Supports technical work with farm machinery in a wide variety of areas, including the development and testing of new products for the farming industry, service engineering to install, repair and maintain equipment.
Work Environment
Agricultural Technicians typically work in the following Career Sectors:
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- Agricultural Technician - from: YouTube Video
The Work
Agricultural technicians repair and maintain machinery, equipment and buildings for the agricultural, horticultural, forestry and landscape industries.
They work with a range of machinery, from tractors and harvesters to equipment for tree felling, extracting and processing timber, or fixed equipment such as grain stores, forage silos, greenhouses, and automatic feeding and milking installations.
In the agricultural manufacturing industry, agricultural engineering technicians help to design, develop and produce equipment. Where they work in a project team, they are usually led by an agricultural engineer. They prepare plans and designs, help with field trials to test new products, make modifications and repairs and record results.
Technicians write technical manuals for operating and servicing the equipment and installations, and work in technical sales and servicing.
Agricultural technicians may work for local machinery dealers. They supply farmers, local authorities and domestic customers with suitable machinery, as well as advice and after-sales service. In service departments, technicians repair and maintain a wide range of machinery. In stores Departments turn, order, control and Distribute spare parts.
Qualities - Agricultural Technician
You need to have technical ability and you must be good at solving problems. It is very important that you can diagnose faults and repair them quickly; you will need knowledge of mechanical and electrical systems, as well as hydraulics and electronics.
This is an area where technology is advancing quickly, so you must be willing to learn and develop new knowledge to keep up. Technicians need the ability to read and interpret technical drawings and plans, and to explain them to others.
You must be resourceful and able to act on your own initiative; you may have to repair machinery on a remote farm far away from your workshop.
You also need good communication skills, to explain and demonstrate to farmers how machinery works and to discuss faults and repairs.
Interests - Agricultural Technician
This occupation is typically suited for people with the following Career Interests:
Naturalist
Not surprisingly, some aspect of the natural sciences will run through the Naturalist's interests - from ecological awareness to nutrition and health. People with an interest in horticulture, land usage and farming (including fish) are Naturalists.
Some Naturalists focus on animals rather than plants, and may enjoy working with, training, caring for, or simply herding them. Other Naturalists will prefer working with the end result of nature's produce - the food produced from plants and animals. Naturalists like solving problems with solutions that show some sensitivity to the environmental impact of what they do. They like to see practical results and prefer action to talking and discussing.
Investigative
The Investigative person will usually find a particular area of science to be of interest. They are inclined toward intellectual and analytical activities and enjoy observation and theory. They may prefer thought to action, and enjoy the challenge of solving problems with sophiscticated technology. These types prefer mentally stimulating environments and often pay close attention to developments in their chosen field.
Administrative
Administrative people are interested in work that offers security and a sense of being part of a larger process. They may be at their most productive under supervisors who give clear guidelines and while performing routine tasks in a methodical and reliable way.
They tend to enjoy clerical and most forms of office work, where they perform essential administrative duties. They often form the backbone of large and small organisations alike. They may enjoy being in charge of office filing systems, and using computers and other office equipment to keep things running smoothly. They usually like routine work hours and prefer comfortable indoor workplaces.
Entry - Agricultural Technician
Courses are available to candidates who wish to enter this field at many of the Institutes of Technology and the Agricultural Colleges around the country.
Training & Development Pathways
FET Centre Traineeship:Transport, Distribution and Logistics, Engineering and Motor Technology Skills NFQ Level 5 Search our FET Coursefinder
FET PLC Courses: Agricultural Mechanisation, Agriculture, Engineering, Automotive tech courses around Ireland at NFQ levels 5-6 Search our FET PLC Coursefinder
Apprenticeship: Agricultural Mechanic L6, Heavy Vehicle Mechanic L6 [live], Farm Management L7, Farm Technician L6 [in development] Search Apprenticeships
Higher Education CAO Entry: Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural systems tech, Agricultural science, Agricultural mechanisation courses at NFQ Levels 6-8 Search our CAO coursefinder
Professional Development
Postgraduate Study Options Automotive, engineering, Agriculture NFQ level 9
The agricultural machinery sector comprises of many small companies which are owner managed, and a number of larger companies who develop integrated equipment to meet the demands for bigger machines. A list of Agricultural Machinery companies from Enterprise Ireland is available here.
Last Updated: April, 2023
Pay & Salary - Agricultural Technician
Salary Range (thousands per year)* €35k - €60k
Salaris vary bvy employer, location, duties, roles, and experience.
Data Source(s):
Eirieri/ Salary Expert/ Salary explorer/ Payscale/ Talent/ Sigmar/ Brightwater/ Morgan McKinley
Last Updated: March, 2024
* The lower figures typically reflect starting salaries. Higher salaries are awarded to those with greater experience and responsibility. Positions in Dublin sometimes command higher salaries.
View Salary information from Indeed.ie
Note: data not aways available
Labour Market Updates - Agricultural Technician
This information has been derived from the Solas National Skills Bulletin (2025).
Employment growth was below average for this occupation, with little growth between 2023 and 2024. Almost half were employed in the administrative services sector with the remainder primarily employed in agriculture and other NACE sectors.
A relatively high share (37%) of persons employed in this occupation were employed part-time. This occupation also had a high share employed who were aged 55 years and older which will likely lead to higher replacement demand in the coming years and job opportunities even in the absence of employment growth.
Coillte’s commitment to promoting the use of wood products to facilitate an increase in the level of timber-framed homes from 20% to 80% by 2050 has the potential to lead to increased demand for skilled workers in the forestry and wood processing sector, although likely to be small in number.
Useful Contacts - Agricultural Technician
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Teagasc - Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority
- Head Office, Oak Park, Carlow
- (059) 917 0200
- [email protected]
- Click Here
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Ballyhaise Agricultural College
- Ballyhaise, Co. Cavan
- (049) 433 8108
- [email protected]
- Click Here
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Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
- Agriculture House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
- (01) 607 2000 Lo Call 1890 200 510
- [email protected]
- Click Here
