To hire a farm worker, decide which award covers the work, set the classification in writing, agree the roster and any accommodation terms before the start date, and keep the records the awards require. The Horticulture Award and the Pastoral Award differ on casual minimums, overtime and keep. CrossNation recruits farm workers for employers across Australia, and they join your own payroll. The fee is 12% of the annual salary, charged only on a successful placement.
By CrossNation Editorial Team. Sources checked 6 October 2026.
12% of annual salary
Charged only when a placement succeeds. No placement, no fee.
90-day placement guarantee
See our terms.
Employers throughout Australia in the horticulture industry: sowing, planting, raising, cultivating, harvesting, picking, washing, packing, storing, grading and treating horticultural crops. It does not cover the wine industry, silviculture, sugar, cotton or plant nurseries.
Source: Fair Work Ombudsman: Horticulture Award 2020 [MA000028] (retrieved 6 October 2026)
Employers throughout Australia in the pastoral industry: livestock and poultry, shearing and crutching, dairying, hatchery work, broadacre field crops and clearing, fencing and dam sinking on farms. It does not cover employees under the Horticulture Award.
Source: Fair Work Ombudsman: Pastoral Award 2020 [MA000035] (retrieved 6 October 2026)
A Horticulture Award Level 1 employee is new, works under direct supervision and progresses to Level 2 after no more than 3 months' industry experience. Indicative Level 1 duties include fruit or vegetable picking, thinning or pruning.
Source: Fair Work Ombudsman: Horticulture Award 2020 [MA000028] (retrieved 6 October 2026)
A casual employee under the Horticulture Award receives a 25% loading and is paid for at least 2 consecutive hours each time. Under the Pastoral Award the loading is 25% and the minimum engagement is 3 hours.
Source: Fair Work Ombudsman: Horticulture Award 2020 [MA000028] (retrieved 6 October 2026)
A high risk work licence is required to operate forklifts, and it is recognised in all states and territories.
Source: Government of Western Australia: High risk work licensing (retrieved 6 October 2026)
The Fair Work Ombudsman lists upfront fees, free accommodation offers, ads with little business information and offers of a quick visa or sponsored employment as warning signs when looking for harvest work.
Source: Fair Work Ombudsman Horticulture Showcase: Working the Harvest Trail (retrieved 6 October 2026)
Two awards cover most farm work, and coverage follows the work your employees do, not the name of the farm. The Horticulture Award [MA000028] covers sowing, planting, cultivating, harvesting, picking, washing, packing, storing and grading horticultural crops. The Pastoral Award [MA000035] covers managing, breeding, rearing or grazing livestock or poultry, shearing, dairying, hatchery work and broadacre field crops, and it does not cover employees who come under the Horticulture Award. A mixed enterprise can have both kinds of work, and an award says that an employee is covered by the classification most appropriate to the work and the environment in which it is normally done. An enterprise agreement can also apply. Confirm coverage with the Fair Work Pay Calculator before you write an offer.
Classification decides the minimum rate. In horticulture a new employee starts at Level 1 and progresses to Level 2 after no more than three months of industry experience. Level 3 covers duties such as driving mechanical harvesters or forklifts and working without supervision, and Level 5 is for an employee with a trade qualification. In the Pastoral Award farm and livestock hands run from level 1 to level 8 and depend on experience and the task, for example a station hand with less than six months in the industry at level 1. Put the classification in the contract. Under the Horticulture Award, an employee engaged for more than two hours in a day or shift on duties with a higher minimum rate must be paid that higher rate for the day. Juniors are paid a percentage of the adult rate by age.
Piece rates are allowed under the Horticulture Award, but you must give the worker a signed piecework record before the task starts, set the rate so a competent worker at average productivity earns at least 15 percent more per hour than the hourly rate, and pay no less than the hourly rate times the hours worked each day. Accommodation and transport are separate. The Fair Work Ombudsman says workers cannot be paid in goods or services such as board, and you can deduct accommodation or transport costs only with the employee's written agreement where it is principally for their benefit, or where an award, agreement or law allows it. Under the Pastoral Award, where keep is provided, the award limits the weekly deduction. Never ask a candidate to pay to receive or keep a job.
A clear brief gets you better candidates. State the crop or stock, the machinery and whether a licence or ticket is needed, the location and distance to the nearest town, the roster and hours, whether the role is year-round, contract or seasonal, and the award or agreement that applies. Say whether housing or a vehicle is offered and on what terms. CrossNation recruits permanent and contract farm workers, machinery operators and supervisors who become your employees. It does not supply seasonal crews or run your payroll, so a brief for a six week harvest crew is not a fit for our service.
Give employees the Fair Work Information Statement, and casual employees the Casual Employment Information Statement, before or as soon as possible after they start. Run a safety induction covering machinery, animals, chemicals, vehicles and emergency contacts, explain pay day and give a pay slip every time you pay. Keep time and wages records and copies of any piecework record, keep agreement or accommodation agreement. Check work rights before the start date, including the visa conditions that limit hours or employer, and record what you checked.
The fee is 12% of the candidate's annual salary, charged only when a placement succeeds.
Under the Horticulture Award you can pay hourly rates, piece rates or both. Piecework needs a signed piecework record first, the rate must meet the 15 percent test, and a daily minimum wage guarantee applies.
Only in limited cases. The Fair Work Ombudsman says the employee must agree in writing and the deduction must be principally for their benefit, or an award, agreement or law must allow it. A verbal agreement is not enough.
No. CrossNation recruits farm workers, machinery operators and supervisors who become your own employees. It does not supply seasonal crews, so a short harvest crew is not the service we offer.
The fee is 12% of the candidate's annual salary, charged only when a placement succeeds, and placements carry a 90-day placement guarantee. There is no charge to send a brief. CrossNation recruits farm workers for employers across Australia, and you can send the role, location and start date through the employer enquiry form.
CrossNation recruits sponsorship-ready overseas candidates for employers that want them. Farm roles vary a great deal in what visa pathways allow, so employers should check the current Home Affairs rules and speak to a registered migration agent before relying on an overseas hire. The employer holds or obtains its own approval, and CrossNation cannot promise a visa, an approval or a job. This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.
Farm workers are not registered with a national regulator. A high risk work licence is needed for forklifts and some other equipment, and employers list any other licence or ticket in the advertisement. For a farm worker, the award that commonly applies is the Horticulture Award 2020 (the Pastoral Award 2020 covers livestock, dairy and broadacre work) (MA000028), but coverage depends on your industry and the person's duties, so confirm it with the Fair Work Ombudsman before you set the offer. Keep a copy of any licence, registration or check you sight for your farm worker, and confirm their right to work in Australia before they start.
