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Livestock farm workers

How to become a Dairy Farmer

Also called: Milker, Beef cattle farm worker, Dairy farm worker

Keeps dairy cows and produces raw milk, the raw material for milk, cheese and other dairy products.

Main tasks

Workers in this job say high school or university is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

Many people gain experience with relatives who run a dairy farm and take over the family business. People who come to farming from another job can work first as a dairy relief worker, train overseas, help on a dairy farm or work as a farm employee. If your family does not run a dairy farm, you can learn the basics at an agricultural college or training centre and gain skills through practical training on a dairy farm. Building experience as a dairy relief worker is another route. Running a dairy farm needs knowledge and skills in managing dairy cows, feeding, breeding improvement, reproduction, feed production, hygiene of milking machines and manure treatment. Milking and pasture production are increasingly mechanised, so skills in operating machinery and managing production on a computer are also important. A large special vehicle licence and a towing licence for driving the tractors used in feed production are useful. With the livestock artificial insemination technician qualification, you can breed your cows yourself. This is a national qualification to make sure livestock insemination is done properly, given to people who complete a course run by a body designated by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries or by the prefecture for each type of livestock and pass its final exam. The work is physical, so a certain level of fitness is needed. Loving animals is essential, and if you run your own farm you also need business sense.

Ways in

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Dairy Farmer?

Many people gain experience with relatives who run a dairy farm and take over the family business. People who come to farming from another job can work first as a dairy relief worker, train overseas, help on a dairy farm or work as a farm employee. If your family does not run a dairy farm, you can learn the basics at an agricultural college or training centre and gain skills through practical training on a dairy farm. Building experience as a dairy relief worker is another route. Running a dairy farm needs knowledge and skills in managing dairy cows, feeding, breeding improvement, reproduction, feed production, hygiene of milking machines and manure treatment. Milking and pasture production are increasingly mechanised, so skills in operating machinery and managing production on a computer are also important. A large special vehicle licence and a towing licence for driving the tractors used in feed production are useful. With the livestock artificial insemination technician qualification, you can breed your cows yourself. This is a national qualification to make sure livestock insemination is done properly, given to people who complete a course run by a body designated by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries or by the prefecture for each type of livestock and pass its final exam. The work is physical, so a certain level of fitness is needed. Loving animals is essential, and if you run your own farm you also need business sense.

How much does a Dairy Farmer earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥3,607,500 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Agriculture, forestry and fishery workers, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become a Dairy Farmer?

Usually not. In this job's census occupation group, only 13% of workers are university graduates.

Will AI change the work of a Dairy Farmer?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026