How to become a livestock farmer in Australia
Livestock Farmers plan, organise, control, coordinate and perform farming operations to breed and raise livestock.
The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the livestock farmers group are projected to grow 1.2% between May 2025 and May 2035, slower than the 13.3% projected for all jobs. Projections are indicative, not forecasts, and JSA says they don't yet reflect generative AI.
What the job involves
- Breeding and raising livestock for the production of honey, meat, milk, skins, eggs and wool
- Monitoring and maintaining the health and condition of livestock
- Providing pastures and fodder to maintain appropriate nutritional levels
- Moving livestock to optimise feeding opportunities
- Organising and conducting farming operations such as catching, drenching and milking livestock, sterilising machines, and collecting, grading and packaging produce
- Directing and overseeing general farming activities such as maintaining pens, sheds and cages, fertilising, controlling pests and weeds, and growing fodder
How to get there
What it usually takes. A bachelor degree or higher. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the livestock farmers group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 15% a degree or higher, 11% a diploma, 20% a Certificate III or IV.
Many jobs also need registration, a licence or a specific accredited course. Check the professional body or regulator before you choose.
Courses that can lead here
Estimate your ATAR and this page shows the gap to each course. Your marks stay on your device.
Victoria12 matches
VTAC lowest selection ranks, December 2025 offer round.
Agriculture · Melbourne, Parkville / Dookie72.25 Agriculture (Plant and Soil Science major) · La Trobe, Melbourne64.55 Zoology and Animal Science · Deakin, Geelong Waurn Ponds64.30 Agriculture (Animal Science major) · La Trobe, Melbourne63.30 Agriculture (Agribusiness major) · La Trobe, Melbourne60.80 Agriculture (Bachelor) · La Trobe, Melbourne60.80Diplomas and other ways in
Showing 10 of 12 matches. Search every course.
NSW and ACT26 matches
UAC lowest selection ranks, December Round 2, 2025-26 admissions.
Bachelor of Science (Agriculture) · Southern Cross87.95 Bachelor of Agriculture · UNE78.10 Bachelor of Agricultural Science Honours · Sydney76.70 Bachelor of Agricultural Science · Sydney75.40 Bachelor of Animal Science · UNE74.45 Bachelor of Science (Agricultural Science) · Western Sydney72.80 Bachelor of Agricultural Business Management · Charles Sturt71.90 Bachelor of Agricultural Science · Charles Sturt70.25Diplomas and other ways in
Diploma of Agricultural Studies · Charles Sturt62.35 Diploma of Agriculture Studies · Charles Sturt78.40Showing 10 of 26 matches. Search every course.
Queensland15 matches
QTAC course pages, ATAR/Selection Rank profile for semester 1, 2026.
Bachelor of Agricultural Science · UQ, Gatton73.70 Bachelor of Animal Science · UNE, Armidale70.60 Bachelor of Agriculture · UNE, Armidale70.20 Bachelor of Agricultural Technology · UniSQ, Toowoomba63.05 Bachelor of Agriculture · CQUniversity, Online60.00Diplomas and other ways in
Showing 9 of 15 matches. Search every course.
Western Australia13 matches
TISC Course Search: lowest ATAR offered for 2026 entry and guaranteed offer ATARs.
Bachelor of Advanced Science (Honours) in Agricultural Science · Curtin, Perth95.00 guaranteed Bachelor of Agribusiness and Master of Agricultural Economics · UWA, Perth90.00 guaranteed Bachelor of Agricultural Science and Master of Agricultural Science · UWA, Perth90.00 guaranteed Bachelor of Agricultural Science · UWA, Perth80.00 guaranteed Bachelor of Agricultural Science in Animal Science · Murdoch, Perth70.00 guaranteed Bachelor of Agricultural Science in Crop and Pasture Science · Murdoch, Perth70.00 guaranteed Bachelor of Science (Science) in Agricultural Science · Curtin, Perth70.00 guaranteed Bachelor of Agricultural Science in Animal Health · Murdoch, Perth60.05Showing 8 of 13 matches. Search every course.
Matched on course names, 66 across four admissions centres. A lowest selection rank includes adjustment points and moves every year. Check prerequisites and whether the course is accredited for this job.
Graduate outcomes, national
Undergraduates surveyed about four to six months after finishing, in 2025, across all providers. Full-time work is among those available for it. All graduates: 75.4% and $77,000. These are national figures for the study area, not for this course or uni, and a first-year salary says little about later pay. Source: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025.
Does it fit your interests?
Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Enterprising, Realistic, Conventional.
From O*NET ratings for "Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a acceptable match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.
Careers with similar interests
Construction manager$3,751 Air traffic controller$2,651 Police officer$2,560 Pilot$2,651 Cafe or restaurant manager$1,644Done this job, or studied for it?
Tell Year 12s the one thing you wish you'd known. First name only, and we read every story before it goes up.
Share your storyJob data: © Commonwealth of Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profiles, February 2026 and Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035 (Victoria University), CC BY 4.0. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.2 to O*NET-SOC 2019 Taxonomy correspondence.
Graduate outcomes: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025, National Report Tables (Social Research Centre, for the Australian Government).
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Curve ATAR has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.