Animals raised for fiber, food, or labor are reared livestock farmers. A livestock farmer can work with animals such as goats, chickens, horses, sheep, cattle, and turkeys, and can manage anything from a small family farm to a large commercial farming operation. Some livestock farmers learn their trade through an apprenticeship, often on a family farm, while others gain experience through training at professional schools and colleges, as well as on working farms that hire apprentices.
A typical livestock farmer wears a variety of hats. He or she is involved in livestock breeding, making decisions about when to breed, which animals to breed, and how to proceed with breeding to bring out positive traits or preserve a bloodline. On a farm where animals are not bred directly, the farmer may collect sperm for sale to other farms or use artificial insemination. The animals are closely monitored for signs of distress during pregnancy and labor, especially if they are highly valuable. With the goal of breeding healthy animals and keeping track of the animals in their care and the animals they sell, livestock farmers keep meticulous records about breeding and genetics.
A livestock farmer oversees the care and feeding of the animals on a daily basis. He or she may give injured or sick animals basic veterinary care, follow a veterinarian’s recommendations to help specific animals recover from illnesses, or bring in a veterinarian to deal with emerging health problems. The farmer also manages feed and supply orders, walks fence lines to ensure that animals are properly confined, cleans and organizes barns and stabling areas, manages waste, and delegates various tasks to employees.
When it comes to meat-producing livestock, the farmer either supervises slaughter or arranges for the animals to be sold to a slaughterhouse or feedlot. Cows, for example, require special attention, including daily milking and milk processing. Sheep, for example, must be sheared on a regular basis and may require special treatments to maintain the fiber’s quality, which is another task that falls to the livestock farmer. If livestock farmers work with animals raised for their labor, they may also participate in training, selling, or renting these animals, whether they are oxen for plowing or horses for recreational riding.
Livestock farmers’ work is never done. They tend to get up very early to begin farm tasks such as milking and placing feed orders, and they go to bed late after putting the animals to bed and dealing with paperwork that could not be completed during the day. Livestock farmers must be able to handle large and sometimes obstinate animals, as well as haul heavy loads of feed and manure, which is a physically demanding job.