Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals
Career Cluster
Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources
Focuses on the essential elements of life: food, water, land, and air. This field includes careers like farming, ranching, geology, and more. It also encompasses jobs in the fields of wind, solar, oil, and gas.
Learn more about this clusterAt a glance
Expected pay range
Expected pay range
This represents the median earnings for this career in the selected county or state. In the range shown, 25% of workers earned less than the bottom salary and 25% earned more than the top salary. Data is provided by the Texas Workforce Commission.
Monthly cost of living
These numbers give you an idea of how much you can spend each month on common expenses with this salary. Percentages are the average a person with no children spends according to data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (external link opens new tab) These numbers are a starting point and will differ person to person.
Your actual expenses may differ from those listed. You’ll need to account for the amount taken out in taxes each month. Learn more about income tax expenses. (external link opens new tab) Your student loan payments may also differ. To calculate your student loan payments, use the federal student loan repayment estimator. (external link opens new tab)
About farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals
What they 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.
Other titles
Cowboy, Farm Hand, Farrowing Worker, Herdsman, Livestock Handler, Milking Worker, Ranch Hand, Rancher, Vaccinator, Wrangler
Skills they need
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Operations Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Licenses and Certifications they may hold
How to decide which one is right? That depends on an individual’s career path, specialty, and resources.
HEMP PROCESSOR REGISTRATION
Texas Department of Agriculture~Licenses and Registrations
- License Type
- Register with licensing agency
- Status
- Active
- Exam
- No exam required
- Education
- No educational requirements
- Continuing education
- No continuing education requirement to maintain license
- Criminal record
- No criminal record prohibitions
EGG PROCESSOR
Texas Department of Agriculture~Licenses and Registrations
- License Type
- Stand-alone license
- Status
- Active
- Exam
- No exam required
- Education
- No educational requirements
- Continuing education
- No continuing education requirement to maintain license
- Criminal record
- No criminal record prohibitions
EGG BROKER
Texas Department of Agriculture~Licenses and Registrations
- License Type
- Stand-alone license
- Status
- Active
- Exam
- No exam required
- Education
- No educational requirements
- Continuing education
- No continuing education requirement to maintain license
- Criminal record
- No criminal record prohibitions
HEMP HANDLER SAMPLER LICENSE
Texas Department of Agriculture~Licenses and Registrations
- License Type
- Stand-alone license
- Status
- Active
HEMP HANDLER LICENSE
Texas Department of Agriculture~Licenses and Registrations
- License Type
- Stand-alone license
- Status
- Active
- Exam
- No exam required
- Education
- No educational requirements
- Continuing education
- No continuing education requirement to maintain license
- Criminal record
- Background check required
HEMP PRODUCER LICENSE
Texas Department of Agriculture~Licenses and Registrations
- License Type
- Stand-alone license
- Status
- Active
- Exam
- No exam required
- Education
- No educational requirements
- Continuing education
- No continuing education requirement to maintain license
- Criminal record
- Background check required
Certifications
Certifications may be available for this career and can help build knowledge and skills in specific job roles. Explore available certifications (external link opens new tab)
Similar careers
View careers in the same field as farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals.
Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products
Grade, sort, or classify unprocessed food and other agricultural products by size, weight, color, or condition.
Animal Caretakers
Better pay
Median salary for this career is higher than the median salary of all careers in the county selected. Salary data is provided by the Texas Workforce Commission.
In demand
In demand careers have high-growth, high-demand, and emerging jobs critical to Texas. They are based on economic indicators like in demand industries, labor market trends, and economic conditions, provided by the Texas Workforce Commission.
Feed, water, groom, bathe, exercise, or otherwise provide care to promote and maintain the well-being of pets and other animals that are not raised for consumption, such as dogs, cats, race horses, ornamental fish or birds, zoo animals, and mice. Work in settings such as kennels, animal shelters, zoos, circuses, and aquariums. May keep records of feedings, treatments, and animals received or discharged. May clean, disinfect, and repair cages, pens, or fish tanks.
Slaughterers and Meat Packers
Perform nonroutine or precision functions involving the preparation of large portions of meat. Work may include specialized slaughtering tasks, cutting standard or premium cuts of meat for marketing, making sausage, or wrapping meats. Work typically occurs in slaughtering, meat packing, or wholesale establishments.
Animal Breeders
Better pay
Median salary for this career is higher than the median salary of all careers in the county selected. Salary data is provided by the Texas Workforce Commission.
Select and breed animals according to their genealogy, characteristics, and offspring. May require knowledge of artificial insemination techniques and equipment use. May involve keeping records on heats, birth intervals, or pedigree.
- American Farm Bureau Federation (external link opens new tab)
- American Paint Horse Association (external link opens new tab)
- American Quarter Horse Association (external link opens new tab)
- American Sheep Industry Association (external link opens new tab)
- Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs (external link opens new tab)
- International Horsemanship Association (external link opens new tab)
- National Cattlemen's Beef Association (external link opens new tab)
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Agricultural workers (external link opens new tab)