Dairy Cattle Farmer
What the work is
Plans, organises, controls, coordinates and performs farming operations to breed and raise dairy cattle for milk, meat and breeding stock.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Plans and coordinates the breeding and raising of dairy cattle for the production of milk, meat and breeding stock
- Organises dairy farming operations and routines, such as feeding and milking schedules, sterilisation of milking machines, nutrition programs, and administration of vaccinations and medications to dairy cattle
- Coordinates and schedules activities such as breeding, calving and weaning
- Monitors and maintains the health, welfare and condition of dairy cattle, including by developing and overseeing strategies to manage biosecurity and other risks
- Directs and oversees general dairy cattle farming activities, including the provision and maintenance of infrastructure such as pens, sheds and water supply systems, and the preparation of pasture and fodder
- Organises the sale, purchase and transportation of dairy cattle and milk
- Maintains and evaluates records of dairy farming activities, monitors market activity, and plans production accordingly
- Manages dairy cattle farm business capital, including budgeting, taxation, debt and loan management
- May select, train and supervise dairy cattle farm staff and contractors
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a fictional dairy farm with a milking shed, working a split shift every day of the year. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A calm milking where the cows walk in easily and the numbers look healthy
- A new calf is on its feet within the hour and drinking well
- The milk tanker leaves on time with a full load that passed every test
Hard days
- Up at four every morning, including Christmas Day, with no days off in sight
- A cow is unwell and the milk from her has to be kept out of the vat
- A power cut right before milking, with a hundred cows waiting at the gate
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 152231, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.