The livestock handler careers in the USA present itself as a fulfilling line of work to anyone who has the patience to work with animals. These posts require duties that play key roles in the protection of animals such as cows, sheep, pigs, and poultry among others.
It is now rather common to see many American farms and ranches looking for experienced livestock workers and in 2024, some of the employers are willing to help these foreign workers obtain a visa to be allowed to work in the country. Below, the reader will find information about everything.
Job Details
- Country: USA
- Job Title: Livestock handler
- Visa Sponsorship: Yes
- Job type: Part-time/Full-time
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Requirements
To become a livestock handler in the USA, specific skills and qualifications are typically required:
Experience with Animals: The employers also prefer the candidate with prior experience in handling livestock.
Physical Stamina: Cattle handling involves physical work and may be quite strenuous most of the time. Handlers need to be in a position where they can lift heavy objects.
Basic Animal Knowledge: The livestock handlers must know how to feed, water, and attend to the behavior and needs of various breeds of animals.
Communication Skills: It may take time to work directly with farmers veterinarians or other personnel who handle animals.
Visa Sponsorship Eligibility: For foreigners, employers can provide sponsorship by using visa programs such as the H-2A visa which is used in provide agricultural Labour.
Duties
Specific activities performed by livestock handlers change with the type of farm and animal dealt with as explained below. However, general responsibilities include:
Feeding and Watering Livestock: Handlers are supposed to make sure that animals are fed and watered. This may comprise operating feeding equipment or feeding porn through other means, mechanically.
Monitoring Animal Health: The workers handling the animals need to closely monitor the animals for sickness or injury and report the suspected cases to the farm owner or the veterinarian.
Herding and Moving Livestock: From time to time handlers may transport animals from one place to another, for example from a shed to a grazing field.
Cleaning and Maintenance: The sanitation of the animals’ enclosures should be critical in avoiding an outbreak of the disease.
Assisting with Breeding and Birth: They may directly get involved in matters such as animal breeding and even supplement the new mothers in cases of births on some farming practices.
Handler Livestock Jobs
The livestock handlers’ occupations are divided into several categories, and the tasks that they perform depend on the kind of animals the company deals with. Here are a few examples:
Cattle Handler: In this role, workers deal with beef or dairy cattle – tending to feed herding, and milking, where appropriate.
Sheep Handler: Sheep handlers are charged with the responsibility of tending to flocks of sheep in matters touching on shearing, feeding, and health.
Poultry Handler: Poultry processors handle chickens, turkeys, or other birds and are responsible for feeding them, examining them for disease, and putting them through the processing chain.
Salary Expectations
As much as compensation for livestock handler jobs depends on location, type of livestock, or experience, livestock handlers’ salaries differ across the regions.
Average Salary: Livestock handlers in the USA receives an average wage of between 28000- 35000 USD per year. Skilled handlers are often paid relatively better; this depends on the big ranches they handle or the special type of livestock they are handling.
Hourly Wage: However, about the introductory level of the occupation the average hourly rate varies between $12 and $16 per hour. This may go up over time, especially during one or the other busy stretch or optimal population periods like harvest season or periods of birth.
Also Check: Orchard Worker Jobs in USA with Visa Sponsorship 2024 ($13.01 Per Hour)
How to Apply?
To apply for livestock handler jobs with visa sponsorship in the USA, follow these steps:
Search for Jobs: Search for the livestock handler jobs that have visa sponsorship on the available job listing websites such as Indeed, AgCareers, and ZipRecruiter. This is particularly untrue if, as is often the case, you seek a specific type of job such as ‘H-2A visa livestock handler jobs’.
Prepare Your Resume: Do adequate customization of your resume to reflect experience in handling livestock and any training certification in handling animals or operating farm implements.
Apply Online: Apply for the position through the company’s homepage or any of the posting sites. Do not forget to submit all necessary papers, including your resume, references, and documents showing your right to apply for the visa.
Visa Application: It is the responsibility of your employer to assist you process H-2A visa application once you are hired. This involves completing some forms, visiting a U.S embassy for an interview, and producing items like; a valid passport.
