Also called: Orchardist, Fruit Grower, Almond/Pecan Grower
Owns or manages an orchard producing apples, cherries, almonds, pecans, or other tree crops.
An orchardist plans pruning in winter, watches the weather nervously during bloom, and manages pickers, packers, and buyers at harvest. Big operations in Washington, California, and Georgia run like businesses worth tens of millions.
Income swings with weather, prices, and farm size.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Many grow up on orchards; a bachelor's in horticulture or ag business is common.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Horticulture, Agricultural Business, Pomology.
Growing about average. BLS groups orchard owners with farm managers.
Low risk for 10 years. Robot apple harvesters and smart sprayers are arriving; owners still make the calls, manage crews and carry market risk.
Classes: Biology, Business or accounting, Spanish.
Official data: O*NET occupation 11-9013.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.