Farm worker

You would do practical and manual work on a farm. You could look after animals like cows, chickens or pigs or grow and harvest crops.

You’d operate farm machinery and do general repairs.

You could work on one of three main types of farm:

• livestock, dealing with animals

• arable, growing crops

• mixed, producing both animals and crops

Your work would vary depending on the type of farm and the time of year.

If you work with livestock, your tasks might include:

• feeding the animals

• cleaning (mucking out) the buildings they are kept in

• caring for sick or newborn livestock

• using milking machines with dairy cows

On an arable farm, your tasks might include:

• ploughing fields

• sowing seeds

• spreading fertiliser

• spraying crops with pesticides or weedkillers

• harvesting the crops

There are lots of other general tasks you’d do regardless of what type of farm you work on.

Your tasks might include:

• operating farm machinery and vehicles such as tractors and combine harvesters

• maintaining and repairing farm buildings

• laying and trimming hedges

• digging and clearing ditches

• putting up and mending fences

Your work would be supervised by the farm owner, manager, supervisor or landowner. You might also supervise casual staff and agricultural contractors.

You’d need to develop technical knowledge for using the machinery and have an awareness of health and safety.

Green job 

In this job you'll be doing work to help the environment. Find out more about green jobs.

• Lantra Scotland - Training and skills for the land-based, aquaculture and environmental sector