Ausbildung Landwirt: becoming a farmer in Germany
Landwirt is a fully recognised apprenticeship trade — not “just a tractor driver”. Three years of dual training, salary from month one, and real demand: German agriculture lacks young talent.
The system is like every Ausbildung: about 2/3 on the farm (Betrieb) and 1/3 at vocational school. You learn animal husbandry, crop farming, agri-tech (yes, GPS tractors and drones), farm economics and law. The IHK/LWK exam covers practice + theory. Pay rises yearly: ~€600–700 in year one, ~€750–850 in year three.
- •Requirements: Hauptschulabschluss often suffices; fitness and a B/T licence help
- •Afterwards: Landwirtschaftsmeister → technician → own farm or an agriculture degree
- •Related trades: Pflanzentechnologe, Tierwirt, Milchtechnologe, Gärtner
- •Find places: Azubi.de, Arbeitsagentur — or simply call a farm
The sector is bigger than it looks: ~260,000 farms and about a million workers along the agri-chain. The machinery is world-class (see /landtechnik): Fendt, CLAAS and Horsch run their own apprenticeships — mechatronics, agri-service, sales. The Landwirt trade is a ticket into an entire industry.