Agriculture rostering software, scaled to every harvest
Scale from a skeleton crew to a harvest team and back, with every shift costed at the award rates you set.
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You set the rates once: Pastoral, Horticulture and Wine awards
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Farm hand, station hand and fruit picker on one roster
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Daylight-driven starts, harvest peaks and mostly casual crews
How RosterElf handles agriculture
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Open shifts to your casual pool
Post harvest shifts as open shifts to the casual pool. Staff accept in the app and a manager approves each one.
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GPS clock-in at the block
Workers clock in on their phone at the block with GPS. The geofence can block clock-ins outside the radius.
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Tickets with automatic expiry reminders
Tickets sit in the HR Hub (Full Suite and HR plans) with automatic expiry reminders. An expired ticket does not block a shift.
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A pay template per award
Set up a pay template per award in the pay rate builder and assign it per site; RosterElf applies those rates to every shift.
Agriculture staff scheduling
Build the roster around the work, not last week's
- Copy a template week, then move cover to the busy days
- Every shift costed at your pay rates as you build it
- Publish to the staff app in one click
Tickets with automatic expiry reminders
Tickets sit in the HR Hub (Full Suite and HR plans) with automatic expiry reminders. An expired ticket does not block a shift.
Pastoral Award and your roster
Set your award rates once, then roster with them
Fruit, vegetable and orchard work is under the Horticulture Award (MA000028): see the Horticulture Award pay guide for its rates.
- Your pay rates and penalties, set up in the pay rate builder
- Every rostered shift costed at the rates you set
- Check each rule against your own award or agreement
Pastoral Award (MA000035) — pay rates by period
| Period | Full-time & part-time | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary hours (Mon–Fri) | 100% | 125% |
| Saturday (overtime) | 150% | 175% |
| Sunday (overtime) | 200% | 225% |
| Sunday overtime: feeding and watering stock | 150% | 175% |
| Public holiday | 200% | 225% |
Casual employees get a 25% casual loading, and the award sets how it combines with weekend and public holiday penalties. Rates change each 1 July; the full breakdown by classification, junior age and allowance is in the pastoral award pay guide. Always verify against Fair Work.
From clock-in to payroll
Staff clock in on a tablet kiosk or their phone, managers approve timesheets against the roster, and approved hours go to Xero or MYOB. RosterElf is not payroll software: it costs the timesheets and sends them to your payroll.
Clock-in
A tablet kiosk or the staff app, with GPS recorded at clock-in, breaks and clock-out. The geofence can block clock-ins off site. On Core and Full Suite.
Timesheets
Worked hours land beside the rostered shift, costed at your pay rates, for a manager to approve before the pay run.
Xero and MYOB
Approved, costed timesheets go to Xero or MYOB, so nothing is re-keyed. Your payroll still runs the pay.
Reviews from RosterElf customers
Andrew Nathan
November 13, 2025
"We are extremely happy with Roster Elf, it's a great improvement on the previous system we were using. Sean and all the staff have been fantastic, really know their stuff and make using RosterElf a pleasure."
Monica Van De Laak
October 16, 2025
"Sean was an amazing help, very patient and thorough."
Mary C.
October 13, 2025
"I can see my roster, enter availability, put leave in advance and clock on and off easily."
Agriculture rostering templates and guides
Free templates, guides and job descriptions for your business.
Comparing tools? Read our guide to the best rostering software in Australia .
Try agriculture rostering free for 15 days
Set your award's rates once in the pay rate builder and RosterElf applies them to every shift.
No credit card 4.7 stars from 329 reviews on Google, Xero, G2 and Capterra
Real support from people who understand your business
At RosterElf, support isn't a ticket system — it's part of the product.
More about our support
Our Australian-based team helps you set up correctly, understand award rules, and stay compliant as your business changes. No scripts. No offshore handoffs. Just real help when you need it.
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Guided setup and onboarding
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Award and payroll questions answered
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Ongoing help as your team grows
Agriculture rostering FAQ
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Farms need software that scales a casual crew quickly, records hours where the work happens, and costs shifts at the right award. RosterElf offers open shifts to a seasonal pool, records GPS clock-ins at the block and exports costed hours to Xero or MYOB, from $6 per user per month (annual, plus GST).
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Keep one pool of seasonal workers with their availability, then post harvest shifts as open shifts they can accept in the app. Scale shifts up per block as picking starts and remove them as it ends. Check ticket expiry reminders for machinery and chemical work before you publish.
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It depends on the farm. Livestock, dairy, broadacre cropping and shearing are covered by the Pastoral Award [MA000035]. Fruit, vegetable, nut and other horticulture work, including picking and packing, is covered by the Horticulture Award [MA000028]. Vineyards may fall under the Wine Industry Award. Confirm with Fair Work.
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RosterElf rosters and records hours; it does not calculate piece-rate earnings. That hours record matters, because under the Horticulture Award a pieceworker must earn at least the minimum hourly rate for the hours they work. Use the hours from RosterElf to check each picker’s earnings meet that floor.
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Under the Pastoral Award, farm and livestock hands have no ordinary weekend penalty. Weekend work is overtime, at 150% on Saturday and 200% on Sunday, with a separate rate for Sunday feeding and watering. Horticulture rules differ. Check our Pastoral and Horticulture Award pay guides for the current rates.