Grain, Oilseed, Pulse and Pasture Farm Worker
What the work is
Performs routine tasks on a grain, oilseed, protein, pulse or pasture farm, such as cultivating and fertilising soil, and planting and irrigating crops. May spray pesticides on crops to treat disease and pests.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Patrols, inspects and reports on the condition of grain, oilseed, pulse and pasture crops
- Undertakes soil preparation and crop maintenance duties, such as ploughing, harrowing and weeding
- Operates water and irrigation systems for grain, oilseed, pulse or pasture crop growth
- Siloes and bales produce, and loads it into transporters when required
- Maintains, cleans and operates grain, oilseed, pulse and pasture farming infrastructure and equipment, such as sheds, fences and machinery
- May spray crops with pesticides to control weed growth, insects, fungus growth and diseases
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a family-run fruit and vegetable farm in the middle of harvest, with picking crews, irrigation and a spray shed. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- Walking a block at sunrise and spotting a problem a week before it would have cost the crop
- A full day of picking ends with the last crates loaded and a crew that is tired and proud
- Rain arrives right after you finish the planting you were racing to get done
Hard days
- Picking or hoeing in forty degree heat with the sun straight overhead
- A frost, a hailstorm or a pump failure that undoes a month of work in an hour
- A boss who needs the whole block picked today and a crew that is running short
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 841134, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.