A rancher is in charge of a large facility dedicated to raising livestock for milk, fiber, or meat. Ranchers typically own their properties and are supported a large team of employees, which may include family members. Ranching is practiced in areas of the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, and Brazil where large tracts of land are available.
Ranching appears to have originated in Spain, where people have raised livestock on large plains for centuries. Ranching as a profession grew dramatically with the settlement of the New World, which created a plethora of new ranching opportunities. Cattle and sheep are the most common livestock raised on ranches, but ranchers can also raise horses and more exotic animals like buffalo and emus.
The rancher is in charge of overseeing the ranch’s operations, including deciding which animals to raise, breeding stock, and rotating stock through the ranchlands to avoid overgrazing. Ranchers also negotiate leases for neighboring land for grazing, hire and fire employees who work on the ranch, and supervise ranch maintenance, which includes everything from walking fence lines to ensure that fences are solid to keeping outbuildings in good repair.
A rancher can buy stock in addition to breeding it, with some ranchers focusing on buying young stock and raising it. A rancher can also use artificial insemination to introduce new bloodlines to the herd, or sell semen from his or her herd so that other ranchers can benefit from the ranch’s bloodlines. Whether selling cattle to slaughterhouses or selling wool at a farmers’ market, ranchers are also in charge of organizing the sale of the animal products they produce.
Many ranchers also grow hay and grain on their properties to supplement their livestock’s diet and avoid having to buy feed. Raising feed necessitates managing the land on which it is grown, sowing feed at the right time, and maintaining the crop until it is ready to harvest. The rancher is also responsible for the herd’s health, which includes keeping animals healthy and seeking veterinary care when necessary.
Ranchers usually live on the property in a ranch house, and the ranch may also have housing for employees and family members. Ranching is frequently a family business because it requires a lot of work and family members are a convenient source of labor, though ranchers can hire outsiders to supplement family workers.