NAICS 115112

Overview

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the federal standard for categorizing business establishments to support collection, analysis, and publication of U.S. economic statistics. Developed under the Office of Management and Budget with partners in Canada and Mexico, NAICS replaced SIC in 1997; the current version in use is NAICS 2022. ¹

115112 — Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating — covers establishments primarily engaged in soil preparation or crop production support services such as plowing, fertilizing, seedbed preparation, planting, cultivating, and crop-protection activities performed on a contract or fee basis. Agencies and data programs use this code to attribute economic activity and classify related service contracts within support activities for crop production. ²

See also on G2X:

• G2X — NAICS 115112
• G2X — NAICS 115113
• G2X — NAICS 115114

What this NAICS covers

• Soil tillage and plowing services for crop production. ²
• Fertilizer application and related nutrient-management services performed under contract. ²
• Seedbed preparation and other pre-plant field conditioning. ²
• Crop seeding and planting services, including row and specialty crops. ²
• Cultivating, hoeing, and in-season mechanical weed control. ²
• Crop-protection services such as pesticide or herbicide application. ²
• Aerial crop dusting/spraying performed with specialized aircraft. ³

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Type	Code	Descriptor
NAICS	115111	Cotton Ginning
NAICS	115113	Crop Harvesting, Primarily by Machine
NAICS	115114	Postharvest Crop Activities (except Cotton Ginning)
NAICS	115116	Farm Management Services

Scope notes and exclusions

• Water supply and irrigation system operation is classified under 221310, not 115112. ²
• Mechanical crop harvesting is classified under 115113. ²
• Postharvest services (e.g., cleaning, sorting, packing, cooling) are classified under 115114. ²
• Supplying manual agricultural labor is classified under 115115. ²
• Farm management on a contract or fee basis is classified under 115116. ²

Frequently asked questions

• What activities qualify under NAICS 115112?

  • Establishments performing soil preparation and crop-support services such as plowing, fertilizing, seedbed preparation, planting, cultivating, and crop-protection work on a contract or fee basis are included. These services support crop producers but are not the primary crop producers themselves. ²

• Is aerial application (crop dusting) included here or in aviation transport codes?

  • Aerial dusting/spraying using specialized aircraft is classified in NAICS 115112, not in air transportation industries. This reflects its role as an agricultural support service rather than a transportation activity. ³

• Where can official data for industries in Sector 11, including 115112, be found?

  • The 2022 Economic Census publishes sector-level tables and files for Agriculture (Sector 11). These releases provide geographic and other statistics compiled on the 2022 NAICS basis. ⁴

• How does 115112 differ from 115114?

  • NAICS 115112 covers preharvest field services (e.g., soil prep, planting, cultivating, crop protection). NAICS 115114 covers services after harvest aimed at preparing crops for market or processing (e.g., cleaning, grading, packing, cooling). ²

• What is the SBA small business size standard for NAICS 115112?

  • SBA assigns a receipts-based small business size standard for this industry. The current threshold and any recent updates are listed in SBA’s Table of Size Standards; consult the table for the applicable amount and effective date. ⁵

Useful resources

• G2X — NAICS 115112
• U.S. Census — NAICS main page (search, structure, and background). ¹
• U.S. Census — Implementation of the 2022 NAICS (program adoption timeline). ⁶
• 2022 Economic Census — Sector 11 Agriculture tables and files. ⁴
• SBA — Table of Small Business Size Standards (current thresholds). ⁵

References

1. U.S. Census Bureau — North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) main page: https://www.census.gov/naics
2. U.S. Census Bureau — Sector 11 (Support Activities for Crop Production) including NAICS 115112 description and cross-references: https://www.census.gov/naics/resources/archives/sect11.html
3. U.S. Census Bureau — Sector 48–49 cross-references noting crop dusting is classified in NAICS 115112: https://www.census.gov/naics/resources/archives/sect48-49.html
4. U.S. Census Bureau — 2022 NAICS Sector 11 Agriculture data: https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2022/econ/economic-census/naics-sector-11.html
5. U.S. Small Business Administration — Table of Small Business Size Standards: https://www.sba.gov/document/support--table-size-standards
6. U.S. Census Bureau — Implementation of the 2022 NAICS (timeline and program adoption): https://www.census.gov/library/reference/code-lists/naics/2022/implementation-timeline.html