How to hire a farmer

How to hire a farmer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step farmer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a farmer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new farmer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a farmer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The farmer hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A farmer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, farmers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of farmer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Farmer	Description	Hourly rate
   Farmer	Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers operate establishments that produce crops, livestock, and dairy products.	$6-34
   Farm Labour	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... Show more	$10-15
   Farm Worker	A farmworker is responsible for applying fertilizer, pesticides, and herbicides to crops and livestock. You will operate agricultural machinery under the direction of a rancher, farmer, or an agricultural manager... Show more	$10-15

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Beef Cattle
   • Farm Work
   • Farm Machinery
   • Milking
   • Mowing
   • Farm Animals
   • Greenhouse
   • Pigs
   • Dairy Farm
   • CSA
   • Irrigation Systems
   • Equipment Maintenance
   • Social Justice
   • Manual Labor

   Check all skills

   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.
   • Discuss and help with farm growth CSA expansion.
   • bush hogging baling hay planting seed cow castration and immunization

   More farmer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your farmer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A farmer salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a farmer in South Carolina may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level farmer usually earns less than a senior-level farmer. Additionally, a farmer with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average farmer salary

   $14.83hourly

   $30,845 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level farmer salary

   $13,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average farmer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$43,638	$21
   2	New York	$41,950	$20
   3	District of Columbia	$29,293	$14
   4	California	$29,248	$14
   5	Arizona	$28,709	$14
   6	Colorado	$28,028	$13
   7	Texas	$27,144	$13
   8	Washington	$26,019	$13
   9	South Dakota	$24,069	$12
   10	South Carolina	$23,284	$11
   11	Wisconsin	$22,935	$11
   12	Louisiana	$21,466	$10

   Average farmer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	L'Oréal	$56,074	$26.96
   2	Washington State University	$50,718	$24.38
   3	Cargill	$43,661	$20.99
   4	Tyson Foods	$37,195	$17.88	1
   5	Farmers Insurance	$34,510	$16.59	16
   6	Butterball	$34,468	$16.57
   7	Bradshaw	$33,383	$16.05
   8	Texas Department of Transportation	$32,380	$15.57
   9	PSEA	$31,715	$15.25
   10	Randstad North America, Inc.	$29,935	$14.39
   11	Braum's	$29,218	$14.05
   12	Grimaldi's Pizzeria	$29,153	$14.02
   13	Sage Hospitality Group	$28,624	$13.76
   14	Brinker International	$28,176	$13.55
   15	Live Nation Entertainment	$27,728	$13.33	1
   16	Sage Hospitality	$27,436	$13.19
   17	City of Collinsville	$27,356	$13.15
   18	Zingerman's	$26,792	$12.88	1
   19	Vital Farms	$26,789	$12.88
   20	AGCO	$26,744	$12.86

4. Writing a farmer job description

   A farmer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a farmer job description:

   Farmer job description example

   Are you looking to start a sales career or break into the insurance industry? We want highly motivated and determined job seekers to
   APPLY TODAY. No matter your sales experience, we'll invest in your success. We understand that it takes time to build a business, develop the proper skills and understanding, and excel in this field. We provide our new Sales Representatives with ongoing training and support on their path to success so they can best serve our customers!
   If you enjoy helping others and are a compassionate, customer-focused individual, then apply to our Farmers Insurance Of East Texas Protege Program today!
   Base salary of $24,000.00 per year, plus commissions and bonuses.
   
   Benefits
   
   Base Salary of $24,000.00 per year. Plus commissions. Plus bonuses. Hands-on training. PTO. Major holidays off. License assistance is available.
   
   Responsibilities
   
   Meet new business production goals and objectives as established. Solicits for new business via telephone, networking, and other lead sources. Develop insurance quotes, makes sales presentations, and close sales. Develop ongoing networking relationships with Real Estate Agents, Mortgage Lenders, Title Companies, Auto Dealers, etc. Prospects for new business by following sales leads generated from referrals, networking, marketing, cold-calling, and lead database. Responds to all inquiries, cancellation requests, and sales requests within a specified timeframe. Uphold the wants and needs of your customers. Educate clients on the insurance policies that best suit their needs.
   
   Requirements
   
   Possess a genuine willingness to learn, be intuitive and resourceful, and be coachable. Be a great self-starter with a sense of urgency. Proficiency in multi-task, follow-thru, and follow-up. Excellent communication/interpersonal skills. A Property & Casualty Insurance license is required (or willing to obtain) A Life & Health Insurance license is required (or willing to obtain) Pass Background check.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find farmers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your farmer job on Zippia to find and recruit farmer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit farmers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new farmer

   Once you've found the farmer candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new farmer. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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