Farmer

Typical Salary

£20,000 To £50,000

Typical Hours

39 to 41 variable

evenings / weekends / bank holidays flexibly

How To Become a Farmer

You can get into this job through:

a university course
a college course
an apprenticeship
working towards this role

College / University

You could take a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in:

agriculture
land management
farm business management
crop and livestock production

1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma

2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

You could start your career in farming by doing a course at agricultural college like:

Level 2 Certificate in Land-based Activities
Level 3 Diploma in Agriculture

2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course

4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course

Apprenticeship

You could get farming experience through apprenticeships relevant to this role like:

Level 2 Stockperson
Level 2 Poultry worker
Level 3 Poultry technician
Level 3 Crop technician

some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Routes into this Career

You can get valuable experience and move into farm management by working as a supervisor, dairy or arable unit manager, or assistant manager.

You could also take qualifications on the job like the Level 4 Certificate in Work-based Agricultural Management.

Other Routes

Other Routes are not listed for this job.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

to be flexible and open to change
the ability to work well with others
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
the ability to work on your own
physical skills like movement, coordination and dexterity
excellent verbal communication skills
thinking and reasoning skills
patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Day To Day Tasks

Your day-to-day tasks will depend on whether you work with:

animals - livestock farming
crops - arable farming
a mixture of livestock and arable farming

Typically you will:

plan how the farm will run
set budget and production targets
make sure the farm follows health and safety standards and farming regulations
do practical tasks like feeding and checking the health of livestock, fertilising or harvesting crops or maintaining farm equipment
buy and sell animals or produce
keep financial and stock records
recruit, train and supervise farm workers

Working Environment

You could work on a farm or in an office.

Your working environment may be physically demanding and outdoors in all weathers.

You may need to wear protective clothing.

Career Path & Progression

With experience, you could move into related areas, like agricultural advisory work for government bodies, consultancy or training.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering Opportunities are not listed for this job.

Tips & Information

Further information

You can find more on farming careers from Tasty Careers, the National Land Based College and LANTRA the body for land-based industries in the UK.

Restrictions & Requirements

Restrictions & Requirements are not listed for this job.