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Farm labour vs farm hand

The differences between farm labours and farm hands can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a farm labour has an average salary of $26,720, which is higher than the $26,594 average annual salary of a farm hand.

The top three skills for a farm labour include harvest, cleanliness and farm machinery. The most important skills for a farm hand are drive tractor, beef cattle, and milking.

Farm labour vs farm hand overview

Farm LabourFarm Hand
Yearly salary$26,720$26,594
Hourly rate$12.85$12.79
Growth rate1%1%
Number of jobs25,3199,890
Job satisfaction45
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 34%Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Average age4040
Years of experience--

What does a farm labour do?

Also called agricultural workers, farm laborers are people who inspect and harvest crops. The workers irrigate soil on the farm and maintain their pumps, pipes, or ditches. They service and operate farm tools and machinery. Their job involves the maintenance of crops like vegetables, nuts, and fruits. They look after livestock on the farm like cows, chickens, etc. Also, they inspect the animals for the detection of symptoms of injuries or illnesses and administer vaccines for disease protection.

What does a farm hand do?

A Farm Hand is responsible for assisting Farmers in their daily tasks of taking care of the farm, raising the animals, and growing crops. Most of the duties involved require good communication skills, active listening, knowledge of farming, and determination to accomplish tasks as they can be tiring due to the involvement of physical work. The working conditions are diverse, and the tasks of a Farm Hand will vary through the seasons and situations, it can be unpredictable and will require a great deal of effort and passion.

Farm labour vs farm hand salary

Farm labours and farm hands have different pay scales, as shown below.

Farm LabourFarm Hand
Average salary$26,720$26,594
Salary rangeBetween $21,000 And $33,000Between $21,000 And $33,000
Highest paying CityYakima, WAHurdsfield, ND
Highest paying stateNorth DakotaNorth Dakota
Best paying companyCargillTyson Foods
Best paying industryFinanceHospitality

Differences between farm labour and farm hand education

There are a few differences between a farm labour and a farm hand in terms of educational background:

Farm LabourFarm Hand
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 34%Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Farm labour vs farm hand demographics

Here are the differences between farm labours' and farm hands' demographics:

Farm LabourFarm Hand
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 80.5% Female, 19.5%Male, 77.7% Female, 22.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.0% Hispanic or Latino, 24.0% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 3.0% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 1.7% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage3%3%

Differences between farm labour and farm hand duties and responsibilities

Farm labour example responsibilities.

  • Manage and oversee the day-to-day running of farms raising poultry or pigs for the production of meat and breeding stock.
  • Perform duties in farrowing unit, relocate sows, immunize and care for newborn pigs.
  • Job are to keep the farm up, mowing, weed eating, put fertilizer down.
  • Used hand tools including shovels, rakes, pruning saws, hedge and brush trimmers and axes.
  • Carry out daily milking, feeding, and field operations, twice per day, for the care of dairy livestock
  • Milk cows, landscaping, field work, lawn mowing, bailing hay, and anything else done on a farm.
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Farm hand example 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
  • Field work to include mowing, baling, and transportation of straw, hay, corn, beans, and silage.
  • Water rice, tractor driver, big truck driver (no CDL )
  • Show more

Farm labour vs farm hand skills

Common farm labour skills
  • Harvest, 18%
  • Cleanliness, 12%
  • Farm Machinery, 10%
  • Farm Work, 5%
  • Drive Tractor, 5%
  • Mowing, 5%
Common farm hand skills
  • Drive Tractor, 17%
  • Beef Cattle, 13%
  • Milking, 11%
  • Mowing, 7%
  • Farm Work, 5%
  • Farm Machinery, 5%

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