Dairy farm hands assist farmers with growing crops and/or feeding and raising livestock and milking cows.
Dairy Farm Worker Video
(NOTE: To view this video right click the above link and download by selecting 'Save Target As'.
This video is more then 7mb).
Dairy farm hands' work is mainly concerned with milk production. They round up cows, secure cows in bails in the milking shed, wash udders with a solution of detergent and water, attach milking apparatus to udders and milk cows. They may also be involved in the breeding side of dairy farming.
Working Conditions
Farm hand work can be physically demanding. During calving and harvesting time farm hands may be required to work long and irregular hours. Accommodation may be provided by the employer on the property. Farm hands perform a variety of duties, depending on their area of specialisation.
Duties Farm hands may performs the following tasks
- Cultivate soil, sow crops and control weeds by slashing, rotary hoeing or chemical spraying
- Take part in harvesting operations which may involve the use of tractors, harvesters, forklifts and hand tools
- Feed livestock
- Prepare milking machinery and assist with all milk harvesting operation
- Clean and sterilise milking machines
- Clear away animal waste and hose out operational areas
- Perform other tasks involved in the breeding and raising of livestock such as freeze branding, and assisting with artificial insemination
- Ride horses or motorbikes to muster sheep or cattle
- Maintain and repair farm buildings, bores, fences, machinery, troughs, and other equipment
Personal Requirements
- Able to undertake manual, and sometimes heavy work
- Able to handle animals with confidence and patience
- Able to work for long hours, out-of-doors, in all kinds of weather conditions
- Able to endure isolation and limited social contact
- Mechanical aptitude