← All careers

Skilled Trades

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.

Median salary (BLS)

$36,670

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$27k – $54k

Job outlook

No separate BLS projection for this specific role

AI exposure

Plan a path to Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals

Qualification costsStack incomeBest cities/statesSchool ROIJob-posting fitTailored resume

Education

Typical entry: No degree required

Plan my path to this →

How to qualify

EstimateLicense required

Cost to qualify

$100–$2,600

Time to qualify

3.1 yr

Renewal

$50/yr

  1. 1

    Registered apprenticeship (paid)

    Experience

    Earn-while-you-learn training — apprentices are paid during the program; fees are tools/books, not tuition.

    $0–$2,000 · 36 months · varies by state source

  2. 2

    Journeyman exam & state/local license

    License

    Most states and municipalities test and license journeyman-level trades workers.

    $100–$600 · 1 months · varies by state · renews every 2 yr source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Junior Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals

    Entry / Junior

    $27,360

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals

    Established

    $36,670

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals

    Senior

    $45,375

Key skills

A typical day

  • •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.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Skilled Trades

Explore all

Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.