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Agriculture

There’s so much more to working in agriculture than you may think. You might not have considered it as an option before, but you could be surprised at how many different roles the agriculture sector offers.

Types of roles

There are a wide variety of opportunities within agriculture, including:

  • Farm workers – carrying out the practical work on a farm, such as planting and harvesting crops and caring for animals.
  • Farm managers – managing the daily operation of farms.
  • Agricultural sales – selling different products to farms such as feed, fertiliser and machinery.
  • Grain buyers – buying the crops when they are harvested.
  • Transport and logistics – to get produce to warehouses and markets.

In addition, there are different scientific jobs in agriculture including plant specialists, animal nutritionists and engineers. Modern farming also needs support from business consultants and administrators.

There are UK-wide vacancies available in farming, food production and manufacturing. Visit the Staffline (external website) to find vacancies in food production across the country. For farming vacancies visit Find a Job (external website) and The Farmers Weekly (external website) and listen to Joe’s story (external website) about his move from retail to farming.

Benefits of working in agriculture

  • There is a wide range of roles in agriculture available right across the country – from fruit pickers and packers to engineers and admin roles.
  • Demand for farm workers is high at certain times of the year, for example, around harvesting. If you are interested in a seasonal job, farm work could be for you.
  • Farm worker roles, like harvesting and picking, are great for those who like being outdoors and keeping physically fit.
  • The global population is expanding, so demand for agriculture is only going to rise, and while some roles are focused on meeting critical needs, working in this industry can also provide good job security and a long-term career.
Hand holding bucket of picked apples

Desirable skills

There are many transferable skills for roles in agriculture, including the ability to work well with others, attention to detail and communication skills.

Learn more about skills for work.

FURTHER LINKS

Other sectors currently hiring