Torchora
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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Dairy Worker

💰 $25,000 - $45,000

AgricultureDairyFarmLivestockAnimal Husbandry

🎯 Role Definition

We are seeking a dependable, safety-minded Dairy Worker to join a commercial dairy operation. The Dairy Worker performs daily milking and animal care tasks, maintains milking equipment and barns to ensure high milk quality and animal welfare, assists with feeding and calf raising, and records production and health information. This role requires physical stamina, attention to detail, experience with milking parlors or willingness to train, and a commitment to on-farm biosecurity and safety standards.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Farm Laborer / General Farm Worker
  • Milking Assistant / Parlor Assistant
  • Agricultural Seasonal Worker

Advancement To:

  • Head Milker / Lead Milker
  • Herd Manager or Dairy Manager
  • Farm Supervisor / Operations Supervisor
  • Breeding or Nutrition Technician

Lateral Moves:

  • Livestock Technician
  • Equipment/Tractor Operator
  • Feed Mill or Nutrition Assistant

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Perform routine milking operations using rotary, herringbone, parallel or pipeline milking parlors, ensuring each animal is milked efficiently and gently while following established milking schedules and protocols.
  • Attach and detach milking units correctly, check teat cups and lines, and monitor pulsation and vacuum levels during milking to maintain consistent milk flow and cow comfort.
  • Inspect cows for clinical signs of mastitis and other health issues at each milking, forestrip and evaluate milk, and follow established mastitis treatment and segregation protocols when abnormal milk or sick animals are detected.
  • Clean and sanitize teats before milking and apply post-milking teat dips or sprays in accordance with farm hygiene and milk quality standards to reduce bacterial contamination.
  • Operate and perform daily checks on bulk tanks, milk cooling systems and transfer pumps; record bulk tank temperatures and ensure timely milk transfers to maintain milk quality and comply with buyer specifications.
  • Conduct routine equipment maintenance and troubleshooting on milking machines, automatic take-off systems, vacuum pumps and parlour components; escalate mechanical issues to maintenance staff and document repairs performed.
  • Manage calf care and juvenile herd duties including colostrum feeding, bottle or bucket feeding, individual pen cleaning, monitoring calf health and growth, and administering scheduled vaccinations and treatments per farm protocols.
  • Prepare, measure and deliver feed rations for lactating cows, dry cows and youngstock under the direction of the nutritionist or herd manager, and monitor feed bunk attendance and consumption.
  • Monitor individual cow behavior, rumination, eating and lying patterns; report and record deviations, lameness, injuries or illnesses promptly so veterinary or management intervention can occur.
  • Follow and enforce farm biosecurity and sanitation procedures: control barn access, disinfect boots and equipment, isolate sick animals, and minimize cross-contamination between groups.
  • Maintain detailed and accurate records including milk production per cow, medication and treatment logs, breeding and calving events, and daily milking and cleaning checklists using paper or electronic herd management systems.
  • Assist with breeding programs: observe cows for heat cycles, record breeding activity, assist visiting technicians with heat detection and AI procedures, and support pregnancy checks as directed.
  • Handle and move cattle safely using chutes, gates and proper techniques to reduce stress and injury to animals and handlers; load/unload animals for veterinary visits or transport when required.
  • Perform manure handling and bedding management: scrape alleys, clean stalls, spread or remove bedding, and ensure comfortable, dry lying areas to reduce mastitis and lameness risks.
  • Operate tractors, skid steers, feeders and other farm machinery for feed delivery, manure management and barn upkeep in a safe and certified manner; perform routine checks and basic maintenance.
  • Execute daily barn and parlor cleaning routines including washdown/CIP (clean-in-place) procedures for milking pipelines, washing of filters, and sanitization of high-touch surfaces to meet milk processor and regulatory standards.
  • Participate in emergency animal care and on-call rotations, including calving assistance, sick animal stabilization, shepherding injured cattle to treatment areas, and following emergency response protocols.
  • Assist with hoof care routines and foot bathing programs, identifying lameness and coordinating corrective trimming or treatment with hoof trimmers or veterinarians.
  • Support seasonal and herd-management activities such as dry-off, freshening, grouping animals by production stage, pasture moves, and spring/fall maintenance tasks.
  • Train and mentor junior milkers, seasonal workers and new hires on safe animal handling, milking procedures, recordkeeping and farm-specific standard operating procedures (SOPs).
  • Participate in quality assurance programs and on-farm audits, help implement corrective action plans, and maintain documentation required by milk processors or third-party certification schemes.
  • Ensure compliance with workplace safety rules and animal welfare guidelines, use personal protective equipment (PPE), and attend safety meetings and trainings as required.

Secondary Functions

  • Assist management with inventory tracking of supplies, sanitizers, medicines, and replacement parts for milking equipment.
  • Support basic animal health tasks such as weighing, tagging, and sample collection for diagnostic testing when requested by the herd manager or veterinarian.
  • Help implement improvements to parlour flow and cow traffic patterns to increase milking efficiency and reduce cow stress.
  • Participate in record consolidation for monthly DHI (Dairy Herd Improvement) reports and contribute observational data for herd performance reviews.
  • Aid in seasonal pasture maintenance, fence repair and water system upkeep as time allows.
  • Support farm sustainability initiatives such as nutrient management, composting bedding, and reducing water or chemical usage where applicable.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Proven experience operating and maintaining milking parlors (rotary, herringbone, parallel) and automated milking systems.
  • Practical knowledge of milk quality control: forestripping, somatic cell count awareness, culturing basics, and bulk tank management.
  • Animal handling and low-stress cattle movement techniques; experience with chutes, gates and animal restraint.
  • Calf rearing skills including colostrum management, bottle/bucket feeding, weaning protocols and calf housing sanitation.
  • Basic herd health skills: identifying mastitis, lameness, ketosis signs, administering common medications and following veterinary treatment plans.
  • Feed delivery and ration distribution experience; ability to read and follow ration sheets and mixers (where applicable).
  • Experience with farm machinery and equipment operation (tractors, skid steers, feeders) and basic mechanical troubleshooting.
  • Sanitation and CIP procedures knowledge for milking equipment and parlour cleaning to meet processing standards.
  • Recordkeeping proficiency with dairy herd management software or paper-based logs (DHI familiarity is a plus).
  • Ability to perform routine maintenance on vacuum pumps, pulsators, bulk tanks and parlour components and coordinate repairs.
  • Certification or training in animal welfare, biosecurity, or milking hygiene programs is advantageous.
  • Basic computer literacy for logging production, reading SOPs and communicating with management.

Soft Skills

  • Strong attention to detail and consistent focus on milk quality and animal welfare.
  • Physical stamina and ability to work long shifts, lift heavy objects, and stand for extended periods.
  • Reliable, punctual and able to work rotating shifts, early mornings, nights and weekends as required.
  • Good communication skills for working with team members, managers, veterinarians and service technicians.
  • Team-oriented, willing to train and mentor junior staff and collaborate on continuous improvement.
  • Problem-solving mindset and ability to prioritize tasks in fast-paced farm operations.
  • High level of integrity and ability to follow protocols and safety procedures consistently.
  • Adaptability to changing weather, seasonal workloads and emergency animal care situations.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or equivalent preferred; on-the-job training accepted.

Preferred Education:

  • Vocational certificate or coursework in Agriculture, Animal Science, Dairy Herd Management, or related technical programs.
  • Certifications such as DHI technician training, AI certification, hoof trimmer training, or agricultural equipment operation are a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Animal Science
  • Agriculture
  • Dairy Science
  • Veterinary Technology
  • Agricultural Mechanics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 0–3 years for entry-level roles; 2–5+ years preferred for lead or specialized positions.

Preferred:

  • 1–3 years of hands-on milking and dairy farm experience for operational roles.
  • Demonstrated experience with milking parlor equipment and herd health monitoring for supervisory or technical positions.
  • Track record of reliable attendance, safety compliance and quality-focused work on commercial dairy operations.
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