January to March — Lambing and Calving
The farming year starts early. From January through to April, lambing is the biggest source of seasonal work across the UK. Upland flocks in Wales, the Lake District, Scotland, and northern England tend to lamb later (March-April), while lowland flocks often start in January or February.
Lambing work typically involves night checks, assisting difficult births, fostering orphan lambs, and general flock management. Experience is preferred but many farms will take on keen beginners and train them. Pay varies from minimum wage for inexperienced helpers to £120-£180 per day for experienced lambers. Accommodation is often included.
Calving season runs in parallel on many dairy and suckler herds. Work involves monitoring cows, assisting deliveries, and calf care. Experience with cattle handling is usually required.
April to June — Silage and Spring Work
First-cut silage typically happens in May, with some early cuts in late April in the south. This is intensive, time-pressured work — grass must be cut, wilted, raked, and clamped or baled within a tight weather window.
Tractor drivers are in high demand during silage season, particularly those who can operate foragers, rakes, and buckrakes. Having a telehandler ticket or experience loading trailers is a significant advantage. Contractors do the bulk of silage work and often need extra drivers at short notice.
Spring also brings drilling and planting on arable farms, spraying work (PA1/PA2 certificates required), and the start of the show season. Sheep shearing runs from May through July — skilled shearers can earn good money but it is physically demanding work. Contact the British Wool Marketing Board or local shearing gangs for opportunities.
July to September — Harvest
Harvest is the busiest period on arable farms and the peak of seasonal recruitment. Combining typically starts in late July in the south and works northward through August and into September in Scotland.
Roles include combine drivers, tractor and trailer operators, grain store workers, and general harvest help. Long hours are standard — 12-16 hour days are common during fine weather windows. Pay reflects this, with experienced drivers earning £150-£250 per day.
Second and third cut silage also falls in this period, keeping livestock farms busy. Straw baling and carting runs alongside harvest on mixed farms. If you can drive a tractor competently and are prepared to work long hours in good weather, there is no shortage of work.
October to December — Root Crops and Winter Work
Autumn brings potato and sugar beet harvest, concentrated in eastern England, the Midlands, and eastern Scotland. This work runs from September through to December and involves operating harvesters, driving trailers, and loading lorries.
Winter is quieter but there is still work to be found. Hedge cutting and fencing are common winter jobs for contractors. Dairy farms need staff year-round — milking, feeding, and bedding up are daily regardless of season. Estate work (game keeping assistants, woodland management) also picks up in the shooting season.
This is a good time to invest in qualifications. PA1/PA2 spraying certificates, chainsaw certificates (CS30/31), telehandler tickets, and first aid courses all make you more employable and increase your daily rate.
Key Qualifications That Increase Your Earning Potential
Certain certificates unlock better-paying roles and more consistent work:
PA1/PA2 — Required for commercial spraying. PA1 covers the foundation, PA2 covers boom sprayers. Essential for arable work. Courses run through NPTC/City & Guilds and typically cost £300-£500.
Telehandler/Forklift — CPCS or NPORS certificates are increasingly required by larger farms and contractors. A 2-3 day course costs around £400-£600.
Chainsaw (CS30/31/38) — Required for any professional chainsaw work. Useful for hedging, woodland, and estate roles.
Trailer Towing — If you passed your driving test after 1997, you may need a BE licence to tow trailers over 3,500kg. Many farm trailers exceed this.
First Aid — A basic 1-day Emergency First Aid at Work certificate is cheap, quick, and shows employers you take safety seriously.
How to Find Seasonal Farm Work
FarmExchange lists farm jobs across the UK, including seasonal roles. Set up a listing alert for your area and preferred job type so you are notified as soon as new positions are posted.
Word of mouth remains the most common way seasonal workers find roles in agriculture. Tell local farmers, contractors, and agricultural merchants that you are available. Attend local livestock markets and agricultural shows — jobs are often filled through conversations rather than formal applications.
Agricultural recruitment agencies (De Lacy Executive, Recruit4Ag, Agricultural and Farming Jobs) specialise in farm placements. Register with several to maximise your options.
If you are flexible on location and willing to travel, you will rarely be short of work. The key is building a reputation as reliable — farms will rebook good workers year after year.