Animal Breeders Career | Agricultural Worker Jobs | Day Laborer Employment
Animal Breeder Jobs - What is the Job of Agricultural Labor Work? What do Agricultural Labor Jobs Involve?
Agricultural workers play a role in getting food and plant products to market so that the average city dweller has a meal to eat. Farm laborers may work in delivering animals to market, food safety inspection, planting and harvesting crops, and installing irrigation systems.
Agriculture workers can work in nurseries, farms, ranches, slaughterhouses, and ports, with a wide variety of responsibilities and professions. Four fifths of all agricultural workers are day laborers or farm workers, who will grow and harvest grains, fruits, and vegetables, among other food crops. Farm workers will also apply pesticides and fertilizers to crops and load crops up for shipment.
Nursery workers will prepare greenhouse beds for growing trees and ornamental plants, such as flowers and their responsibilities can include planting, watering plants, and weeding.
Farm and ranch workers predominantly work feeding and raising animals, which can include cattle such as sheep, goats, and horses, as well as chickens, shellfish, beekeeping, and other animals. Most animals are raised for their skin, eggs, honey, or feathers, in addition to their meat.
But the day to day responsibilities of a ranch farm worker include branding animals, weighing them, feeding, watering, herding, and grazing. On a dairy farm, it is common for a farmer to operate milking machines and to make sure the cows receive vaccinations and are protected from disease and injury.
Agricultural equipment operators are responsible for using combines, rakers, bailers, and other equipment such as tractors in order to harvest, fertilize, or maintain crop products. Other agricultural equipment operators may function by using loading machines, separators, conveyor belts, and cleaners.
Agricultural inspectors are hired by the state and Federal governments, usually by the U.S. Dept of Agriculture, in order to make sure that food safety compliance is met. The safety of meat is of prime importance due to the potential for mad cow disease and other meats borne pathogens. Inspectors may also evaluate the living conditions of livestock in order to make sure that they are being raised in a contaminant free environment, that will not compromise the safety of those who are eating the food product.
Agricultural graders and food sorters are responsible for examining commodities that are being brought to market and classifying them according to their quality. For example, retail store and eggs that are labeled large have specific qualifications in order to receive that size description. In addition, food graders will discard inferior products and determine whether meat is prime or of the lower grade.
Animal breeder jobs involve breeding animals according to genetic principles and animal science in order to obtain desired traits. For example, an animal breeder will mate a sheep with superior wool production with a similar sheep in order to obtain offspring with higher quality wool on average. Animal breeders can work on horses, cattle, chickens, cats, dogs, among a host of other species.
Horses and cows are usually bred through artificial insemination. Animal breeders will usually breed their own animals, or they may work as a consultant for horse raisers or farmers.
Working Conditions for Agricultural Worker Jobs - How is the Working Environment for Animal Breeder Jobs?
Agricultural worker job conditions vary depending on the specific profession that is undertaken. Farmworkers and day laborers are outside in the weather whether it is raining or hot, as harvests must be picked on time. Harvesting a fruit or vegetable crop takes a lot of bending over and heavy lifting, which can quickly become exhausting.
Farm work is of a seasonal nature, and as such 80 hour workweeks are common during prime picking season, from dusk to dawn seven days a week. Planting seasons are typically also busy, although farmworkers will not have such a daunting schedule due to automatic planting machines.
Most farm workers are migrant workers, meaning they travel from location to location as individual crops ripen in order to obtain employment. Working with animals involves much steadier employment as most animals will produce meat or valuable products year round.
Federal animal inspectors will usually work in animal processing plants or slaughterhouses, which can involve working in very cold temperatures on potentially icy floors. Food inspectors may travel to farms in order to check the goods that are being produced, before they enter the food stream. With the importation of food products from other countries, it is becoming increasingly common for Federal food inspectors to be employed an entry ports to inspect food that comes from Chile or China.
Animal breeders will spend most of their time outdoors in a fairly stress free environment, although there is the risk that they can be bitten by the animals that they are trying to breed.
Egg sorters and meat grader jobs often work very boring careers, constantly grading meat and egg products. They may have to lift heavy objects and stand on their feet all day, although they usually working in heated or air condition environments, in order to protect the integrity of the food product.
Farm Worker Education - How to Become a Day Laborers - How to Receive Your Agricultural Labor Training
Farm worker training requires no education other than a strong back and a willingness to work hard. Agricultural workers may need a minor education if they intend to become a grader or sorter, and training will usually last no longer than a month.
Agricultural inspecting jobs will usually require some coursework in biology or a related science, and food inspectors must be aware of all state and Federal laws regarding integrity of the food supply.
It is now common for professional animal breeders to obtain a bachelor’s degree in animal science, where they will learn about genetics, animal breeding, and the physiology of animals.
Animal Breeder Training Requirements - How to Become a Agricultural Worker
Experience working on farms is helpful in order to be able to negotiate an agriculture worker job efficiently, and a commercial driver’s license may be needed if driving crops to market is part of one’s job.
Nursery workers must be friendly to customers, as they are dealing with clients for most of the day. Farmworkers who show potential in working hard can quickly advance to a crew leader or supervisor.
Since most migrant workers speak Spanish, it is helpful to be bilingual. Federal inspection workers can obtain a supervisory position, working their way up the chain of the United States Department of agriculture.
Agricultural Worker Employment - What is the Future of Day Laborer Jobs?
Over the next decade, agricultural worker employment should experience almost no job growth, and farm workers jobs have mostly been outsourced to central America and China due to free trade agreements.
Agricultural inspectors should also expect no job change, but the work of animal breeders will grow slightly, as there is the constant need to improve meat and animal product production. Of course, the field of animal breeding is very narrow, which means there will be very few additional jobs available.
Agriculture Worker Salary Pay Scale - How Much Do Farm Worker Jobs Earn?
In 2006, agricultural inspector jobs had hourly earnings on median of $18.32, with day laborers earning much less at $7.95. Most farm workers are paid based on how many crops they pick, as opposed to hourly rates.
In addition, due to the large number of illegal Mexicans that are hired to pick crops during peak seasons, day laborer pay may be overstated. Federal agricultural inspectors receive the best benefits including medical and insurance programs.