How long does the Certificate in Beef Cattle & Farm Management take?

Most students finish in 10–15 weeks part-time. The two modules add up to about 200 study hours, at your own pace. You have 12 months' access, and extensions of up to 12 months are available on application (an extension fee may apply).

Is this course accredited, and will it get me a farm manager job?

It's a non-accredited short course, not a nationally accredited VET qualification such as a Certificate III, so it doesn't guarantee a role. It gives you practical knowledge of beef production and farm business that can support a step up into supervision or management. If a role legally requires a specific accredited qualification, check with the employer.

Do I need a licence to transport cattle?

It depends on the vehicle and the job. You need the right driver licence class for the vehicle and load, and carrying stock for hire can bring extra requirements. Anyone moving livestock must follow the national land transport welfare standards (such as fitness to load). Cattle need NLIS tags and movement paperwork such as a National Vendor Declaration (NVD), and each move must be recorded on the NLIS database. Some states need extra documents, so check with your state agriculture department.

What records should a beef business keep?

At a minimum: livestock identification and movements, breeding and calving records, treatments and chemical use, and financial records of income, costs and cash flow. Good records let you work out cost of production and make better decisions about what to keep, sell or change. Both modules cover record-keeping, from herd records to farm financial management.

Should I add Pasture Management or choose the Advanced Certificate?

If you already know you want herd, business and pasture skills together, choose the Advanced Certificate in Beef Cattle Farming, which includes all three modules in one course. If you'd rather start here, you can add Pasture Management at enrolment or during your studies. A course consultant can help you decide.

Livestock & Farm Management Courses

Certificate in Beef Cattle & Farm Management (Online)

Run your beef herd like the business it is.

Pair practical beef cattle know-how with the planning, budgeting and people skills that turn a herd into a profitable enterprise. Study online, at your own pace, with tutor support 6 days a week.

100% online
2 core modules
approx. 200 study hours
12 months' access
Tutor support 6 days a week
Certificate + transcript

Download the brochure Speak to a course consultant

Farmer working cattle in timber stock yards

What is the Certificate in Beef Cattle & Farm Management?

The Certificate in Beef Cattle & Farm Management is a self-paced online cattle management course that treats a beef operation as a business. One module covers the herd (breeds, breeding, handling, nutrition, health and production systems); the other covers farm planning, finance, staff, WHS and business structure. It suits producers, successors and farm hands who want their cattle to pay.

Course overview

Good cattle, sound business

Plenty of people can raise a good steer. Fewer can tell you what it cost to get it to sale weight. This course connects the two: what happens in the yards and paddocks, and what happens in the budget, the business plan and the staff roster. You'll finish able to talk cattle and talk numbers.

Know the herd – Choose breeds and breeding strategies, lift calving percentage, and manage handling, nutrition and herd health.
Plan the business – Set SMART goals and build a whole-farm and property management plan around the herd.
Manage the money – Keep financial records, work with lenders, leases and contracts, and prepare budgets and forecasts.
Lead people and manage risk – Recruit and supervise staff, meet WHS duties, choose a business structure and plan for succession.

Want your herd to earn its keep? This is where the numbers start.

Who this course is for

Owner-operators who know their cattle and want a firmer handle on budgets, planning and staff.
Family-farm successors preparing to take over the business side of a beef operation.
Farm hands and stockpeople ready to step up to a supervisor or manager role.
Small-acreage and hobby beef producers who want to run a few head without losing money.

What you'll study

You'll start with a short Student Induction module that gets you set up on the learning platform. Then you'll work through two core modules.

Module 1: Beef Cattle Farming (approx. 100 hours)

The production side of the business. Every unit links to a cost or a return, from calving percentage to the supply chain.

Breeds – anatomy, world breeds, selection, and marking and tracking.
Breeding – heritability, crossbreeding, calving percentage and weaning systems.
Reproduction – fertility, pregnancy, calving and growth.
Handling Cattle – yards, dehorning, castration, injecting, drenching and welfare.
Nutrition – feed types, rations and lot feeding, minerals, toxicity and water.
Plant Protein – protein types, amino acids and nitrogen conservation.
Health – vital signs, body condition scoring and prevention.
Disease – viral, bacterial, parasitic and protozoan diseases.
Farm Management Part 1 – extensive and intensive systems, feedlots, commercial and stud herds.
Farm Management Part 2 – transport, beef cuts, records, costs and the supply chain.

Module 2: Farm Management (approx. 100 hours)

The heart of this certificate. You'll build the plans, budgets and systems a beef business needs to stay viable.

Farm Planning – formal planning, SMART goals, action plans, and planning and zoning rules.
Business Planning – financial planning, the whole-farm plan and property management plan.
Financial Management – record-keeping, lenders, contract and lease law, budgeting and forecasting.
Human Resource Management (HR) – recruiting, inducting and supervising farm staff.
Operational Management – supply chains, routines, scheduling, and risk and resource management.
Farm Business Structure – business types, family farms, succession, and ABN and GST registration.
OH&S – duty of care, PPE, chemicals, machinery, safety audits and insurance.
Land Management – buildings, animal shelter, and natural vegetation and tree regeneration.
Water Management – water sources, storage, irrigation, salinity and drought.
Soil Erosion – erosion types, acidification and erosion control.
Farming Practices – grazing and lot-feeding systems, cropping, and energy and waste.
Future Success – diversification and evaluating how the business is tracking.

How you'll learn and be assessed

Online and self-paced – log in 24/7 from any device and study when the farm allows.
Quizzes and tutor feedback – a short quiz after each unit, and written assignments marked by your tutor with personalised feedback.
Business-focused assignments – farm planning, operational and resource planning, business structure and WHS, and "Establishing a Working Farm", alongside beef assignments on breeds, reproduction, health and herd management.
Competency-based, no exams – your tutor tells you what to improve and you resubmit. Support is available 6 days a week by phone, email or video call.

Tailor your course with add-on modules

Any certificate can be tailored with add-on modules from our catalogue. Add the skills that match your property or your next role.

Pasture Management

Grow more feed from the same paddocks: pasture plants and species selection, soil and water, pests and weeds, machinery, establishing new pasture and managing grazing. Feed is one of the biggest costs in a beef business. Want pasture too? Our Advanced Certificate in Beef Cattle Farming includes it, alongside the two modules in this course.

Sheep Farming

Commercial sheep production for wool and meat: breeds and breeding, lambing, nutrition, health, handling, infrastructure, wool, prime lamb, transport and flock management. A second enterprise can spread risk. Planning to run sheep as well as cattle? Our Agriculture Certificate in Livestock includes Sheep Farming and Pasture Management alongside this course's two modules.

Animal Health

Recognise and respond to illness in livestock: signs and symptoms, how diseases are classified, caused, diagnosed and treated, and how animals heal. Sick cattle cost money; this helps you catch problems before they spread.

Animal Feed and Nutrition

Understand what's in a feed and what it's worth: feed components, digestibility, feed classes and step-by-step ration calculations. Lets you compare bought-in feeds on value, not just price.

Ask a course consultant about adding modules when you enrol.

Career pathways and earning potential

The median age of Australia's beef cattle farmers is 62 (Jobs and Skills Australia), which makes the next generation of managers a live topic. Cattle and business skills together suit people who want to manage a beef property, not just work on one. Roles graduates often explore include:

Farm hand stepping up to supervisor – organising daily stock work, rosters and safety on a cattle property. Farmhand median $71,210 (typical $70k–$80k, advertised salaries), SEEK.
Beef farm manager – responsible for herd performance, budgets, staff and planning. Farm Manager median $105,000 (typical $95k–$115k, advertised salaries), SEEK.
Owner-operator – running your own beef business, from a small block to a family property. Income depends on the enterprise, so no figure is given.

Figures are advertised salaries (SEEK, Jora) or median full-time earnings (Jobs and Skills Australia), accessed October 2026. Pay varies with experience, location and employer. Figures are a guide only.

Course details

Study mode: 100% online, self-paced
Core modules: 2 (plus Student Induction)
Study time: approx. 200 hours at your own pace (most students finish in 10–15 weeks)
Access: 12 months
Support: tutor support 6 days a week
You'll receive: Certificate of Completion, Certificate of Attainment and transcript
Payment: upfront or interest-free payment plan

Download the brochure Speak to a course consultant

Download your Certificate in Beef Cattle & Farm Management brochure

Both modules, all 22 units and how assessment works.

Frequently asked questions

No. You don't need experience, stock or land, and no prior study is required. Most assessment is written work completed online. If you already run cattle, the planning and budgeting assignments are a chance to work on your own business as you study.