Beef Cattle Farm Worker
A beef cattle farm worker performs routine labour tasks on a beef cattle property, including feeding, watering, mustering, and basic health management of cattle. The role involves working outdoors in all weather conditions across pasture and yards, using farm equipment and following biosecurity and animal welfare protocols specific to Australian livestock operations.
What this job is
A beef cattle farm worker performs routine labour tasks on a beef cattle property, including feeding, watering, mustering, and basic health management of cattle. The role involves working outdoors in all weather conditions across pasture and yards, using farm equipment and following biosecurity and animal welfare protocols specific to Australian livestock operations.
Are employers advertising this role?
Rising, up 48.8% over 5 years
Counted across a group of similar roles. These are three-month rolling averages of online job advertisements, not filled positions.
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index.
Day-to-day
Muster cattle using motorbikes, quad bikes, or on foot across paddocks and holdings, directing animals to yards and loading facilities. Feed cattle with hay, silage, grain, and supplements using feed wagons, spreaders, or hand feeding methods according to nutritional schedules. Provide water to cattle via troughs, dams, and reticulation systems, checking daily water quality and supply levels. Identify and report signs of illness, injury, or distress in cattle, assisting with basic first aid or isolation of affected animals. Repair and maintain farm fencing, gates, and yard infrastructure using hand tools, power tools, and wire or timber materials. Operate and maintain farm vehicles and equipment including tractors, utes, quad bikes, and feed delivery systems. Comply with biosecurity protocols including footbath entry points, quarantine procedures, and movement records for livestock. Assist with animal husbandry tasks such as ear tagging, drafting by weight or age, and loading cattle for transport or sale.
Who does this now
About 4,300 people worked in this occupation across Australia at the 2021 Census.
What this role asks for
Certificate II or III (ABS skill level 4)
Can employers fill these jobs
Employers hiring for this occupation were generally able to find suitable applicants in 2025. This measures how hard employers found it to fill jobs. It is not a count of jobs, and it does not say whether the occupation is growing.
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Training Occupation Pathways dataset, March 2026, version 1.0
Jobs and Skills Australia defines an occupation-ready qualification as:
Completing this qualification will provide the skills and knowledge to undertake this occupation. Further training and experience may be required to meet specific industry requirements including licensing and registration.
Jobs and Skills Australia, Training Occupation Pathways dataset, March 2026, version 1.0
Requirements
The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate II or III (ABS skill level 4). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.
The honest hard part
The pay ceiling is low and won't improve much with experience. The work is also physically demanding year-round: early starts, all-weather exposure, repetitive strain, and injury risk from animals and machinery. Automation of feeding systems may reduce some entry-level positions over time.
Where the jobs are
Work is nearly always regional or remote, not metro. You'll need to relocate to cattle country. Some larger stations hire multiple workers; smaller properties offer fewer positions. Remote work doesn't apply here.
Skills
- Active Listeningcore
- Adaptability and Flexibilitycore
- Attention to Detailcore
- Incident Reportingcore
- Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
- Problem Solvingcore
- Risk Identificationcore
- Team Collaborationcore
- Time Management and Prioritisationcore
- Verbal Communicationcore
- Workload Self-Managementcore
- Advise customers on appropriate pet care
- Advise on animal purchase
- Advise on animal welfare
- Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracy
- Continuous Learning and Upskilling
- Inventory Tracking
- Record Management
- Regulatory and Legislative Awareness
- Supplier Communication
Which of these do you have?
Tick the ones you haveCommon questions
Sources
- ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
- ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.
Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.
What Beef Cattle Farm Worker move into, from ten years of tax records.
Last updated: 30 October 2026
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