Farmer
Farmers manage land, crops and livestock to produce food, fibre and other farm products for sale.
- Median salary*
- $54,600
4.2%vs last year, before tax
- People employed*
- 157,000
0.3%vs last year
- Projected growth*
- +1.2%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Moderate
- 4 out of 10
- Average hours*
- 50/wk
+10h vs all jobs
- Shortage status*
- In shortage (regional)
national
- Most farmers work land they own or lease, often within a family business, and they make the calls on planting, breeding, feeding and selling that a hired worker or contractor carries out without deciding.
- The mix of crops and stock shapes the year more than the job title does, whether the property runs grain, sheep and beef, dairy, horticulture or poultry.
- Unlike a farm manager employed to run someone else's place, a farmer usually carries the financial risk of the enterprise.
How much do farmers earn?
The median full-time salary for a farmer is $54,600 per annum, before tax, up $11,400 since 2018.
Farm income swings with commodity prices, seasonal conditions and the scale of the property, so a good year and a poor one can look very different. Whether you own, lease or share-farm the land often matters more to the figure than the type of farming does, and many farm households also draw on off-farm work.
What does a farmer do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Feeding livestock and checking water troughs early, so the rest of the day can go to whatever is most urgent
- Repairing fences, pumps and machinery on the spot, because a broken gate or failed water line costs stock within hours
- Timing sowing, spraying and harvest around rainfall, frost and soil moisture readings rather than a fixed calendar
- Handling the business side after hours, from grain contracts and livestock sales to equipment finance and input costs
- Reworking the week when weather, a breakdown or a sick animal changes what matters most
What skills do farmers need?
Employers look for budgeting and forecasting, operations management, plant and equipment operation, backed by tractors and harvesters fluency and strong problem solving.
Specialist skills
- Budgeting and forecasting
- Operations management
- Plant and equipment operation
- Data analysis
- Risk and internal controls
Software and tools
- tractors and harvesters
- farm management software
- soil moisture sensors
- livestock management systems
- weather monitoring apps
General skills
- Problem solving
- Attention to detail
Is the job growing?
About 157,000 people work as farmers in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 1.2% over the decade to 2035. That's modest growth: demand is steady rather than booming.
How do you become a farmer?
Here's the path most farmers take, step by step.
- 1Get practical experience on a farm
Most people start as a farm worker or station hand, doing paid work with livestock, crops and machinery. No formal qualification is needed to begin, and the daily routines you learn are what later study builds on.
- 2Complete a certificate in agriculture
A Certificate III or IV in Agriculture through TAFE, usually one to two years and often studied part time while working, covers livestock handling, cropping, machinery operation and workplace safety.
- 3Add a diploma or degree if you want to manage or specialise
A Diploma of Agriculture or a Bachelor of Agriculture, generally three to four years full time, opens up agronomy, farm business management and roles with larger operations. Around 38% of the people working as farmers hold a bachelor degree, which shows the qualification is useful but not the only way in.
- 4Learn the business side
Farm management comes down to finance, budgeting and risk as much as husbandry. Short courses in agribusiness, farm finance or farm safety through TAFE or industry bodies are a common way to fill that gap.
- 5Find land to farm
Buying a property is the hardest step, and capital is the usual barrier. Many farmers lease land, share-farm with an established owner, or manage a property for someone else before buying, and family succession brings its own path in.
Study that can help
No set qualification is needed for this role in our data. These qualifications are not required, but the study can help.
- Certificate IV in AgribusinessCertificate IV
Teaches farm financial records, budgeting and reading production figures, which the business side of running a farm relies on
- Diploma of AgricultureDiploma
Covers safety processes, environmental policy and regulatory compliance for people running a whole property
- Bachelor of AgricultureBachelor degree
Teaches crop and livestock systems, land management and farm business management, which cover the production and business sides of farming.
- Bachelor of Agricultural ScienceBachelor degree
Covers soil science, digital agriculture and data, and agricultural economics, which support timing and cost decisions.
- Bachelor of AgribusinessBachelor degree
Covers agricultural economics, finance and marketing, useful for contracts, sales and input costs.
Prefer something shorter?
A short course can build some of these skills without a full qualification. These aren't accredited, and we don't rank or recommend providers: compare a few before you commit.
These are ordinary links to each provider's own site. We don't currently earn anything from them.
Ready to apply as a farmer?
Whether you're working toward becoming a farmer or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a farmer move to?
Moving into Grain Grower typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $28,600 a year more on average.
- Grain GrowerRecorded move$83,200+$28,600
- Agricultural Machinery OperatorRecorded move$75,400+$20,800
- OrchardistRecorded move$72,800+$18,200
- Beef Cattle FarmerRecorded move$61,400+$6,800
Thick lines are moves people were recorded making in Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility (income tax records, 2011-12 to 2020-21). Thin lines are moves we suggest from skill overlap and entry requirements.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
Grain Grower A farmer's crop and land management skills carry into specialised grain production, with further study in agronomy.Known move | +$28,600 | 37% | reskill |
Agricultural Machinery Operator A farmer's machinery operation and maintenance skills carry into contract or large-scale machinery work, needing formal tickets.Known move | +$20,800 | 23% | reskill |
Orchardist A farmer's mixed crop experience and orchard management basics carry into fruit production, with further study in horticulture.Known move | +$18,200 | 30% | reskill |
Beef Cattle Farmer A farmer's livestock husbandry and pasture management carry into specialising in beef cattle herds.Known move | +$6,800 | 33% | reskill |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a farmer?
The typical farmer is 52 years old; 72% are men, 82% work full-time, and full-timers average 50 hours a week.
- 52
- Median age
- 28%
- Female share
- 82%
- Full-time
- +10h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a farmer?
The job runs on the seasons rather than the clock, with long stretches of routine animal and crop work broken by intense periods such as harvest, lambing or calving. Most of it happens outdoors and much of it alone, which suits people who like working with their hands, solving problems on the spot and seeing a year's effort turn into something they can sell. The trade-off is that the weather, the market and the bank set much of the agenda, and the property rarely stops needing attention.
What people like
- Working outdoors and setting your own days. You decide the order of the work and spend most of it outside, which suits people who dislike being confined to a schedule someone else controls.
- A clear result at the end of the season. Crops harvested, lambs weaned, cattle sold. The work produces something visible and countable in a way that many office jobs do not.
- A wide spread of skills. A week can include machinery repairs, animal health, soil and pasture decisions and price negotiation, so the job rarely narrows to one task.
- Living and working on your own land. For many farmers the property is home as well as workplace, and that overlap is a large part of why they stay with it.
What people find hard
- Weather and prices are outside your control. A dry spell, a frost or a fall in cattle prices can undo months of careful work, and no amount of effort changes it.
- Long hours with few real days off. Full-time farmers average about 50 hours a week, and harvest, shearing or calving push that higher. Animals need feeding whether or not it is a public holiday.
- Capital and debt sit behind every decision. Land, machinery and inputs are expensive, so cash flow and loan repayments shape what you can do in a way that employees rarely have to weigh.
- Isolation on smaller properties. A one-person or family operation means few colleagues to share problems with, and distance from town can make both advice and social contact harder to get.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ farmers?
Grain, sheep and beef cattle farming employs the largest share of farmers, followed by Dairy cattle farming.
Top employing industries
- 1Grain, sheep and beef cattle farming
- 2Dairy cattle farming
- 3Vegetable and fruit farming
- 4Poultry farming and egg production
- 5Other livestock farming
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Bachelor degree | 38% | |
|---|---|---|
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 24% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 20% | |
| Postgraduate | 10% | |
| Other | 8% |
Will AI replace farmers?
Moderate exposure. Not replaced, but changed. AI is taking on some tasks and the rest of the job shifts around them.
AI and automation reach some parts of farming but not the physical core of it. Machinery guidance, soil sensors, yield mapping and farm management software already sharpen decisions on sowing, spraying and inputs, and they cut the time spent on compliance records. Handling stock, repairing equipment and reading a paddock after heavy rain still depend on a person being there.
How a typical week splits
- Compliance records and market paperwork20% of the week
Chemical records, livestock movement declarations and traceability reporting are increasingly captured automatically from the machinery and stock systems that generate the data.
- Planning crops, pasture and input use25% of the week
Yield maps and soil moisture sensors inform seeding rates and spray timing, though the decision on a paddock still comes down to local knowledge and the season ahead.
- Milking, feeding and animal health checks30% of the week
Dairy shed automation and health monitoring collars flag problems earlier, but someone still has to move the herd, draft animals and treat a lame cow.
- Operating and repairing machinery25% of the week
Auto-steer and section control reduce overlap in the paddock, but a broken header belt at harvest is fixed by hand in the paddock.
How we work this out
We break each job into its main tasks, estimate the share of a typical week each one takes, and judge how far current AI and automation tools reach into it. The score out of 10 starts from the job's overall rating (low is 1 to 3, moderate 4 to 6, high 7 to 10) and the task split places it within that range. Source: Career Tips analysis of each role's main tasks.
Moves least exposed to AI
These career moves from farmer work are rated low for AI exposure:
- Orchardist
Some skill overlap (30%), reskill to get there, and a low automation-risk profile.
- Beef Cattle Farmer
Some skill overlap (33%), reskill to get there, and a low automation-risk profile.
Common questions about becoming a farmer
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do farmers earn?
Farmers earn a median of $54,600 per year before tax. That figure covers a wide range, because commodity prices, seasonal conditions and the scale of the property move income far more than experience does.
How do you become a farmer?
Most people start with paid work on a farm as a worker or station hand, then add a Certificate III or IV in Agriculture while they learn. A diploma or degree helps if you want to manage a larger operation or specialise, and the hardest step is usually finding land to lease, share-farm or buy.
Are farmers in demand?
Farmers are currently in shortage in regional areas, and employment is projected to grow 1.2% over the decade to 2035. Because the overall number of farmers changes little from year to year, most openings come from replacing people who leave the industry rather than from new positions being created.
Will AI replace farmers?
No. AI is changing parts of the job rather than the job itself: yield mapping, soil sensors and farm management software sharpen decisions about planting and inputs, and automated record keeping handles compliance paperwork. Handling stock, fixing machinery and judging a paddock by eye still need someone on the ground.
What can farmers move into?
Specialising is the common direction, and beef cattle farming carries a pay difference of $6,800 more while agricultural machinery operating carries $20,800 more, both building on livestock and machinery skills already in the job. Farm workers and station hands often step up into farming themselves after a few years of practical work. Owning or share-farming the land is the usual progression for many farmers, and this is often where earnings grow.
How many hours do farmers work?
Full-time farmers average about 50 hours a week, well above the standard working week. Harvest, shearing and calving stretch that further, and because livestock need daily attention, days off have to be planned around someone else covering the property.
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Career advice
- How to change careers, and which moves are realisticData on 1,573 career moves across 350 Australian occupations shows 63.3% need no more than a short course, though skill overlap alone won't tell you which ones. Six worked examples, and how to check your own move.
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- How to prepare for a job interviewWhat to work through before a job interview: a prep sheet built from the job ad, the stories that cover most questions, and the questions an interviewer can't lawfully ask in Australia.