What is a Farmworker?
Job Description: Attend to live farm, ranch, or aquacultural animals that may include cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses and other equines, poultry, finfish, shellfish, and bees. Attend to animals produced for animal products, such as meat, fur, skins, feathers, eggs, milk, and honey. Duties may include feeding, watering, herding, grazing, castrating, branding, de-beaking, weighing, catching, and loading animals. May maintain records on animals; examine animals to detect diseases and injuries; assist in birth deliveries; and administer medications, vaccinations, or insecticides as appropriate. May clean and maintain animal housing areas. Includes workers who shear wool from sheep, and collect eggs in hatcheries.
What Do Farmworkers Do On a Daily Basis?
- Maintain growth, feeding, production, and cost records.
- Clean stalls, pens, and equipment, using disinfectant solutions, brushes, shovels, water hoses, or pumps.
- Spray livestock with disinfectants and insecticides, or dip or bathe animals.
- Segregate animals according to weight, age, color, and physical condition.
- Shift animals between grazing areas to ensure that they have sufficient access to food.
- Trim and shear poultry beaks, toes, and wings using debeaking machines, heated hand shears, or hot wires.
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Qualities of a Farmworker
These are the skills Farmworkers say are the most useful in their careers:
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Types of Farmworker
- Cattle Care Worker
- Turkey Picker
- Dairy Feed Worker
- Hay Stacker
- Fish Hatchery Assistant
What Kind of Farmworker Job Opportunities Are There?
There were about 268,100 jobs for Farmworker in 2016 (in the United States). There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Farmworker. The BLS estimates 38,600 yearly job openings in this field.

The states with the most job growth for Farmworker are Georgia, Colorado, and Alaska. Watch out if you plan on working in South Carolina, Mississippi, or New Jersey. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
What is the Average Salary of a Farmworker
The typical yearly salary for Farmworkers is somewhere between $18,410 and $41,840.

Farmworkers who work in Washington, Louisiana, or Iowa, make the highest salaries.
How much do Farmworkers make in each U.S. state?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $27,590 |
Alaska | $34,790 |
Arizona | $31,930 |
Arkansas | $26,950 |
California | $31,500 |
Colorado | $31,550 |
Connecticut | $35,940 |
Delaware | $32,890 |
Florida | $30,340 |
Georgia | $31,500 |
Hawaii | $33,260 |
Idaho | $28,670 |
Illinois | $28,270 |
Indiana | $26,620 |
Iowa | $31,670 |
Kansas | $27,160 |
Kentucky | $27,110 |
Louisiana | $34,790 |
Maine | $29,110 |
Maryland | $29,950 |
Massachusetts | $31,990 |
Michigan | $26,140 |
Minnesota | $28,480 |
Mississippi | $35,870 |
Missouri | $28,630 |
Montana | $25,850 |
Nebraska | $30,540 |
Nevada | $29,950 |
New Hampshire | $32,620 |
New Jersey | $27,210 |
New Mexico | $25,010 |
New York | $33,010 |
North Carolina | $26,010 |
North Dakota | $28,020 |
Ohio | $30,290 |
Oklahoma | $25,080 |
Oregon | $26,180 |
Pennsylvania | $26,560 |
South Carolina | $29,960 |
South Dakota | $31,210 |
Tennessee | $26,660 |
Texas | $27,070 |
Utah | $26,750 |
Vermont | $34,370 |
Virginia | $28,020 |
Washington | $34,270 |
West Virginia | $29,810 |
Wisconsin | $28,650 |
Wyoming | $29,380 |
What Tools do Farmworkers Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Farmworkers may use on a daily basis:
- Web browser software
- Spreadsheet software
- BCL Landview Systems WinCrop
- Farm Works Software Trac
Becoming a Farmworker
Individuals working as a Farmworker have obtained the following education levels:

How many years of work experience do I need?

Where Farmworkers Work

Farmworkers work in the following industries:

Similar Careers
Those interested in being a Farmworker may also be interested in:
Those who work as a Farmworker sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:
References:
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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