Mixed Cattle and Sheep Farmer

A Mixed Cattle and Sheep Farmer manages a rural enterprise that produces both beef or dairy cattle and sheep for wool, meat, or breeding stock. They oversee paddock management, animal husbandry, breeding programmes, health and welfare compliance, and the commercial sale of livestock and products. The role requires knowledge of seasonal grazing cycles, stock nutrition, disease prevention, and farm infrastructure maintenance across varying Australian climates and landscapes.

Plan and rotate grazing paddocks to maintain pasture quality and prevent soil degradation and disease carry-over. Monitor herd and flock health daily, identifying signs of illness, injury, or nutritional deficiency and arranging veterinary intervention. Conduct mustering, drafting, and handling of cattle and sheep using trained dogs, yards, and portable or fixed infrastructure. Implement breeding programmes by selecting breeding stock based on genetic merit, growth rates, wool quality, and meat yield targets. Administer veterinary treatments including vaccinations, drenches, and parasite control according to NLIS and animal health management plans. Maintain detailed animal health and production records for traceability, NLIS (National Livestock Identification System) compliance, and marketing. Manage feed budgets and supplementary feeding (hay, grain, mineral supplements) during drought, winter, or period of feed shortage. Maintain farm infrastructure including fencing, water troughs, animal housing, yards, and handling facilities to safe standards.

The standard entry pathway requires a bachelor degree or higher (ABS Skill Level 1). 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.

Income is unpredictable and depends entirely on commodity prices, weather, and animal losses: you could have a bad drought or disease outbreak that wipes out years of profit. You're on call seven days a week for animal emergencies, and you need significant capital to start or buy into a farm, which creates real financial risk if things go wrong.

Most opportunities are owner-operated rather than employment positions. Few remote work options exist: you need to be on the land.

• Adaptability and Flexibilitycore
• Administer drugs to facilitate breedingcore
• Administer treatment to animalscore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracycore
• Goal Setting and Planningcore
• Inventory Trackingcore
• Negotiationcore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Record Managementcore
• Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Supplier Communicationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Workload Self-Managementcore
• Advise on animal purchase
• Advise on animal welfare
• Community Development
• Continuous Learning and Upskilling
• Digital Literacy
• Incident Reporting
• Invoicing and Billing Administration
• Process Improvement Identification
• Research and Analysis
• Written 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.

Last updated: 30 October 2026