Mixed farmer to livestock advisor
A mixed farmer already meets 29% of what the livestock advisor role asks for. The move turns on 17 required skills not yet in the profile.
75.4/ 100
1 How much of what a livestock advisor is expected to do is already part of a mixed farmer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the livestock advisor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A livestock advisor role treats 7 of its required skills as things a mixed farmer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- crop production principles
- health and safety regulations
- livestock farming systems
- livestock reproduction
- manage livestock
- supervise hygiene procedures in agricultural settings
What stands in the way is 17 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A livestock advisor role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a mixed farmer background worth leading with.
- already held recycle livestock manure handling and moving
- already held livestock farming systems agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary
- already held manage farm supplies communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held sustainable agricultural production principles agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary
- already held agricultural business management business, administration and law
- already held manage livestock handling and moving
All 14 carried skills, including the 7 the livestock advisor role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 33 missing skills fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn livestock feeding required
- still to learn livestock selection principles required
- still to learn quality criteria for livestock feed production required
- still to learn animal nutrition required
- optional, not held computerised feeding systems optional
- optional, not held organic farming optional
- optional, not held turf management optional
- still to learn consultation methods required
- still to learn animal welfare legislation required
- still to learn customer relationship management required
- still to learn marketing principles required
- still to learn estimate costs in farm required
- still to learn research livestock production required
- still to learn use agricultural information systems and databases required
- optional, not held manage animal biosecurity optional
- still to learn advise on livestock productivity required
- still to learn use different communication channels required
- optional, not held develop personal skills optional
- still to learn make decisions regarding livestock management required
- optional, not held develop management plans optional
- optional, not held manage agricultural staff optional
- optional, not held manage brand assets optional
- still to learn livestock species required
- optional, not held ecology optional
5 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a livestock advisor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 make decisions regarding livestock management practise this
- 02 advise on livestock productivity practise this
- 03 comply with agricultural code of practice practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 14 skills that carry over
- already held crop production principles knowledge
- already held health and safety regulations knowledge
- already held livestock farming systems knowledge
- already held livestock reproduction knowledge
- already held manage livestock skill
- already held supervise hygiene procedures in agricultural settings skill
- already held sustainable agricultural production principles knowledge
- already held agricultural business management knowledge
- already held agritourism knowledge
- already held manage farm supplies skill
- already held manage production enterprise skill
- already held manage the health and welfare of livestock skill
- already held operate farm equipment skill
- already held recycle livestock manure skill
The 5 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn comply with agricultural code of practice required
- still to learn biosecurity required
- optional, not held manage stable optional
- optional, not held apply animal hygiene practices optional
- optional, not held feed livestock optional
- optional, not held monitor livestock optional
- optional, not held select livestock optional
- optional, not held maintain farm equipment optional
- optional, not held use milk control software optional
16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held manage stable optional
- optional, not held apply animal hygiene practices optional
- optional, not held computerised feeding systems optional
- optional, not held develop management plans optional
- optional, not held develop personal skills optional
- optional, not held feed livestock optional
- optional, not held maintain farm equipment optional
- optional, not held manage agricultural staff optional
- optional, not held manage animal biosecurity optional
- optional, not held monitor livestock optional
- optional, not held organic farming optional
- optional, not held select livestock optional
- optional, not held turf management optional
- optional, not held use milk control software optional
- optional, not held ecology optional
- optional, not held manage brand assets optional
19 held skills the livestock advisor role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role agroecology knowledge
- not needed by the target role agronomical production principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply sustainable tillage techniques skill
- not needed by the target role assign duties to agriculture workers skill
- not needed by the target role comply with farm regulations skill
- not needed by the target role cultivate crops for biomass skill
- not needed by the target role dairy animal production knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop agricultural policies skill
- not needed by the target role drive agricultural machines skill
- not needed by the target role e-agriculture knowledge
- not needed by the target role environmental legislation in agriculture and forestry knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle poultry skill
- not needed by the target role harvest crop skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with crop growers skill
- not needed by the target role manage crop production skill
- not needed by the target role manage farm products skill
- not needed by the target role market farm products skill
- not needed by the target role move animals skill
- not needed by the target role operate agricultural machinery skill
14 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn consultation methods required
- still to learn livestock feeding required
- still to learn livestock selection principles required
- still to learn livestock species required
- still to learn quality criteria for livestock feed production required
- still to learn animal nutrition required
- still to learn animal welfare legislation required
- still to learn biosecurity required
- still to learn customer relationship management required
- still to learn marketing principles required
- optional, not held computerised feeding systems optional
- optional, not held organic farming optional
- optional, not held turf management optional
- optional, not held ecology optional
Common questions about this move
Can a mixed farmer become a livestock advisor?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A mixed farmer already covers 29% of what a livestock advisor is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 7 of which the livestock advisor role treats as required.
What skills does a mixed farmer need to become a livestock advisor?
17 required skills are missing, plus 16 optional ones. They fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary. The single most important is make decisions regarding livestock management.
How hard is the move from mixed farmer to livestock advisor?
Its learning distance is 75.4 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.