Cotton Grower
What the work is
Plans, organises, controls, coordinates and performs farming operations to grow cotton.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Plans, organises and coordinates the production and marketing of cotton crops, taking into account environmental and market conditions
- Selects and purchases cotton seeds, fertilisers and other supplies required for cotton production
- Coordinates and develops strategies for cultivating, fertilising and irrigating cotton crops to maintain optimal production, crop health and growing conditions
- Monitors and maintains cotton crop health by managing biosecurity and other risks, and controlling pests, weeds and disease
- Directs and oversees the defoliation, harvesting, storing, grading and packaging of cotton
- Plans and coordinates the sale, purchase and dispatch of cotton
- Plans and oversees the provision and maintenance of cotton farming infrastructure and equipment, such as sheds, fences, machinery, and water supply and irrigation systems
- Maintains and evaluates records of cotton farming activities, monitors market activity, and plans production accordingly
- Manages cotton farm business capital, including budgeting, taxation, debt and loan management
- May select, train and supervise cotton farm staff and contractors
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a fictional family wheat and canola farm on the western plains, in the weeks before harvest. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- You walk a paddock at sunrise and the crop is exactly where you hoped it would be
- Harvest goes smoothly, the trucks keep rolling and the silo fills
- A hard decision about when to sow turns out right once the rain arrives
Hard days
- Weeks of dry weather and a crop that is struggling no matter what you do
- Machinery breaks at the worst moment, with a storm forecast for the weekend
- Long hours, big decisions made alone and a lot of money riding on the weather
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 151131, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.