What You'll Do

  • 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.
  • Collect samples from animals, plants, or products and route them to laboratories for microbiological assessment, ingredient verification, or other testing.
  • Interpret and enforce government acts and regulations and explain required standards to agricultural workers.
  • Write reports of findings and recommendations and advise farmers, growers, or processors of corrective action to be taken.
  • Inspect the cleanliness and practices of establishment employees.
  • Monitor the operations and sanitary conditions of slaughtering or meat processing plants.
  • Inspect food products and processing procedures to determine whether products are safe to eat.
  • Take emergency actions, such as closing production facilities, if product safety is compromised.

Essential Skills

Quality Control Analysis 4.12/5
Reading Comprehension 3.75/5
Active Listening 3.75/5
Monitoring 3.75/5
Critical Thinking 3.62/5
Speaking 3.5/5
Active Learning 3.25/5
Operations Monitoring 3.25/5
Judgment and Decision Making 3.25/5
Writing 3.12/5
Coordination 3.12/5
Complex Problem Solving 3.12/5

Career Fit Overview

Use this summary to sense whether the day to day rhythm and focus of this path line up with what energizes you.

Top passions

  • Maker: Building and fixing energizes you. You like tangible results and practical tools.
  • Organizer: Bringing order to data and processes satisfies you.
  • Analyst: Investigating problems and finding patterns keeps you engaged.

Common styles

Dependability, Integrity, Attention to Detail, Cooperation, Self-Control

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Key Abilities

This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:

Problem Sensitivity 4.0/5
Oral Comprehension 3.88/5
Deductive Reasoning 3.88/5
Inductive Reasoning 3.88/5
Near Vision 3.88/5
Oral Expression 3.75/5
Written Comprehension 3.62/5
Flexibility of Closure 3.5/5

Technologies & Tools

Image processing software Microsoft Access Microsoft Excel Microsoft Internet Explorer Microsoft Office software Microsoft Outlook Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft Word Operational databases Word processing software

Work Environment & Style

Common Styles for This Career

  • Dependability (High importance: 4.66/5)
  • Integrity (High importance: 4.65/5)
  • Attention to Detail (High importance: 4.49/5)
  • Cooperation (High importance: 4.26/5)
  • Self-Control (High importance: 4.2/5)

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How to Become One

Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience may be helpful but is usually not required. Training is often provided on the job.

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Also Known As

This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:

Agricultural Commodities Inspector Agricultural Commodity Grader Agricultural Inspector Agriculture Inspector Brand Inspector Cattle Examiner Cattle Inspector Certifier Compliance Analyst Compliance Coordinator Consumer Compliance Examiner Consumer Safety Inspector (CSI) Consumer Safety Officer (CSO) Cotton Classer Cotton Inspector Dairy Inspector Eggs Inspector Field Disease and Insect Control Inspector Fish Hatchery Inspector Fish Inspector Flour Inspector Food Inspector Food Product Inspector Food Safety and Inspection Service Inspector (FSIS Inspector) Food Safety Auditor Food Safety Inspector Food Sanitarian Forestry Inspector Fruit Inspector Grain Inspector Grain Sampler Health and Safety Specialist Health Inspector Inspector Land Inspector Livestock Brands Inspector Livestock Inspector Logging Operations Inspector Meat and Poultry Inspector Meat Inspector Milk Inspector Milk Tester Plant Inspector Poultry Field Service Technician Poultry Inspector QC Inspector (Quality Control Inspector) Quality Inspector Route Inspector Seed and Fertilizer Specialist Shipping Point Inspector Sugar Sampler Tobacco Classer Tree Inspector Vegetable Inspector Wheat Inspector