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Our client is a listed Australian agricultural owner with large-scale cropping properties across the eastern states. They fund development on what they own, and they run agronomy, budgeting and safety from head office so the property team stays on the farming.

The property covers over 4,000ha of cotton and cropping in the Arcadia Valley, 20km south of Rolleston in the Central Highlands. Cotton is the main crop, rotated with wheat, chickpeas, sorghum and mungbeans, and the lint goes to the gins at Emerald and Moura. Irrigation runs on laterals and pivots, supported by river frontage, substantial allocations and on-farm storage built up under the current ownership. Soils are black and chocolate self-mulching cracking clays.

Planting, spraying and irrigation run in-house across a modern John Deere and Case fleet, with harvest contracted. It is one of several cropping properties the business runs within an hour's drive in Central Queensland.

The Role

Reporting to the Farm Manager, you are the second-in-charge. You share accountability with him for day-to-day delivery of the cropping and irrigation program, and you lead the three permanent Farm Hands who carry it out.

Irrigation is the critical function across the season, and running it day to day is your job. Working to the Farm Manager's plan, you will manage water delivery across the cotton and cropping blocks against allocation and storage, carry out and coordinate the night checking that irrigated cotton demands, and stay on top of the infrastructure so faults are caught before they cost a watering.

The property crops year-round, moving from summer cotton into the winter rotation with no dormant stretch in the calendar. Contract crews come on for harvest and through other peaks, and you sequence their work around in-house operations. You and the Farm Manager share the planning, logistics and project work across the property.





Key Responsibilities

- Irrigation. Deliver the watering schedule across the cotton and cropping blocks with the Farm Hands, monitor and maintain the systems through the season, and escalate the larger repairs.
- Cropping Operations. Deliver the cotton program alongside the Farm Manager, from ground preparation and planting through in-crop work to harvest readiness. Run the winter rotation across wheat, chickpeas, sorghum and mungbeans, and order chemical, fertiliser and inputs against the plan.
- Team Leadership. Lead the permanent Farm Hands day to day, set tasks and keep the team productive when weather or breakdowns shift the plan. Build capability across irrigation and machinery operation, and bring seasonal labour up to speed at peak.
- Machinery & Fleet. Set up and configure tractors and implements, keep the fleet available, handle routine issues in the field, and coordinate servicing and repairs.
- Planning, Budgets & Reporting. Contribute to operational planning and project work, provide input to budgets and report against them, and work with the agronomy team on rotations and input decisions.
- Safety & Compliance. Work to the business's safety standards across all operations and hold the team to them.

What You Bring

This role suits an operator who runs, or is ready to run, the day to day on an irrigated cotton operation: an Assistant Farm Manager or 2IC now, a Farm Manager on a smaller cotton property, or a senior operator stepping up. You think ahead on the irrigation and planting calendar,



and hold a consistent standard when the pace lifts.

Essential:

- Hands-on experience in irrigated cotton, with several production cycles behind you.
- Solid irrigation capability across laterals and pivots, including night checking through the season.
- Able to run the property day to day in the Farm Manager's absence.
- Able to lead a small permanent team and coordinate contractors.
- Mechanically minded, able to keep machinery going and troubleshoot in the field. A trade qualification is not required.
- Willing to live on farm, 20km south of Rolleston.
- Current driver's licence.

Advantageous:

- Rotational cropping across winter cereals, pulses and summer crops.
- A corporate operation, or a large structured family operation, with formal budgeting, reporting and safety systems.

Individuals coming from a Senior Farm Hand or similar position, ready to step into their first management role, are encouraged to apply, provided the irrigated cotton experience is there.

What You'll Gain

- Package: $110k - $130k + Super, with a work vehicle provided.
- Incentive: Performance bonus of 10% of base, paid against KPIs.
- Housing: Four bedroom house on farm, utilities included.
- Relocation: Assistance available for the right person.
- Support: An experienced Farm Manager to learn the property from, and systems already built rather than something you build yourself.
- Growth: A path toward Farm Manager across the business's Central Queensland cropping properties.

How to Step Forward

For more information or a confidential chat, please contact Nick Marchant, Director, on 0466 333 066 or Lemuel Cruz, Talent Specialist, on 0468 093 444.

Who Are March

March offers permanent recruitment and workforce planning services tailored exclusively to Australian agribusinesses. We're about connecting top talent with great businesses - plain and simple.

📌 Assistant Farm Manager | Rolleston, QLD
🏢 March Talent Partners
📍 Rolleston