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
$36,150
Typical range
$27k – $52k
Job outlook
See national outlook
AI exposure
Plan a path to Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals
Education
Typical entry: No degree required
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Junior Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals
Entry / Junior
$27,110
~2 yrs to advance
Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals
Established
$36,150
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals
Senior
$43,995
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- Purdue University50% admit · $78,000 grad pay
- Ohio State University53% admit · $68,000 grad pay
- Pennsylvania State University55% admit · $70,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.