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Career overview · SOC 45-2093

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.

Also called: Cowboy · Farm Hand · Farrowing Worker · Herdsman · Livestock Handler · Milking Worker

Median pay (national)
$36,150
$27,110–$51,840 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
35,420
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
-5%
~31,200 openings/yr
Typical entry
No formal educational credential

What the numbers say

Refit analysis ·Pay for farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals shows a broad range: the top 10% earn $51,840 versus $27,110 at the bottom 10% — 1.9x. The median of $36,150 leaves roughly 43% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change -5% from 2024 to 2034 — a projected decline, against +3% across all occupations. Even so, BLS projects about 31,200 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 49 states with released data, Hawaii pays the most for this role (median $48,990, +36% vs the national median), while Arkansas sits lowest at $28,410 — a 72% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Active Listening as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list.

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Top skills employers ask for

Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.

  • Critical Thinking
  • Monitoring
  • Active Listening
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Speaking
  • Active Learning
  • Writing
  • Mathematics
  • Learning Strategies
  • Science

What they actually do

Core O*NET tasks for this role.

  • Clean stalls, pens, and equipment, using disinfectant solutions, brushes, shovels, water hoses, or pumps.
  • Feed and water livestock and monitor food and water supplies.
  • Provide medical treatment, such as administering medications and vaccinations, or arrange for veterinarians to provide more extensive treatment.
  • Drive trucks, tractors, and other equipment to distribute feed to animals.
  • Segregate animals according to weight, age, color, and physical condition.
  • Inspect, maintain, and repair equipment, machinery, buildings, pens, yards, and fences.
  • Move equipment, poultry, or livestock from one location to another, manually or using trucks or carts.
  • Examine animals to detect illness, injury, or disease, and to check physical characteristics, such as rate of weight gain.
  • Mark livestock to identify ownership and grade, using brands, tags, paint, or tattoos.
  • Herd livestock to pastures for grazing or to scales, trucks, or other enclosures.

Tools & technology

  • BCL Landview Systems WinCrop
  • Farm Works Software Trac
  • Lancaster DHIA PCDART
  • Valley Agricultural Software DairyCOMP 305
  • Web browser software
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Word

Knowledge areas

  • Production and Processing
  • Biology
  • Administration and Management
  • English Language
  • Mechanical
  • Food Production
  • Mathematics
  • Public Safety and Security