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Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals
Attend to live farm, ranch, open range or aquacultural animals that may include cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses and other equines, poultry, rabbits, finfish, shellfish, and bees. Attend to animals produced for animal products, such as meat, fur, skins, feathers, eggs, milk, and honey. Duties may include feeding, watering, herding, grazing, milking, castrating, branding, de-beaking, weighing, catching, and loading animals. May maintain records on animals; examine animals to detect diseases and injuries; assist in birth deliveries; and administer medications, vaccinations, or insecticides as appropriate. May clean and maintain animal housing areas. Includes workers who shear wool from sheep and collect eggs in hatcheries.
Other titles employers use
Cowboy · Farm Hand · Farrowing Worker · Herdsman · Livestock Handler · Milking Worker · Ranch Hand · Rancher
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- Feed and water livestock and monitor food and water supplies.
- Herd livestock to pastures for grazing or to scales, trucks, or other enclosures.
- Examine animals to detect illness, injury, or disease, and to check physical characteristics, such as rate of weight gain.
- Provide medical treatment, such as administering medications and vaccinations, or arrange for veterinarians to provide more extensive treatment.
- Mark livestock to identify ownership and grade, using brands, tags, paint, or tattoos.
- Drive trucks, tractors, and other equipment to distribute feed to animals.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to practical work.
- Practical
- Building, repairing, using tools, or working outdoors
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Active Listening
- Operations Monitoring
- Operation and Control
- Judgment and Decision Making
Subjects to know
- Production and Processing
- Biology
- Administration and Management
- English Language
- Mechanical
Useful strengths
- Problem Sensitivity
- Control Precision
- Oral Comprehension
- Deductive Reasoning
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 3.6 | Shared rooms, but not shoulder to shoulder |
| On your feet | 4.1 | Standing or moving for most of it |
| Talking face to face | 4.2 | A regular part of the day |
| Working with your hands | 3.2 | Some of the day |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Most employers do not ask for a formal credential. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- A certificate or some college 48%
- High school or less 43%
- A two-year degree 9%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Spreadsheet software
- Office suite software
- Word processing software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Internet browser software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 56,120
- Job openings each year
- 8,290
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 2.1%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 56,120 | 8,290 | 2.1% |
| California | 16,300 | 2,380 | −2.4% |
| Pennsylvania | 12,700 | 1,860 | −3.4% |
| North Carolina | 9,880 | 1,440 | −3.7% |
| Nebraska | 9,780 | 1,440 | — |
| Washington | 6,050 | 920 | 4.3% |
| Wisconsin | 5,870 | 860 | — |
| New York | 5,800 | 0 | −2.8% |
| Tennessee | 5,580 | 820 | — |
| Minnesota | 5,280 | 780 | — |
| Missouri | 5,020 | 750 | 9.6% |
| Iowa | 4,860 | 710 | −5.1% |
| Michigan | 4,800 | 710 | 4.3% |
| Indiana | 4,760 | 700 | 2.4% |
| Arizona | 4,620 | 680 | — |
| Colorado | 4,500 | 670 | 4.4% |
| Kansas | 4,370 | 650 | 4.0% |
| Arkansas | 4,350 | 640 | 2.6% |
| Oklahoma | 4,200 | 620 | −2.8% |
| Idaho | 4,150 | 620 | 5.9% |
| South Dakota | 3,320 | 490 | −4.3% |
| Oregon | 3,160 | 470 | 2.9% |
| Florida | 3,100 | 450 | −7.2% |
| Georgia | 2,730 | 410 | 9.6% |
| Mississippi | 2,550 | 380 | 8.5% |
| New Mexico | 2,550 | 370 | −3.0% |
| Kentucky | 2,230 | 330 | 2.8% |
| Illinois | 2,110 | 310 | −2.3% |
| Montana | 1,680 | 250 | 12.0% |
| Alabama | 1,510 | 220 | −2.6% |
| Utah | 1,470 | 220 | — |
| Massachusetts | 1,440 | 220 | 15.2% |
| Ohio | 1,320 | 190 | −8.3% |
| Wyoming | 1,220 | 180 | 9.9% |
| South Carolina | 1,120 | 160 | −3.4% |
| Vermont | 1,100 | 160 | −5.2% |
| New Hampshire | 1,020 | 150 | 8.5% |
| North Dakota | 970 | 140 | −4.0% |
| Maryland | 930 | 140 | 4.5% |
| Virginia | 910 | 130 | — |
| Delaware | 760 | 120 | 22.6% |
| Puerto Rico | 760 | 110 | −17.4% |
| Connecticut | 700 | 100 | 9.4% |
| Nevada | 590 | 90 | 5.4% |
| Louisiana | 420 | 60 | — |
| Maine | 420 | 60 | −8.7% |
| Alaska | 220 | 30 | 4.8% |
| West Virginia | 110 | 20 | — |
| New Jersey | 80 | 10 | — |
| Rhode Island | 30 | 0 | −25.0% |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
University of Kentucky
- Degrees each year
- 59
- Admit rate
- 92%
- Annual cost after aid
- $16,000
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
- Degrees each year
- 48
- Admit rate
- 58%
- Annual cost after aid
- $13,000
Clemson University
- Degrees each year
- 42
- Admit rate
- 38%
- Annual cost after aid
- $19,000
North Dakota State University-Main Campus
- Degrees each year
- 36
- Admit rate
- 96%
- Annual cost after aid
- $12,000
University of California-Davis
- Degrees each year
- 35
- Admit rate
- 42%
- Annual cost after aid
- $12,000
Mississippi State University
- Degrees each year
- 32
- Admit rate
- 76%
- Annual cost after aid
- $19,000
Purdue University-Main Campus
- Degrees each year
- 29
- Admit rate
- 50%
- Annual cost after aid
- $9,000
Eastern Kentucky University
- Degrees each year
- 28
- Admit rate
- 78%
- Annual cost after aid
- $10,000
Compare every college offering agricultural production operations