Agronomist
What the work is
Provides advice on quality, production and management of crops and livestock by assessing growing conditions and environmental factors, and examining crops and livestock.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Collects and analyses data, and conducts research on factors affecting crop and livestock production
- Advises Farmers and Farm Managers about techniques for improving the production of crops and livestock
- Advises farmers on issues such as livestock and crop disease, weed, pest and disease control, soil improvement, and animal husbandry and feeding programs
- Studies environmental factors affecting commercial crop production, pasture growth and animal breeding
- Studies the effects of cultivation techniques, soils, insects and plant diseases on animal and crop production
- Develops procedures and techniques for solving agricultural problems and improving the efficiency of production
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in farms across a farming district, an agronomy practice and the shed of an oyster grower. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A paddock you advised on greens up and the farmer sends a photo with no caption
- You spot a disease early on a walk through a crop and save the harvest
- A grower says a tip from you saved them a season of trouble
Hard days
- A dry spell has everyone worried and every farmer wants an answer you do not yet have
- A farmer has already decided what to do and wants you to confirm it
- Long drives on dirt roads with samples to analyse and reports to write after
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 244133, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.