How long does it take to become a Farm Hand?

It takes one year or less to become a farm hand. That is the time it takes to learn specific farm hand skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education.

How To Become A Farm Hand: What It Is and Career Path

What is a farm hand and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A farmhand is responsible for assisting farmers in growing plants and feeding livestock on the farm. Your work is basically to ensure a smooth running of the farm by performing various tasks throughout a working day. You are expected to maintain the machinery by fixing it when necessary, cleaning it regularly, and maintaining the condition of building the farm.

Since farming is an unpredictable industry, your work differs per season. Nonetheless, you will be required to do heavy lifts and manual labor throughout the day to help farmers to reduce unforeseen and unpredictable circumstances. Helping out farmers involves a lot of participation in farm activities, which include providing water for the animals, cleaning out pens and closures, and providing fresh straw and hay. You are also responsible for moving animals from one area of the farm to another, planting and spraying crops, and watching them as they grow.

As a farmhand, you have to be very vigilant in every aspect to alert the farmer whenever you observe a problem concerning the animals or the crops. Sensitivity, flexibility, attention to detail, problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and a genuine love for farm work are crucial for this role. You must also be physically fit for this role. Plus, you need a bachelor's degree in agriculture or other related fields. The average salary of a farmhand annually is $25,000.

ScoreFarm HandUS Average

Salary

2.1

Avg. Salary $26,594

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.6

Growth Rate 1%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.08%

Asian 1.70%

Black or African American 3.45%

Hispanic or Latino 20.04%

Unknown 2.97%

White 70.75%

Gender

female 22.27%

male 77.73%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress Level

6.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.4

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

5.8

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a farm hand

Explore farm hand education requirements

Most common farm hand degrees

Bachelor's

38.7 %

High School Diploma

31.0 %

Associate

19.0 %

Start to develop specific farm hand skills

Skills	Percentages
Drive Tractor	17.13%
Beef Cattle	13.45%
Milking	10.62%
Mowing	7.18%
Farm Work	5.12%

Complete relevant farm hand training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New farm hands learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a farm hand based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real farm hand resumes.

Research farm hand duties and responsibilities

Manage and conduct the baling, hauling, advertising, and selling of 2000 straw square bales a year from 2002-2006.
Root rakes, bush-hogs, heiress disc plow, seeder, sub-soiler, ect . )
Position also consist of property maintenance and repairs to include fencing, lawn care, and bobcat operations.
Muck stalls, fed hayed, and water horses, clean water buckets, and blow out the barn

Prepare your farm hand resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your farm hand resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a farm hand resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Farm Hand Resume templates

Build a professional Farm Hand resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Farm Hand resume.

Apply for farm hand jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a farm hand job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do farm hands rate their job?

5/5

Based On 1 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Farm Hand reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2021

Pros

Working with cattle

Cons

They wants alot work and they don't pay not even the minimum wage of 8.75 with the salary and they thinking we don't have a personal life and we need time off.

5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2021

Pros

To take care of fresh good ,to organize the goods ,I to work by touch .on the market they clean good

Cons

To destroy goods when time is for harvesting ,I don't want to damage the goods

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020

Pros

Fruit Picker. I think that's what i would love and give my best in that area. I am young and i thing that's the right section where young people like me work in that area would be more than okay for me.

Cons

I love doing every thing that is good for my self and the organization as a whole. I don't like to cheat when my boss is not around and i don't like doing unethical thing that will have a negative impact on my life and organisation as a whole too.

What is a farm hand and how to become one

Farm Hand career paths

Key steps to become a farm hand

Explore farm hand education requirements

Most common farm hand degrees

Start to develop specific farm hand skills

Complete relevant farm hand training and internships

Research farm hand duties and responsibilities

Prepare your farm hand resume

Choose From 10+ Customizable Farm Hand Resume templates

Apply for farm hand jobs

How Did You Land Your First Farm Hand Job

Average farm hand salary

How do farm hands rate their job?

Farm Hand reviews

Farm Hand FAQs

How long does it take to become a Farm Hand?

Search for farm hand jobs

Farm Hand jobs by state