Broadacre Crop and Livestock Farm Worker

A broadacre crop and livestock farm worker performs manual and operational tasks across large-scale mixed farming operations in Australia, including crop cultivation, harvest, livestock handling, and equipment maintenance. The role is typically supervised and involves seasonal and year-round work with machinery, animals, and land management under varying weather and soil conditions. Work is conducted on farms across grain, pulse, oilseed, and pastoral enterprises, often in regional and remote areas.

Operate tractors and broadacre machinery such as seeders, headers, and spray applicators for crop establishment and harvest. Monitor and maintain paddock conditions, including soil moisture, pest pressure, and crop growth stages, reporting observations to farm management. Conduct basic preventative maintenance on farm equipment including oil and fluid checks, belt replacement, and bolt tightening. Assist with or independently perform livestock mustering, drafting, and movement using yards, portable panels, and handling facilities. Administer animal health treatments including vaccinations, drenching, and wound treatment under veterinary or farm management direction. Prepare land for planting by assisting with or conducting tillage, fertiliser application, and paddock preparation according to farm plans. Harvest crops using headers, utes, or trailers, monitoring grain quality and managing harvest logistics. Perform fencing repairs and construction using posts, wire, and tools to maintain paddock boundaries and livestock containment.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate I or compulsory secondary education (ABS skill level 5). 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.

Seasonal work means months of solid income during planting and harvest, then thin or no work in the off-season. Pay caps out unless you move into management or own land. Weather and commodity prices are beyond your control and wreck planning. Machinery breakdowns often mean long, urgent hours. Isolation in regional areas is real.

Work follows rainfall and soil type. Most roles are on-farm and cannot be done remotely. Towns near cropping zones have more farm labour demand.

• Active Listeningcore
• Adaptability and Flexibilitycore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracycore
• Incident Reportingcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Team Collaborationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Workload Self-Managementcore
• Continuous Learning and Upskilling
• Goal Setting and Planning
• Inventory Tracking
• Multitasking
• Record Management
• Regulatory and Legislative Awareness
• Supplier Communication

• 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.

Where our numbers come from.

What Broadacre Crop and Livestock Farm Worker move into, from ten years of tax records.

Last updated: 30 October 2026