Dairy Farming
It’s a career and a lifestyle
A dairy farming career is everything from caring for animals to learning new skills, enhancing the environment, and earning good money with career progression opportunities.
Dairy Farming roles
You’ll learn something new every day and progress quickly if you are determined, work hard and passionate about the environment, animals, business and people. More than 12,000 farm businesses employ over 30,000 people on farm, so there are many career opportunities.
Dairy Farming is many jobs
Farming career pathways
School to farming
It’s recommended you study maths, sciences and business; and IT skills are also important. You can start as a farm assistant and learn on the job. You may choose to study towards a qualification while in work, and join farmer groups where you can learn from others.
Tertiary study to dairy farming
Some farmers go to a polytechnic or university and study an agricultural-related certificate, diploma, or degree before going dairy farming. Once farming, they continue to learn from other farmers and take courses while they work.
Scholarships
DairyNZ scholarships are for undergraduate and postgraduate studies. GrowingNZ has over 400 listings for primary industry cadetship, apprenticeship, summer internship, school student, first time student, undergraduate, and postgraduate opportunities.
Job searches
Ask around or approach a farm. Check out DairyNZ, Farm Source jobs, Trade Me jobs, Seek or Indeed.
Apprenticeships
Earn while you learn. Be part of your local farming community with Federated Farmers Apprenticeship Dairy.
Improve lives, enhance the environment, design the future
Employee and self-employed career pathways

Discover your fit
What do you enjoy? Match your skills and interests to a dairy sector career.
Profiles
Read about people and their journeys to successful dairy sector careers.