Description
Care for and handle ranch livestock—primarily cattle and horses—on pasture and range. Feed, water, herd, sort, brand, and treat animals; assist with births; administer vaccines and medications; monitor health, weight, and forage; and maintain records. Operate horses, ATVs, trucks, and ranch equipment; repair fences, corrals, water systems, and facilities; clean work areas; and load and ship livestock while protecting herds from predators.
- • Feed and water livestock and monitor tanks, troughs, and mineral supplies.
- • Operate trucks, tractors, ATVs, and feed wagons to distribute hay, feed, and mineral.
- • Ride horseback or use ATVs to check, gather, and move cattle between pastures, pens, scales, and loadouts.
- • Observe livestock to detect illness, injury, or heat and to monitor weight and body condition.
- • Administer vaccinations, dewormers, and medications or coordinate veterinary care.
- • Mix and deliver feed, supplements, and minerals according to ranch protocols.
- • Inspect, maintain, and repair fences, gates, corrals, chutes, barns, and water lines or windmills.
- • Clean and bed pens, barns, and working facilities; sanitize equipment and tools.
- • Brand, tag, and mark livestock, including applying electronic identification.
- • Assist with calving and other births; bottle-feed or graft calves as needed.
- • Sort and segregate animals by weight, age, sex, and condition.
- • Load, unload, and weigh livestock safely for transport or sale.
- • Rotate herds among pastures and monitor range and forage conditions.
- • Maintain herd, treatment, breeding, and production records.
- • Apply insecticides and sprays and manage fly and parasite control.
- • Patrol grazing lands and check perimeters for predators or trespass.
- • Service and maintain ranch vehicles, tools, and equipment.
- • Order feed, minerals, and veterinary supplies and manage inventory.
- • Castrate, dehorn, and trim hooves as directed.
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Agriculture
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Source
Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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Sources & Standards:
This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
