No two days are the same
A job in dairy farming can be flexible and full of variety, with no two days being ever the same. Every day presents a new opportunity to learn, grow and contribute to a valued sector. It offers flexibility in your day – to allow for caring responsibilities, time for other hobbies, or education and training opportunities. Explore the content below to see how people already working in dairy farming have flexibility in their day to travel and study.
If you’re ready to find work, view vacancies on the Dairy Farm Jobs Board.
Discover what types of jobs are available and how they can offer flexibility and variety in your day.
One of the many benefits of a job in dairy is the flexibility and variety it offers. Some of the ways you can have variety and flexibility in your day include:
- Shift work
- Weekend only work
- Casual relief work – jobs are available at different times throughout the year (seasonal work)
- Milking roles (farms have different milking schedules, some milk once a day, which gives you time to do other things in your day, while other farms milk twice or three times in a day)
- Different farms have different schedules
- Job share opportunities
- Specific roles, like calf rearing that enable flexibility in the rest of your day
There are some common misconceptions about a job in dairy. Watch the video below to see why dairy farming is so much more than you may think.
"I'm proud of the work that I do. Dairy is an evolving industry - it takes hard work, a certain intellect and a passion for what you do."
"What I have found to be valuable to enjoying my work is always being open to new information and ideas. It not only keeps the job interesting – it also means you are always improving and evolving as an employee. I hope this trait also helps to keep me employable."
"I continued to milk most weekends during high school, on and off through university and in between traveling overseas."
Natasha loved visiting her neighbour’s dairy, where she enjoyed helping with calf feeding which led to being offered a job as a Relief Milker.
"I saw a job in the paper for an apprenticeship on a dairy farm and I got it. That's how it all started!"
"I had experience on a farm, but not dairy. It was great, a whole new learning experience."
Linda has been a farm hand for four years. She has worked full time for more than two years at the Frampton family farm, which milks around 400 cows.
Linda works split shifts. She milks in the morning and comes back in the afternoon to complete a wide variety of jobs including, fencing, maintenance, irrigation, animal husbandry and tractor work.
