Broadacre Crop and Livestock Farmer
What the work is
Plans, organises, controls, coordinates and performs farming and farm management activities involving the cultivation of broadacre crops and the breeding and raising of livestock.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Grows broadacre crops, and breeds and raises animals for the production of food, wool, skins, milk or eggs
- Monitors and maintains the health, welfare and condition of livestock, including by providing pastures, fodder and water
- Plans and maintains broadacre crop production by selecting seed and coordinating cultivation, fertilising, watering and crop health strategies
- Develops and oversees strategies to manage biosecurity and other risks
- Plans and oversees the provision and maintenance of broadacre crop and livestock farming infrastructure, such as equipment, machinery, sheds, and water supply and irrigation systems
- Organises the sale, purchase and transportation of livestock and produce
- Maintains and evaluates records of broadacre crop and livestock farming activities, monitors market activity, and plans production accordingly
- Manages broadacre crop and livestock farm business capital, including budgeting, taxation, debt and loan management
- May select, train and supervise broadacre crop and livestock farm staff and contractors
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a fictional barramundi and oyster farm on a coastal estuary. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A tank of fish you raised from tiny fingerlings reaches market size on time
- The water readings are steady and everything in the farm is behaving
- A chef tastes your oysters and asks where to order more
Hard days
- An alarm goes off at 3am and the water is changing faster than you can guess why
- Storms, heat or a spill upstream that you can do nothing about
- A buyer cancels an order just when the stock is ready
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 151332, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.