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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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ASSESSING PERFORMANCE

How a new entrant got backing to set up in dairy

A simple, once-a-day system, relying on grazed grass and spring-block calving, was the step into dairy farming for new entrant Nick Cavill. The first cups went on in 2018 and…

LIVESTOCK

How time working off-farm can bring new skills home

Born-and-bred livestock farmers can benefit hugely from working off-farm before coming home to continue in the business. Whether it is a job on another farm, within the industry, or outside…

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…

Practical advice

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LIVESTOCK

Valuable business skills courses for dairy farmers

Many dairy farmers tend not to be driven by profit: satisfaction comes from a herd of fine cows, full clamps or milk in the tank. But being good at milking…

POULTRY

Advice on developing a well-trained poultry team

A team can make or break any business, and a poor poultry team can affect production as well as efficiency. NFU Poultry Board member Will Lea helps deliver staff training…

LIVESTOCK

Advice for livestock farmers on improving management skills

Taking stock at the end of the year and considering what you would like to achieve in 2024 might include a building project or filling some knowledge gaps. But it…

LIVESTOCK

How time working off-farm can bring new skills home

Born-and-bred livestock farmers can benefit hugely from working off-farm before coming home to continue in the business. Whether it is a job on another farm, within the industry, or outside…

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…

Job profiles

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JOB PROFILES

Job profile: What's it like to be a conservation adviser?

Conservation advisers work with farmers and other landowners to maintain and improve the natural environment. It is a sector that has grown in importance over recent decades, with government policy…

BUSINESS

What skills are in demand for 21st-century agriculture?

Agriculture may be one of the oldest professions in the world, but there’s never been a time when it’s been more relevant to people from all walks of life than…

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

Job profile: What's it like to run a farm shop?

Retail is exciting and fast-changing and, for people with a passion for quality, local food and strong interpersonal skills, it can be hugely satisfying. Emma Evans, 49, of Denstone Hall…

JOB PROFILES

Farming careers: Working as a pig stockperson

In the first of a new series focusing on key roles and career progression in farming, we look at working in the pig sector. Find out what you need to…

JOB PROFILES

Farming careers: Retail agricultural development manager

Agriculture offers a diverse range of jobs in the food supply chain and the retail sector has many career options for people with agricultural experience and qualifications. Will Jackson has…

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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CAREERS AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

What are the job prospects in food and farming?

Agriculture and the food supply chain remain major employers in the UK, with 462,000 people working on agricultural holdings in 2023, according to Defra’s June census. But cast the net…

CAREERS AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

What does the future hold for agricultural apprenticeships?

Earlier this year, the government-commissioned Independent Review into Labour Shortages in the Food Supply Chain highlighted the importance of apprenticeships as a means of improving the skills of the agricultural…

Job listings

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