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Dairy Farm Assistant CV example

Farm owners and managers hiring a dairy farm assistant want to know the size of herd you've milked, the shed you know, and whether you can be left to get on with calving. This dairy farm assistant CV example puts those facts up front.

Written for New Zealand, with notes for Australia · Checked

Free. Then compare it with a real Dairy Farm Assistant job ad.

The example

A Dairy Farm Assistant CV, start to finish.

Sean Gallagher is made up, and so are the employers. The layout and the wording are what New Zealand employers expect: no photo or date of birth, the most recent job first, and every bullet showing what was done and what came of it.

Sean Gallagher

Dairy Farm Assistant, rotary shed and calf rearing

Edendale, Southland · 027 555 0241 · sean.gallagher@email.com

Profile

Dairy farm assistant with four years on Waikato and Southland farms, milking herds of up to 850 cows through a 54-bail rotary. Confident running a milking alone, rearing calves at calving and keeping animal records up to date. Holds the New Zealand Certificate in Agriculture (Level 3) and aiming for a 2IC role.

Skills

Rotary and herringbone milking · Calving and calf rearing · Animal health and mastitis checks · Pasture and break feeding · Tractor and quad bike · Effluent system checks · Animal records and NAIT · Fencing and farm maintenance

Experience

Dairy Farm Assistant, Waihopai Flats Dairy

Edendale, Southland · 2024 to now

  • Run the morning or afternoon milking alone on a 54-bail rotary for 850 cows, finishing in under two and a half hours
  • Reared 220 calves through spring calving, with calf losses kept under 3%
  • Spot and treat mastitis early with the farm's teat-spray and test routine, helping keep the bulk somatic cell count under 150,000
  • Set up daily breaks with the farm manager and shift stock on the quad bike
  • Record calf tagging and animal movements in NAIT and the farm's herd records

Farm Assistant, Kōpū Road Dairy

Morrinsville, Waikato · 2022 to 2024

  • Milked a 380-cow herd through a 24-aside herringbone shed
  • Fed calves and cleaned pens through two calving seasons
  • Checked the effluent pond and irrigator daily and reported faults the same day
  • Repaired fences and troughs, and helped with silage and maize harvest

Education

New Zealand Certificate in Agriculture (Level 3), Dairy Farming strand, Primary ITO

2024

Other details

Driver's licence
Full
Availability
Rostered weekends and early starts

Referees

Available on request

Sean wrote a cover letter to go with it. Read the dairy farm assistant cover letter

Skills and keywords

What dairy farm assistant job ads look for.

Use the ad's own words where they're true of you. An ATS, and a recruiter skimming, both look for them.

  • Herd sizeAlways give the number of cows. It's the fastest way to show the scale you've worked at.
  • Rotary or herringboneName the shed and its size. Managers want to know you can run their shed from day one.
  • CalvingThe busiest time on a dairy farm. Say how many calves you reared and how it went.
  • Animal healthMastitis checks, lameness and treatments all count. Show you catch problems early.
  • Pasture managementSetting breaks and feeding to a plan shows you understand the farm system, not just milking.
  • NAITTagging and recording movements are legal requirements. Say if you've done them.
  • 2ICIf you're aiming for second in charge, say so and show the jobs you already do alone.

Bullet points

9 strong lines to borrow from.

Each says what was done, how, and what came of it. Swap in your own facts: a line is only strong if it's true.

  1. 1Ran milkings alone on a 54-bail rotary for 850 cows, finishing in under two and a half hours
  2. 2Reared 220 calves through spring calving with calf losses under 3%
  3. 3Caught mastitis early with the farm's teat-spray and test routine, helping keep the bulk somatic cell count under 150,000
  4. 4Set up daily breaks with the farm manager and shifted stock on the quad bike
  5. 5Recorded calf tagging and animal movements in NAIT and the farm's herd records
  6. 6Milked a 380-cow herd through a 24-aside herringbone shed
  7. 7Checked the effluent pond and irrigator daily and reported faults the same day
  8. 8Repaired fences and troughs and helped with silage and maize harvest
  9. 9Covered the farm manager's milkings during their leave with no drop in milk quality

Common mistakes

What costs dairy farm assistant CVs interviews.

  • No herd size or shed type.

    Say how many cows and what kind of shed on every farm. It's the first thing a manager checks.

  • Only listing milking.

    Calving, pasture, animal health, effluent and maintenance are all part of the job. Show the range.

  • Leaving out what you were trusted to do alone.

    Running a milking on your own or covering for the manager shows you're ready for more responsibility.

New Zealand and Australia

What changes across the Tasman.

New Zealand

The person most involved in the day-to-day management of cattle must register with NAIT, and cattle movements between NAIT locations must be recorded within 48 hours, so say if you've kept NAIT records.

New Zealand CV format

Australia

Australia traces cattle through the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS), with animals tagged before they leave a property and movements recorded on the NLIS database, so mention any NLIS work. Australian employers usually say resume rather than CV, and expect about two pages.

Australian CV format

Sources: OSPRI: recording animal movements, OSPRI: NAIT PICA responsibilities, Integrity Systems: National Livestock Identification System.

FAQ

Questions, answered.

Something else on your mind? Email support@smartcvs.ai and a person will reply.

Should I include my herd and shed on every job?

Yes. The number of cows and the type of shed tell a farm manager straight away whether you'll fit their system.

Is a qualification important for a dairy farm assistant?

Experience counts most, but an agriculture certificate shows you understand why things are done, and it helps when you apply for 2IC roles.

Do I need to mention the season I'm available from?

Yes. Most dairy jobs start on 1 June, the start of the season, so say when you can start.

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