The Cool Sheep Careers

EXTENSION OFFICER

ALSO CALLED

  • Farm advisor
  • Agricultural consultant
  • District officer
  • Livestock officer
  • District agronomist

WHAT’S THE JOB ABOUT?

  • Improving the productivity, sustainability and profitability of enterprises

Promoting industry best practice, problem solving, assessing individual properties and making technical recommendations, assisting farmers with business analysis and benchmarking, providing options and enabling farmers to determine risk levels

  • Providing a link between researchers, agribusiness and farmers

Collaborating with primary producers in industry development and research trials, identifying and interpreting current research for regional and enterprise needs, suggesting regional priorities for research

  • Working with the target audience and clients

Primary producers, service industries, research organisations, industry and government funding bodies, government regulators

Organising producer-based activities
Organising and running field days, speaking at grower’s groups, writing fact sheets, presenting courses

 

WORK CONDITIONS

  • Extension officers usually work in rural or regional areas, often for government departments.

 

  • Farm advisors may work as private consultants in their area of expertise or act for a range of manufacturers, distributors and producer organisations.
  • The job requires the practical application of scientific research to a range of situations.

 

  • There is usually a mix of office and field work with visits to individual farms and participation in grower’s meetings.
  • Work hours are usually structured with some flexibility for field days and conferences.

 

  • Agricultural scientists may work on their own, as part of a team or monitor the work of others.
  • Opportunities exist to travel both within Australia and overseas to work and attend conferences.

 

  • Small business management skills are essential for the successful operation of a private consultancy.

 

 

EXPERIENCE AND RELATED TRAINING

  • To be employed as an extension officer you must have a degree in agriculture or equivalent qualification.

 

  • Extension officers are required to develop expertise in a particular technical area and participate in post graduate training and study.
  • To progress to management levels you must be technically competent and have good leadership skills.

 

  • Check whether there are training or licensing requirements in your state to do some tasks such as using chemicals or chainsaws, operating a front-end loader or driving a vehicle.

 

Career path

 

Training Requirements

 

  • Extension officer

 

You undertake a range of the above tasks gaining technical expertise in a field of agriculture.

TERTIARY EDUCATION

  • Degree in Agriculture

(or equivalent)

 

  • Manager / Program Leader

 

You supervise the work of extension officers in a program area.

TERTIARY EDUCATION

  • Masters in Agriculture

 (or equivalent)

  • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

in a field related to agriculture

  • Director

 

You are responsible for the department’s work in a particular program area.

TERTIARY EDUCATION

  • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

in a field related to agriculture

 

Related Jobs

  • Agricultural engineer
  • Agricultural scientist
  • Agriculture teacher
  • Company representative
  • Farm manager
  • Farmer
  • Rural business manager/owner
  • Technical officer