Farmworker

Work description

In the months December through the beginning of April, there is limited grass on the pasture where the cows and calves normally graze at other times of the year. These animals are moved off the pasture and into confined pens where we can feed them through the winter. During this confined period, the animals are doctored and processed. This confinement period requires feed procurement, feed processing, feed mixing, feed delivery, herd monitoring, herd doctoring, pen maintenance, herd transporting, herd processing (weaning, tagging, banding, vaccinations, pregnancy checking, assistance with early calving, etc.). Calves are weaned beginning of December and are fed and processed in separate confined areas through the winter until they are sold to a feedlot and moved off-site beginning of April. Job duties will include: snow removal in livestock yards, clean stalls, pens, and equipment, using disinfectant solutions, brushes, shovels, water hoses, or pumps, examine animals to detect illness, injury, or disease, and to check physical characteristics, such as rate of weight gain, herd livestock to scales, pickup trucks, or other enclosures, inspect, maintain, and repair equipment, machinery, buildings, pens, yards, maintain growth, feeding, production, and cost records, mark livestock to identify ownership and grade, using tags, mix feed, additives, and medicines in prescribed portions, move equipment or livestock from one location to another, manually or using pickup trucks or carts, patrol and repair grazing lands using all-terrain vehicles, perform duties related to livestock reproduction, such as breeding animals within appropriate time-frames, performing artificial inseminations, and helping with animal births, provide medical treatment, such as administering medications and vaccinations, or arrange for veterinarians to provide more extensive treatment, segregate animals according to weight, age, color, and physical condition, spray livestock with disinfectants and insecticides, or dip or bathe animals, care for animals, clean equipment or facilities, examine animals to detect illness, injury or other problems, maintain inventories of materials, equipment, or products, maintain operational records, treat animal injuries or illnesses. The employer, at its sole discretion, may grant pay increases based on factors such as performance, longevity, and/or experience. Employer may also, at its sole discretion, offer performance-based incentive bonuses that are not guaranteed and are determined by the employer.