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

The two core modules add up to about 200 self-paced study hours, and most students finish in 10–15 weeks part-time. You have 12 months' access, so a busy calving season won't derail you, and you can apply for an extension of up to 12 months if you need it (an extension fee may apply).

How do you become a dairy farm manager in Australia, and will this course qualify me?

Often by working up from farm hand and adding business skills along the way. No licence is listed for farm managers, and Jobs and Skills Australia notes many people reach that level through on-the-job experience. This course builds those skills, but our certificates are non-accredited short courses, not nationally accredited VET qualifications (such as a Certificate III). If an employer wants an accredited management qualification, the VET option is the Diploma of Agriculture (AHC50122).

What is a share farmer?

A share farmer runs a dairy business alongside the landowner and is paid a share of the milk income rather than a wage. Arrangements vary: some share farmers supply mainly labour, while others also own some or all of the herd and machinery and take a larger share. If the owner controls how and when the work is done, the law may treat a share farmer as an employee. Farm Management covers the contract, lease and budgeting basics.

Will I learn to calculate rations and plan feed for a dairy herd?

Yes. The Growth & Feeding unit covers feeding heifers and cows through lactation, ration calculations and a feed-flow planning scenario. Farm Management then teaches budgeting and forecasting, so you can connect what the herd eats with what the business can afford.

Livestock & Farm Management Courses

Certificate in Dairy Cattle & Farm Management (Online)

Run the dairy like a business, from the herd to the books.

This dairy farming course pairs herd production (breeding, milking, rations and mastitis control) with the planning, budgeting and staff skills it takes to manage a dairy, all online and at your own pace.

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

Dairy herd walking a laneway to the milking shed

What is the Certificate in Dairy Cattle & Farm Management?

The Certificate in Dairy Cattle & Farm Management is a self-paced online dairy farming course that combines herd production with farm business management. Across two modules (Dairy Cattle Farming and Farm Management) you'll learn breeding and AI, milking, rations, herd health and records, plus farm planning, budgets, staff supervision and WHS. It suits dairy hands, share farmers and owner-operators.

Course overview

Manage the cows and the business behind them

Could you calculate a ration on Monday and walk the bank through a cash-flow budget on Friday? Most dairy workers learn the herd side on the job. The business side (budgets, leases, rosters, business structures, succession) is much harder to pick up between milkings. This course puts the two side by side, so you can move from running the cups to running the operation.

Herd decisions that drive milk income – Plan breeding programs and AI, rear replacement heifers, and calculate dairy rations and feed flow across the lactation cycle.
Milking and herd health – Understand milking machines and shed types, prevent milk spoilage, and manage mastitis with health checks and dry-cow therapy.
Budgets, lenders and leases – Keep reliable farm records, build budgets and cash-flow forecasts, and understand loans, leases and contracts.
People and safety – Recruit, induct and supervise farm staff, and apply WHS duty of care around chemicals, machinery and PPE.

Ready to be trusted with the whole operation?

Who this course is for

Dairy farm hands ready to step up to second-in-charge, herd manager or farm manager.
Share farmers, or those working toward it, who need the business numbers as well as the cow sense.
Family-farm successors taking over a dairy who want a structured grounding in planning, finance and business structures.
Career changers moving into dairying who want to see how a dairy runs before they commit.

What you'll study

You'll start with a short Student Induction module that sets you up on the learning platform and introduces your tutor. Then you'll complete two core modules: one on the herd, one on the business that carries it.

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

Everything that happens between the paddock and the vat. You'll learn to make the herd decisions that show up on the milk cheque, from bull selection to mastitis control.

Breeds – anatomy, dairy breeds, breed selection and identification.
Breeding – breeding programs, bull value, inbreeding risk, performance testing and AI.
Reproduction – fertility, pregnancy, calving and what affects milk composition.
Facilities & Equipment – husbandry facilities, milking machines, shed types and preventing milk spoilage.
Nutrition – feed types, rations, vitamins, minerals, deficiencies and water.
Growth & Feeding – heifer rearing, lactation feeding, ration calculations and feed-flow planning.
Health – vital signs, body condition and preventing ill health.
Diseases – mastitis, dry-cow therapy and other common diseases.
Dairy Cattle Management – herd and financial records, herd replacement and welfare.
Infrastructure and Natural Resource Management – planning and siting a dairy, the shed routine and the dairy room.

Module 2: Farm Management (approx. 100 hours)

Now the focus moves from the cow to the enterprise: how a dairy is planned, financed, staffed and structured, and how to care for the land and water the herd depends on.

Farm Planning – SMART goals, action plans, and planning and zoning rules.
Business Planning – whole-farm and property management plans, and stock and resource planning.
Financial Management – records, lenders, leases, contracts, budgets and forecasts.
Human Resource Management (HR) – recruiting, inducting and supervising staff.
Operational Management – supply chains, scheduling, weather and risk.
Farm Business Structure – family farms, succession, and ABN and GST registration.
OH&S – duty of care, PPE, chemicals, machinery and safety audits.
Land Management – buildings, animal shelter and tree regeneration.
Water Management – water sources, storage, irrigation, salinity and drought.
Soil Erosion – erosion types, acidification and erosion control.
Farming Practices – grazing, lot-feeding and cropping systems, energy and waste.
Future Success – diversification and measuring the business against standards.

How you'll learn and be assessed

Online, in your own time – everything is on the learning platform 24/7, on any device, so you can study around milking.
Quizzes and written assignments – a short online quiz follows each unit, and written assignments on both the herd and the business are marked by your tutor with personalised feedback.
Real dairy calculations – you'll work through dairy ration and cost calculations and a feed-flow planning scenario.
Competency-based, with support – if an assignment isn't quite there yet, your tutor explains what to improve and you resubmit. Tutor support is available 6 days a week by phone, email or video call. No exams to sit in a centre.

Tailor your course with add-on modules

Any certificate can be tailored with add-on modules from our catalogue, so you can pick up extra skills that match your property, business or career plans. Ask a course consultant about adding modules at enrolment or during your studies.

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. Home-grown pasture is usually the cheapest feed on a grazing dairy, so growing more of it feeds straight into the budgets you'll learn to build.

Agronomy I

Learn how field crops grow and how to manage them, from seed and sowing to cereal and broadleaf crops, harvest and a hands-on crop management project. Worth adding if your dairy grows its own fodder, silage or grain and you want to manage those crops as carefully as the herd.

Animal Health

Recognise and respond to illness in livestock: signs and symptoms, how diseases are classified, caused, diagnosed and treated, and how animals heal. Takes the herd-health side further, so you can spot problems early and talk to your vet with confidence.

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. Sharpens the ration work in Dairy Cattle Farming, so you can judge whether a bought-in feed is worth the price on the invoice.

Ask a course consultant about adding modules when you enrol.

Career pathways and earning potential

Herd and business skills are useful on owner-operated, family and share-farmed dairies. Roles graduates often explore include:

Dairy farm hand – milking, calf rearing, feeding and daily herd checks on a commercial dairy. Advertised average $72,500 (most common $70k–$75k), Jora.
Herd manager or assistant farm manager – rostering staff, keeping herd and production records, and overseeing breeding and herd health.
Dairy farm manager – running the day-to-day dairy business for an owner. Advertised average $108,750 (most common $100k–$120k), Jora.

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 Dairy Cattle & Farm Management brochure

Get both unit lists, assessment details and payment options in one place.

Frequently asked questions

No. You don't need a farm job, land or a herd to enrol, and no prior study is needed. Where an assignment asks you to apply what you've learned, you can draw on a dairy you work on or can visit.