Twenty Australian agricultural jobs ranked by pay

According to the most recent Australian Bureau of Statistics figures (August 2022), the median salary for workers in the Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing sector was $1100 a week, or $57,200 annually. The national median across all industries was $1250, or $65,000.

The Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing sector employed 439,000 in 2020-21, the most recent figures. This was a drop of 12 per cent since 2013-14, when it employed 498,000 workers.

However, in the same period, the number of job ads for the sector has surged.

Our analysis of 20 agriculture jobs has shown the best-paying jobs are those running the big businesses in the sector, while farmhands are the lowest paid.

Many of the jobs require tertiary qualifications, particularly in the science field, while roles advising farmers are among the better-paid occupations.

The figures in this analysis are averages only, gleaned by cross referencing Australian Bureau of Statistics data and active job-seeker sites.

Within each role there would be a wide variation in pay, based on experience, skill, and other factors such as overtime, commissions, incentives and bonuses

There are no surprises this role tops our list. The chief executive officer or managing director (often the boss holds both titles) oversees the entire operations of an organisation of a company. They are responsible for implementing the company board's direction, as well as developing strategy.

They will answer to a board and have an executive team report to them.

This role will have the widest fluctuation in payment, with Australia's highest-paid agriculture chief executive, GrainCorp's Robert Spurway, earning $4.745 million in 2021-22.

But there are CEOs of significantly smaller companies, with many farms now operating under a corporate structure, with a board and CEO, as well as rural community organisations that require a CEO to keep things operating.

Sometimes known as a commodity broker, this role brings together buyers and sellers of commodities such as grain and wool. Increasingly this role is being seen in the trading of milk.

A commodity trader can be behind a bank of computer screens in a high-rise city building negotiating international deals for shiploads of goods, or out in a paddock or around a kitchen table working out the best deal for a sole farmer's produce.

Look inside any modern tractor, harvester or sprayer cabin and it can be a mind-boggling array of screens and buttons. The precision agriculture specialist helps farmers make best use of those screens and buttons.

According to agcareers.com, this role will work on calibrating technical equipment, soil sampling, fertiliser application, developing farm maps and providing seed application recommendations.

The specialist will usually have an agronomy background, with tertiary agriculture qualifications.

Also known as a land valuer, the rural valuer mainly works in the real estate sector. They provide valuations of land, buildings and improvements.

These valuations occur because a property is due to be listed for sale, or is being reassessed by local government to determine rate valuations.

They can also value non-property assets to allow a company to revalue their assets if they are looking to expand.

With the recent surge in farmland values across Australia, professional bodies such as Land Use Victoria say demand for land valuers is high.

It could be argued a station manager is actually a farm manager, and lumped in with that category. But that would be to ignore the complexity of a station manager's role - and its location.

By its very definition, a station manager in Australia is in a remote location, covering a vast area. That isolation and 24-7 role means higher compensation, plus allowances, such as housing, food and even education for children.

A station manager predominantly works with cattle, but there is increasingly cropping and occasionally sheep to manage.

The term jack-of-all-trades was possibly invented for the station manager, who has to ensure every aspect of the property is running with little outside support.

According to the Federal Government's Your Career, agriculture consultants "advise farmers, agricultural businesses, rural industries and government on the production, processing and distribution of farm products".

The role may involve financial strategies, helping with crop and livestock production, collecting and analysing fertiliser, feed or soil samples, and advising on disease and weed control

These are the people who study plants, animals and techniques, with the goal of improving farming output, quality and efficiency.

While once solely the reserve of state government department of agriculture, agriculture scientists are also now employed by large agri-companies, as well as significant farm businesses who engage in plant breeding or high-level animal genetics.

Almost all modern farming techniques have their origins in the research conducted by agriculture scientists.

Career Harvest, the Primary Industries Education Foundation' jobs hub, said agriculture economists "perform economic research and analysis, develop and apply theories about production and distribution of goods and services and people's spending and financial behaviour, and provide advice to governments and organisations on economic policy issues".

It's a broad definition, but it needs to be as an economist needs to look at many factors - policy, weather, wages, inflation, trade rules, taxation - to name a few - to arrive at a conclusion or a forecast.

Commonly an agriculture economist would work for government departments, or organisations such as the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, which provides agriculture production forecasting, including the all-important annual value of Australian farm output.

However, they can be found at banks and large agribusinesses that deal with complex trading and supply issues.

Livestock buyers are commonly found at saleyards, bidding for mainly cattle and sheep on behalf of a client. They are also commonly found in a car, having to travel long distances all over the state or even the nation in pursuit of livestock sought by their client.

The livestock buyer is pivotal to the livestock production chain, in some ways being a major factor in setting the price of livestock by their mere attendance - or non-attendance - at a sale.

They are also experts on livestock quality, having to sum up the value of a pen of cattle or sheep within seconds as the auctioneer calls for bids.

They can range from buying a few cattle or sheep for a single farmer, to buying for major companies or processors, such as JB Swift. The major supermarkets also employ livestock buyers to scour the country for livestock that suit strict specifications.

The saleyard, however, is not their sole domain, with many buyers buying direct from farms.

Along with the farmhand, the role of farm manager has perhaps the widest definition in this list.

That is because it is applicable across such a wide range of farming enterprises - beef, sheepmeat, wool, dairy, goats, cropping, horticulture, viticulture. permaculture, horticulture. And within each are many and varied enterprises and structures.

But common to all is the need for someone to manage the day-to-day operations, manage staff and suppliers and balance the books.

It is an all-encompassing role that requires experience in that field, plus a level head to handle the many crises that will surely come the farm's way, such as drought, flood or fire.

The stock and station agent is pivotal to Australian agriculture. They advise clients on buying and selling livestock and commodities such as wool, run commercial and stud livestock sales, operate produce stories for farmers to buy supplies and, with appropriate qualifications, sell rural properties.

Many agents are employed by large companies, such as Nutrien and Elders, but there are many small local agencies in country towns.

Most agency work is commission-based, so actual salaries can vary widely on experience and what work they do for a client.

The stock and station agent will also find their pay fluctuates with the weather and global prices, with good seasons bringing more business and better commissions.

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This role is all about producing the best grapes that will then produce the best wine.

According to Career FAQs, the viticulturist is a horticulture scientist "responsible for the growth and production of grapes, typically those used in the making of wine. They are in charge of monitoring and maintaining the vines, manipulating them in order to produce a particular result, as desired by the winemaker".

That puts them at the heart of the wine production process. A viticulturist will enjoy the science aspect of grape growing, matching grape varieties to soil type to ensure the best outcome. They will also need to oversee weed and disease control, irrigation, pruning and harvesting.

If you want to get to the heart of the science of farming, agronomy is the job for you.

According to renowned agriculture institution, the University of New England, an agronomist is a plant and soil scientist.

They look at crop yield, pest and weed control and also the impact farming practices have on the environment, and work closely with farmers as advisers on new techniques, and any issues with current farming strategies.

UNE said there was plenty of demand for agronomists, with 37 per cent growth in the profession in recent years.

The agricultural engineer primarily focuses on the machinery, structures and equipment used in farming. This could be designing farm implements, installing a rotary dairy or building major processing structures, such as a cotton gin.

They may be contracted by farmers to design a specific piece of machinery or be employed by a major manufacturer to design tractors and machinery.

The agricultural engineer will often find themselves working in a paddock to observe and test machinery.

While many farmers, such as dairy farmers, also manage the irrigation requirements of their properties, large-scale farms require an irrigation manager to focus solely on that aspect of farming.

According to Ausveg, an irrigation manager "provides professional and technical support to the horticulture and agriculture industry sectors in developing, designing and managing irrigation systems".

The irrigation manager would usually be found on large-scale rice and cotton farms, as well as orchards and vineyards, which require precision irrigation to trees and vines.

With water becoming scarcer and values rising, the role of the irrigation manager has become even more important in recent decades.

With farms being heavily reliant on machinery, there is no shortage of work for a farm equipment mechanic.

A farm equipment mechanic specialises in agricultural machinery such as tractors, harvesters and farm implements. They can also work on irrigation equipment and machinery within mills and dairies.

The mechanic can be employed by a company in a regional town that services farm machinery in the surrounding district, or by a large farm that has a large amount of machinery requiring a full-time mechanic.

They also need to be able to work in all types of weather conditions to get machinery in a paddock up and operating.

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The animal nutritionist is a vital part of the livestock industry, advising farmers on the most productive feed for their animals.

Often employed by companies that supply feed such as grain to farms, they analyse feed mixes and types to determine the best outcome for farmers and their animals.

They are required to research the latest advances in supplementary feeding and continually test feed products to ensure they are both nutritious and safe.

The horticulturist is one of the broadest roles you can find. The horticulturist can be found working in a plant nursery, in an ornamental garden looking after century-old trees, involved in breeding fruit trees or working on vegetable farms to ensure crops are performing to an optimum level.

According to Open Colleges, "a horticulturist's primary role is the care, maintenance, cultivation propagation of plants" and "must be able to differentiate types of plants, assess the conditions of soil, identify pests and diseases and, overall, maintain a healthy environment for plants to thrive".

An apiarist is also commonly known as a beekeeper.

According to Career Harvest, an apiarist "plans, organises, controls, coordinates and operates apiaries to produce honey, queen bee pollen, beeswax and royal jelly, breed queen bees and pollinate crops".

They occupy a unique role in agriculture, as they not only oversee the production of their own product - honey - their bees pollinate plants that produce billions of dollars in produce.

The almond and fruit industries rely entirely on bees to pollinate their crops, hiring apiarists to place hives on their properties.

A vital role of the apiarist is to ensure the health of their bees in the face of disease threats, which have been prevalent in Australia in recent years.

The farmhand is the engine room of Australian agriculture.

They can be found across virtually all farm types - livestock, dairy, wool, cropping, horticulture, viticulture - and perform a myriad of tasks.

According to TafeSA, "while there are many jobs in most parts of Australia, Western Australia and New South Wales have a large share of farmhands. Full-time work is fairly common and workers on average work 44.9 hours per week".