What is a farmer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

Farmers have a really important job. They produce crops, lifestock and dairy products. Sometimes it's just enough to feed their own families, but for career farmers they feed the entire world.

Generally, farmers get by with just a high school diploma, but some get a higher education to learn more about the career. Most of the time farmers are working outside, but there are times where you'll catch them in an office. You can't necessarily coordinate a sale hoeing a row.

ScoreFarmerUS Average
Salary
2.4

Avg. Salary $30,845

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
-

Growth Rate -3%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
5.0
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.57%

Asian 1.53%

Black or African American 1.06%

Hispanic or Latino 7.55%

Unknown 2.88%

White 86.41%

Gender

female 26.37%

male 73.63%

Age - 48
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 - 48
Complexity Level
8.8

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

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Farmer career paths

Key steps to become a farmer

  1. Explore farmer education requirements

    Most common farmer degrees

    Bachelor's

    39.6 %

    High School Diploma

    28.4 %

    Associate

    17.2 %
  2. Start to develop specific farmer skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Beef Cattle12.57%
    Farm Work7.75%
    Farm Machinery6.29%
    Milking5.86%
    Mowing5.78%
  3. Research farmer duties and responsibilities

    • Manage and conduct the baling, hauling, advertising, and selling of 2000 straw square bales a year from 2002-2006.
    • Work on dairy farm and do everything from milking cows to working on equipment.
    • Can operate excellent with or without GPS
    • Work on hydroponic production of tomato crops.
  4. Prepare your farmer resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your farmer 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 farmer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Farmer Resume templates

    Build a professional Farmer 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 Farmer resume.
    Farmer Resume
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    Farmer Resume
    Farmer Resume
  5. Apply for farmer jobs

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

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

How Did You Land Your First Farmer Job

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Average farmer salary

The average Farmer salary in the United States is $30,845 per year or $15 per hour. Farmer salaries range between $13,000 and $71,000 per year.

Average Farmer Salary
$30,845 Yearly
$14.83 hourly

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How do farmers rate their job?

5/5

Based On 3 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Farmer reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2024
Pros

Location, cheap cost of living, freedom of life aspects, continuous income opportunities if you want to work.

Cons

Working 80-100 hrs. every week and no vacation or time off.


profile
5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2022
Pros

I think farmers are the most good care taker of plants as they are one of the living things which needs to be taken under consideration for their good living because they are the good source of food and living for other living things.

Cons

There’s nothing I dont like about farmers because they are so close to nature and loves nature more than others and are so grateful for that


profile
5.0
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.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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