Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals
What Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals Do
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.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- 2.3%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 2 of 5Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Job training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Production and Processingimportance 3.2/5
- Biologyimportance 3.2/5
- Administration and Managementimportance 3.1/5
- English Languageimportance 3.1/5
- Mechanicalimportance 3.1/5
- Food Productionimportance 3.0/5
- Mathematicsimportance 3.0/5
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.0/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Exposed to Contaminants4.3/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.2/5
- Spend Time Standing4.1/5
- Contact With Others4.1/5
- Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions4.1/5
- Telephone Conversations4.0/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers97% skill match
- Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators97% skill match
- Motorboat Operators96% skill match
- Printing Press Operators96% skill match
- Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders96% skill match
- Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders96% skill match
- Roustabouts, Oil and Gas96% skill match
- Sailors and Marine Oilers96% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Operations Monitoringimportance 3.1/5
- Operation and Controlimportance 3.1/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.1/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.0/5
- Troubleshootingimportance 3.0/5
- Equipment Selectionimportance 2.9/5
- Quality Control Analysisimportance 2.9/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- BCL Landview Systems WinCrop
- Farm Works Software Trac
- Lancaster DHIA PCDART
- Valley Agricultural Software DairyCOMP 305
- Web browser software
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Dependability
- Stress Tolerance
- Perseverance
- Attention to Detail
- Integrity
- Cautiousness
- Self-Control
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- RealisticHigh
- ConventionalLow
- InvestigativeLow
- SocialLow
- EnterprisingLow
- ArtisticLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Twin Falls, ID9.50× national avg
- 2San Angelo, TX8.82× national avg
- 3Manhattan, KS8.28× national avg
- 4Lancaster, PA8.09× national avg
- 5Ocala, FL7.02× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, VegetationCareer Change
- Tank Car, Truck, and Ship LoadersCareer Change
- Sailors and Marine OilersCareer Change
- Pump Operators, Except Wellhead PumpersCareer Change
See the full career path from Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals →
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.