20m a shift)
• Mix feed, additives, and medicines in prescribed portions. (20m a shift)
• Perform duties related to livestock reproduction, such as breeding animals within appropriate timeframes, performing artificial inseminations, and helping with animal births. (20m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 75% spend more than half the day on their feet
• 65% work outdoors in all weather every day
• 55% work in very hot or cold conditions at least weekly

The median pay is about $36,670 a year ($17.63 an hour), 28% below the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $27,360 and $54,080 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects a decline of 3.2% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 196,000 jobs in 2035. Even so, it expects about 27,000 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 33,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.02% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 464th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 196,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is some college: about 39% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 2 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: high school diploma, some training. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Troubleshooting, Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Monitoring
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 3h 9m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Word

These use similar skills, with less of a typical shift touched by AI or robots. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse (2h 20m touched, $36k median pay)
• Fishing and Hunting Workers (1h 12m touched)
• Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers (0m touched, $38k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 8 with robots in real deployments, 11 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.