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Exploring Trades and Occupations

Dairy Workers

On this page

  • Job description
  • Advancement and mobility
  • Training and requirements
  • Main skills and characteristics
  • Personality profiles (RIASEC)
  • Additional information

Job description

These individuals breed dairy cows. They feed and care for the animals, take care of milking, and reproduction. They work on dairy farms.

Environment

  • Controlled ambient temperature
  • Climatic conditions
  • Equipment, machinery, tools
  • Vehicle or passenger compartment
  • Hazardous chemical
  • Biological agents
  • Odours
  • Nontoxic dust
  • Uncontrolled ambient temperature
  • Noise
  • Vibration

Main tasks

  • Milk cows.
  • Help animals give birth and take care of the calves.
  • Feed and care for the animals.
  • Maintain equipment and buildings.
  • Maintain animal health records.
  • Manage dairy herds.
  • Participate in crop cultivation, as required.

Advancement and mobility

  • Experience leads to supervisory positions.

Training and requirements

Formation

Most training programs are offered in French only.

Secondary

DVS in production animale
Code : 5354

Placement rate: 74.4%

21.2% of graduates pursue further studies

More on graduates’ employment situation

Sometimes required

  • Easily work with animals often required.
  • A Class 5 driver’s licence often required.

WAP

This occupation is targeted by a Workplace Apprenticeship Program

  • Dairy farm worker

Main skills and characteristics

Skills

  • Information processing
  • Data collection
  • Active listening
  • Critical thought
  • Result evaluation
  • Coordination
  • Operations and control
  • Monitoring operations
  • Oral expression
  • Solving complex problems
  • Troubleshooting
  • Time management
  • Judgment and decision-making
  • Social perception
  • Equipment selection
More Less skills

Abilities

  • Control accuracy
  • Awareness of issues
  • Hand-arm stability
  • Oral comprehension
  • Limb coordination
  • Static muscle power
  • Verbal skills
  • Deductive reasoning
  • Near vision
  • Speech clarity
  • Core strength
  • Information organization
  • Speech recognition
  • Selective attention
  • Manual dexterity
  • Inductive reasoning
  • Distance vision
  • Classification
  • Overall coordination of the body
  • Digital dexterity
  • Depth perception
  • Perception speed
  • Processing flexibility
More Less abilities

Knowledge and attributes

  • Focussed on results
  • Autonomy
  • Sense of responsibility
  • Assiduity and punctuality
  • Sense of observation
  • Availability
  • Tolerance to frequent temperature variations
  • Knowledge of plant and animal production
  • Patience
  • Tolerance to routine work

Interests

  • Work manually
  • Develop and exploit natural resources
  • Work in contact with nature and animals
  • Exercer une activité sportive ou physique
  • Work outdoors

Personality profiles (RIASEC)

Realistic
People with this profile prefer carrying out concrete tasks and being physically involved in what they do.
Investigative
People with this profile prefer relying on theoretical knowledge before acting. They like observation, analysis and problem solving.
Conventional
People with this profile prefer specific, well-defined tasks. They like to respect the order of things and follow established rules.
Additional information

Appellation d’emploi liée (à traduire)

Livestock labourers  (CNP 85100)

Skill type

Natural resources, agriculture and related production

Related occupations

  • Agricultural service contractors and farm supervisors
  • Harvesting labourers
  • Managers in agriculture

See also

  • Glossary (PDF 229 Kb)
  • Québec emploi

Last update: January 29, 2026

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