1

Agricultural Grader Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Showing results 21-40

Agricultural Grader information

What does an agricultural grader do?

An Agricultural Grader is responsible for inspecting and grading agricultural products such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, or grains to determine their quality and ensure they meet industry standards. They use specific criteria, such as size, color, maturity, and absence of defects, to classify products. Agricultural Graders often work in warehouses, processing plants, or shipping areas, and their evaluations help determine the value and marketability of the produce. Their work is essential for ensuring that consumers receive safe and high-quality food products.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an agricultural grader?

To thrive as an Agricultural Grader, you need a keen eye for detail, strong knowledge of grading standards, and typically a high school diploma or equivalent. Familiarity with inspection tools, grading equipment, and computerized record-keeping systems is often required. Attention to detail, effective communication, and integrity help ensure precise assessments and accurate reporting. These skills are crucial for maintaining product quality, meeting regulatory standards, and supporting fair market practices.

What are some common challenges agricultural graders face during peak harvest seasons?

During peak harvest seasons, Agricultural Graders often encounter high workloads and tight timeframes as large volumes of produce need to be assessed quickly and accurately. This can lead to long shifts and the need to maintain focus to ensure quality standards are met without errors. Adapting to variations in produce quality and collaborating with other team members, such as farm workers and quality control supervisors, is essential to keep operations running smoothly. Effective communication and time management skills help graders overcome these challenges while maintaining product consistency.

What is the difference between Agricultural Grader vs Agricultural Inspector?

AspectAgricultural GraderAgricultural Inspector
CertificationsTypically requires agricultural or grading certificationsRequires agricultural or food safety certifications
Work EnvironmentOn farms, packing facilities, or grading stationsField inspections, processing plants, or regulatory agencies
Employer & Industry UsageUsed by farms, packing houses, and agricultural companiesEmployed by government agencies, food safety organizations, or farms

While both roles involve working with agricultural products, an Agricultural Grader primarily assesses and grades produce for quality, often working directly in packing or processing facilities. An Agricultural Inspector focuses on ensuring compliance with safety and quality standards, often working in the field or regulatory settings. Both roles require agricultural knowledge and certifications but differ in their focus and work environment.

How to get a job as an agricultural grader?

To become an agricultural grader, candidates typically need a high school diploma or equivalent and relevant experience in agriculture or food processing. Training is often provided on the job, and knowledge of quality standards and grading procedures is important; some positions may require certification or familiarity with grading tools and equipment.
More about Agricultural Grader jobs
Infographic showing various Agricultural Grader job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 68% Full Time, 27% Part Time, and 5% Temporary. Highlights an 95% In-person, and 5% Remote job distribution.

Loan Specialist (Agricultural)

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Phoenix, AZ • On-site

$78K/yr

Full-time

Posted 15 days ago


United States Department Of Agriculture rating

7.8

Company rating: 7.8 out of 10

Based on 25 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

454th of 854 rated public administrative organizations


Job description

This position is located in the Farm Service Agency, Arizona State Office, Farm Loan Program Branch, Maricopa County, Phoenix, AZ.
About this position: Evaluates farm loan program activities carried out by Service Centers; provides technical advice and assistance to Service Center farm loan staff on the most complex loan cases; and reviews and recommends approved or disapproved of the more difficult loan cases channeled through the State office.Qualifications:In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards.
Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. If education is required or being used to qualify, you must submit a copy of your transcripts.
Individual Occupational RequirementsEducation

Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- finance, business administration, economics, accounting, insurance, engineering, mathematics, banking and credit, law, real estate operations, statistics, or other fields related to the position, such as agriculture, agricultural economics, farm, livestock or ranch management, or rural sociologyOR
Experience

General Experience (for GS-5 positions): Experience that required gathering and analyzing facts and figures and presenting the information or conclusions in clear oral and written language; or that provided a knowledge of the principles of financial analysis or of insurance laws, such as contract, property, life, casualty, or marine insurance.

Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): Experience that demonstrated competence in agricultural, commercial, realty, or other types of loans. Experience may have been gained in such work as reviewing and passing upon applications for agricultural, commercial, bank or mortgage loans; servicing a loan portfolio of a bank or other loan association; performing financial analysis of commercial concerns for investment purposes; appraising real estate to determine property valuation; or similar work.
In addition to meeting the Individual Occupational Requirements, you must also possess experience and/or directly related education listed below.

Specialized Experience Requirements
For the GS-11
grade level: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in federal service or comparable experience not gained through federal service. Specialized experience is defined as: experience working with agricultural loans by reviewing and passing upon applications for various kinds of agricultural operations representing all types of ownership (i.e., single owner, partnerships, and corporations, etc.); and servicing an agricultural loan portfolio of a bank or other loan association. In addition, my experience demonstrated a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the technicalities of farm financing and credit; farm operations, land use and value, production of various crops and livestock, and prices and markets in the farming area where loans are made and serviced.
Education at the GS-11 grade level: Ph.D. degree or equivalent graduate degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree from an accredited college or university with a major field of study in finance, business administration, economics, accounting, engineering, mathematics, banking and credit, law, statistics, or other fields related to the position, such as agriculture, agricultural economics, farm, livestock or ranch management, or rural sociology.
Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience as listed above.
For the GS-12 grade level: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in federal service or comparable experience not gained through federal service. Specialized experience is defined as: working with agricultural loans by reviewing and passing upon applications for various kinds of agricultural operations representing all types of ownership (i.e., single owner, partnerships, and corporations, etc.); and servicing an agricultural loan portfolio of a bank or other loan association. In addition, my experience demonstrated a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the technicalities of farm financing and credit; farm operations, land use and value, production of various crops and livestock, and prices and markets in the farming area where loans are made and serviced.
THE SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION IS NOT QUALIFYING FOR THE GS-12 LEVEL.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.Education:College Transcript: If qualifying based on education, you must submit a copy of your college transcript with course number and department (i.e., Bio 101, Math 210, etc.), course title, number of credit hours, and grade earned. If a relevant course is not clearly qualifying (e.g., special topic, seminar, research, thesis, obscure or misleading course title, etc.), please submit an official course syllabi and/or detailed course description from the university/college to ensure proper evaluation.
Your education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to be credited toward qualifications. You may verify accreditation by visiting the U.S. Department of Education Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs website. We will verify your education accordingly.
Foreign Education: You must submit verification that education completed in a foreign institution, was recognized by an accreditation body accepted by the U.S. Department of Education. You must include a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) website. Your transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
You may submit an unofficial copy of your transcript at the initial phase of the application process. However, if selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Please refer to the "How to Apply" section for instructions on submitting transcripts.Employment Type: OTHER

What United States Department Of Agriculture employees say

Pay

Benefits

Hours and flexibility

Workplace

Get the full story on Breakroom