Farm Hand Jobs
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What are the roles and responsibilities of a farm hand?

Some roles and responsibilities are common to farm hands across all farming sectors; for example, general farm maintenance, infrastructure maintenance and equipment maintenance jobs such as machine and utility servicing, fencing repairs and various construction jobs.

A farm work hand’s roles and responsibilities can vary widely depending firstly on the type of farm and the candidate’s level of experience. For example, the main role of a broadacre/cropping farm hand is the operation of farm machinery such as tractors, telehandlers, forklifts and front-end loaders. This machinery is used to prepare the land for planting, plant seed, treat the land with herbicide and pesticide, and harvest the final crop at season’s end.

In contrast, livestock farm hands are mainly tasked with animal management and husbandry. This farm job includes feeding, watering, mustering and working stock, monitoring animal health, tagging, branding and weaning young stock, and loading and unloading stock trucks.

In short, farm hand positions are ideal for keen young farm workers who are yet to discover their niche area of interest.

What does a day in the life of a farm hand look like?

A farm hand’s day usually starts quite early to beat the heat in summer and make the most of daylight hours in winter. At the start of the day, they will usually be told what their tasks are so they can plan what equipment they need and set the schedule for the day. From there, farm hands will go out and complete the tasks asked of them, whether that be livestock mustering, tractor operating or fence maintenance. Usually tasks will be completed with one other farm hand, or by themselves. As farm hands often travel far from the homestead to work, they will often eat lunch in the paddock. Once the work is done, the farm hand will head back to the homestead and wind down with a cup of tea or a cold beer.

What pay and benefits do farm hand receive?

Depending on their experience, a farm hand would be looking at a pay rate of between $25 and $32 per hour plus super. A money-saving benefit is that most farm hand positions include single accommodation as part of the package, and some also include on-site family accommodation.

What’s the usual career progression for a farm hand?

Successful farm hands are promoted to leading hands and afforded additional responsibility, including the duty of supervising junior farm hands.

A supervisor position is a natural progression from there, serving as a buffer between farm hands and management staff. Finally, there is scope to move into the managerial suite – first as an assistant manager and finally as a fully-fledged Farm Manager. From beginning to end, the process can take up to 10 years.

Agri Talent connects candidates with farm hand roles not just in south australia but all around Australia. While locations are partially determined by preferences for either livestock or cropping work, our team makes every effort to place candidates in the role and location they prefer.