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Know How / Careers and personal development

From getting your first job in agriculture to maintaining your work skills and developing your career, we provide advice and insights. Find out what courses, qualifications and experience can help you get your foot on the ladder and how to make your CV attractive to future employers.

Hear from others working in agriculture to discover the range of different careers and find the one that’s right for you.

Key areas of focus:

  • Guidance on qualifications and careers in agriculture
  • Applying for jobs
  • CV writing and interview tips
  • Job profiles
  • Skills development

Find your perfect career in agriculture on the Farmers Weekly jobs website.

Case studies

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YOUNG FARMERS

How new entrants set up an organic duck egg business

Ditching the city life for the Welsh countryside in 2015, Josh and Abi Heyneke moved to the 4ha Parc Carreg Farm, Carmarthenshire, with the goal of becoming full-time farmers.  But…

CAREERS AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Becoming a trainer provides extra income stream for farmers

The squeeze on farm profits has driven the search for alternative incomes. Farmers becoming training instructors is one option that can help provide extra income. A dire safety record for…

CAREERS AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

How a council tenancy got a new entrant onto farming ladder

Greenfields Farm may only be 12ha but it has given Aled Harper a foothold in farming and a hunger to grow his business. In the three years since he was…

LAYERS

7 tips for new entrants from a first-time poultry tenant

At 18, Tim Clarke set a target to one day farm in his own right – an ambitious goal for someone with no background in farming and no assets to…

DAIRY

How share-milking can provide a route into dairy farming

Gregor and Lynne Ramsay credit share-milking with allowing them to get a foot firmly in the dairying door. Born and raised in the small rural village of Biggar, Lanarkshire, Mr…

DAIRY

How a young dairy farmer began contract farming

Dairy farmer Jimmy Pritt believes contract farming is a good option to consider for those looking to manage a dairy business or expand an existing one. He says not only…

Practical advice

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COMMUNITY

Is an agricultural degree worth doing?

Over the past three years, figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency have shown a gradual climb in the number of students enrolling to study land-based and agricultural degrees. In…

SHEEP

10 top tips for aspiring sheep farmers

Investing £16,000 in ewes and the basics to farm sheep gave 2021 Farmers Weekly Sheep Farmer of the Year Tim White a route into farming when he was made redundant…

STAFF MANAGEMENT

How farmers can bust 4 common myths about working in ag

The post-Brexit era and the impact of Covid-19 have had many people across the country questioning careers and work-life balance. Some have chosen to continue to work from home, turning…

DAIRY

Getting into dairy farming: Options for new entrants

Buying land for £13,000/acre (£32,000/ha) or renting at more than £250/acre (£6,100/ha) in dairying areas is extremely challenging for a young business without much equity.  However, if you are young,…

POULTRY

What Lion Training Passport scheme means for poultry staff

Until recently, it has been possible for farms to diversify into free-range egg production as long as the required land area was available. This opportunity has seen a rapid growth…

CAREERS AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

5 tips for new entrants from award-winning mixed farmer

Starting a new farming business can be a huge challenge, with many people finding it a struggle to step into the agricultural world. But with careful planning, budgeting and a…

Job profiles

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JOB PROFILES

Job profile: What’s it like to be a food scientist?

The journey of food from farm to fork can be a complex one – even seemingly simple products need to be processed and packaged before they can appear on a…

JOB PROFILES

Job profile: What’s it like to be a rural planning consultant?

More and more farmers and landowners need to deal with the planning system – whether it’s to expand their agricultural operations or diversify to generate new income streams. Often they…

JOB PROFILES

Job profile: What’s it like to be a farm manager?

Farm managers are responsible for the day-to-day running of a farm on behalf of a landowner, while making sure that the business is both profitable and sustainable over the longer…

JOB PROFILES

What's it like to work in agricultural sales?

Does anyone grow up dreaming of becoming a salesperson? In truth, probably not. But there are those who would argue it is time to give agricultural sales jobs an image…

JOB PROFILES

Farming careers: Agro chemical commercial technical manager

Employers in the agricultural sector are looking to recruit a wider range of candidates than you might expect. Jack Hill is proof that you can forge a career in the…

JOB PROFILES

Job profile: What’s it like to be a brewer?

Brewing beer using crops from your home farm sounds like a pleasant hobby – but Matthew Hodgson has turned his passion for beer into a fully fledged business. Great Newsome…

Who to work for?

When looking for your next job, you need to make sure you and the company you are applying to are the perfect match for each other.

With this in mind, it’s always a good idea to read the company profile and see if it ticks the boxes on your career ‘wish list’.

Insights

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POULTRY

Careers at Aviagen: Putting people and poultry first

Aviagen stands at the forefront of poultry genetics, pioneering research and innovation on a global scale. Our brands are among the most recognised and respected in the industry and each…

LIVESTOCK

Why student vets are not going into the industry

Farmers and vets are being called on to be more inclusive and provide positive experiences during placements for student vets to increase the number of farm vets. It follows a…

JOB PROFILES

Farming careers: From dairy herd manager to joint venture

Matt Hill, 33, has progressed from working as a unit manager on a dairy farm to being part of a joint venture milking 280 cows on a 255ha estate in…

JOB PROFILES

Farming careers: Working as a sprayer operator

Stuart Goddard, 33, is the sprayer and combine operator and assistant manager at a 1,821ha joint venture business called Gilston Crop Management in Hertfordshire. The business grows wheat, barley, oilseed…

POULTRY

The initiative helping poultry farms attract and retain staff

Finding staff for Lindsey and Paul Wedgewood’s poultry unit has been difficult amid Brexit labour shortages and post-Covid disruption. The couple, who farm near Tholthorpe, north of York, have 210,000…

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