Back to Basics - Becoming a Farm Hand

A Farm Hand is essentially someone who assists the owner of a farm. Most farms have more than one farm hand in their employ however this depends on the size of the farm, how much of it is automated and the season. They can be involved with the planting and growing of crops, maintenance and general duties around the livestock on the farm.

Some of the general duties of a farm hand include sowing, chemical spraying, support constructions (eg. fences, trellises), driving machinery, feeding, milking, cleaning and possibly horse riding. A farm hand needs to be able to get up early, enjoy manual work, work with animals, work outdoors, work autonomously as well as with a team, have no soil or plant allergies and able to work with machinery.

Specific areas that a farm hand can work in include: ranching, dairy, plantation, produce, poultry, sheep, cattle, pigs or even specialised farming such as Llama, emu and wildlife. Most farm hands do not have tertiary education however there TAFE courses available and the majority of training is on the job. Short courses in areas such as rural operations, Agriculture production, production horticulture, farm chemicals and mechanical training (eg. tractors), will assist in the acquisition of a job as a Farm Hand.

The base salary of a farm hand is usually around $35K, however due to often remote locations, early start times, long hours and ad hoc work demands, housing is usually provided and meals can be provided as well. Promotion opportunities include becoming a farm manager or purchasing one's own farm, however the latter is a very large investment.

If you want to know more about Farming or to start searching for Farm Hand jobs, click here