Agriculture & GrowingLeadLivestock
Herd Manager
You own animal performance: breeding, nutrition, health protocols, and records.
What you'd actually do
- Plan breeding and nutrition programs
- Manage herd health with veterinarians
- Keep production and treatment records
- Supervise handling staff
The facts
- Training time
- 3-6 years
- Experience expected
- 3-6 years
- Physical demand
- high
- Room to advance
- moderate
- Path to ownership
- high
- Level
- Lead
Work environment
Outdoors · Barns · Rural · Team leadership
Skills
Core to the job
- Animal health
- Livestock handling
- Record keeping & compliance
- Crew leadership
- Data analysis
Helps you stand out
- Business management
- Soil science
- Training others
Education & credentials
- High school diploma or GED
- Animal science coursework helpful
Licensing rules vary by state, county, and job scope. Always confirm what applies where you plan to work.
Shortest route from the ground up
The usual ladder people climb to reach this role.
Where this leads
Farm Manager
Agriculture & GrowingManagement
You run the operation: crop plan, labor, equipment, and margin, usually for an owner or an investor group.
- Training:
- 5-8 years
- Experience:
- 5-8 years
Farm Owner / Operator
Agriculture & GrowingOwner
You own the land or the lease and carry the risk. Capital-intensive, but small specialty operations can start far cheaper than commodity farming.
- Training:
- 3-10 years
- Experience:
- 3-10 years
Similar roles nearby
Your skills also transfer to
- Grounds SupervisorLandscaping & Outdoor