People may often stereotype farmers and farm works into limited categories. Yet, farm works are much more varied and diverse than what ordinary people commonly think of. Farm works, for example, vary from season to season and from the type of farm that is run by a farmer. Farms also vary in size ranging from a small farm run by a family to a huge farm wherein works are accomplished by contracted or regular employees.
There are different name tags for different types of farmers depending on the type of works they perform. Some farmers, for example, who raise cattle and other grazing livestock like goat, sheep, and horses, are called “ranchers” in the US and grazers in Australia and the UK. They may also be referred to as goatherds, shepherds, and cowherds.
If you are the type of farmer that raises livestock to produce milk, then, you are called a dairy farmer. Other farmers, however, who engage in raising chickens, ducks, turkeys, or geese are called poultry farmers. If you are a farmer who engages in raising vegetables to market them, you are usually called a market gardener or truck farmer.
In many developed nations, someone who owns an interest in livestock or crops is called a professional farmer. Those who help or provide labor are referred to as “farmhands.” Growers, however, who work for an absentee landowner, and share from the profits of the harvest are called “share farmers” or “sharecroppers.”
Various Types of Farmers
The following list is a complete list of the different types of farmers based on the type of farming activities they engage in:
- Dairy Farmer—a farmer who manages or owns a farm and is raising cows for milk production and other types of dairy products.
- Organic Farmer—a farmer who produces vegetables, grains, fruits, or livestock without using herbicides, pesticides, or other harmful chemical fertilizers.
- Forage or Grain Crop Farmer—a farmer who cultivates grain like barley, wheat, oats, rye, flax, canola, peas, and other forage or specialty crops.
- Poultry Farmer—a farmer who raises poultry animals like geese, turkeys, ducks, or chickens.
- Beekeeper—a farmer who tends for honeybees for honey, royal jelly, pollen, and beeswax.
- Rancher—a farmer who raises livestock like sheep, cattle, or other animals like bison, elk, alpacas, or emus.
- Alligator Farmer—someone who breeds and raises crocodiles or alligators to produce meat, leather, or other goods derived from alligators or crocodiles.
- Vermiculturists—someone who breeds worms and makes use of these worms to biodegrade waste products and turn them into organic fertilizer.
Jobs and Work Names on Farming
Farming comes in different phases. Hence, as a farmer, you should know how to manage your time and effort to enable you to succeed as a farmer. Here are the different responsibilities of a farmer:
1) Land Management
It is difficult to be successful as a farmer if you do not know how to maximize the use of your land. Maximizing the use of your land implies managing it right. Managing a farm, of course, includes various activities like dividing your land into various crops or various functionalities. You should also know how to stagger the planting of crops based on seasons. Managing also requires you to use intelligently fertilizers, both organic and chemical.
Managing the land also implies the ability and the know-how to prevent erosion by staggering the cultivation of crops and timing the planting of them. It also involves managing the water runoff, as well as using various strategies to keep the soil from being washed away. Fertility management can be achieved via the use of mechanized equipment or by hand tools or horses.
2) Crop Workers
A farm can be grown with a single type of crop or a variety of crops. You can also grow fruits, nuts, or whatever crop you deem profitable. Growing a plant, however, starts with planting seeds or transplanting shoots of plants. Irrigation is also necessary for without water, crops will not grow well.
Caring for crops also requires you to use herbicides to prevent pests from destroying the crops. You also need to weed the land to maximize the nutrients of the soil. If you have an orchard, for example, you need to prune the vines to make them grow well.
Some crops must be pruned to give them the right shape like those of the Christmas trees. The crops also require a systematic way of harvesting when they are ripe. You can either manually harvest them or use mechanical pickers to harvest.
2) Animal Husbandry
Some farms are fully dedicated to raising, breeding, and training animals. These farms may include dairy cows or even horses. Animals in these farms need daily care. They must be fed as well as watered daily.
Some of these animals need to be moved daily to fresh pastures. Some of these animals must be regularly groomed like those of the horses. Milk cows also need to be milked daily either once or twice. So, the works of those who engage in animal husbandry are basically not easy.
3) Agricultural Machinery Mechanics
Farms must be maintained on a regular basis. You should, for example, repairing, tightening and fixing the broken fences. You should also repaint some fences, outbuildings, and barns. Moreover, you should maintain farm implements and equipment by regular oiling. Plus, you should sharpen and clean hoes, shovels, and chainsaws.
So, a farmer, for example, is required to perform a lot of tasks like plumbing and carpentry on his farm. Aside from that, a farmer needs to audit expenses and sales. If he has workers, he also must manage the payroll of his workers.
4) Farm Supervivor
There are also several groups of people that have a stake in the fam. These groups of people make it possible for a farm to run smoothly. Here are some of these groups of people:
5) Farm and Agricultural Workers
Farm workers have the responsibility of taking care of farm animals such as goats, horses, cattle, swine, and sheep. The works of farm workers involve feeding the animals, grazing, herding, castrating, weighing, catching, and de-beaking of animals. These animal farms usually provide meat, milk, eggs, fur, skins, feathers, and honey, depending on the type of animals being farmed.
Farm workers should also know how to operate farm machines like milking machines. They should also know how to do some minor repairs on facilities. Moreover, they should know how to administer medications to their animals, administering vaccinations, examining animals for injuries, and diseases, and many more.
6) Animal Breeders
Animal breeders have the responsibility of selecting as well as breeding animals, using their know-how of genetics and animal science. They usually tinker with the genes of animals to produce certain characteristics of their offspring. They tinker with the genes of animals to come up with traits and characteristics to improve the offspring and benefit the farm. They also keep track of the development of the traits and characteristics of animal offspring for further future improvement.
7) Farm Laborers
Laborers have the responsibility of harvesting fruits, vegetables, grain, fiber, nuts, shrubs, trees, and other crops. They engage in planting, seeding, pruning, harvesting, irrigating, packing, and even loading of crops. These laborers take care of nursery and greenhouse beds. These workers also prepare greenhouse beds for planting. Furthermore, they are involved in watering, weeding, planting, pruning, fertilizing, and spraying plants.
8) Graders and Sorters
The graders and sorters have the responsibility of examining products to be shipped off. They usually divide and classify the crops or goods based on color, condition, and size. They also dispose of defective goods.
9) Agricultural Inspectors
The agricultural inspectors are those who are employed by the government to ensure that the regulations and laws are followed in the farms and enforced. They also govern the quality, safety, and health of farm products. They also ensure that the pieces of equipment used in the farms are safe and of passing standards.
