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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Herder

💰 $ - $

🎯 Role Definition

The Herder is responsible for the daily care, movement, and welfare of livestock (sheep, cattle, goats or mixed stock) across pastures, rangelands, and farm properties. This role combines animal husbandry, pasture and grazing management, routine health monitoring, equipment operation, and on-the-ground problem solving in often remote or seasonal working conditions. A successful Herder ensures animal welfare, maximizes pasture use, maintains infrastructure (fences, water systems), and communicates operational needs to the farm or ranch management team.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Farmhand / Ranch Hand with basic livestock experience
  • Agricultural worker or seasonal shepherd
  • Veterinary assistant or animal care aide transitioning to field work

Advancement To:

  • Head Herder / Lead Shepherd
  • Livestock Manager / Stock Manager
  • Ranch Manager or Farm Supervisor

Lateral Moves:

  • Shepherd / Stockman on larger estates or agrotourism operations
  • Animal Husbandry Specialist in breeding programs
  • Pasture / Range Management Technician

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Manage daily movement and grazing of flocks or herds across assigned pastures and rotational paddocks to optimize forage utilization and prevent overgrazing, following stocking rate and grazing plans established by management.
  • Conduct routine health checks on all animals each shift, identify sick or injured livestock early, administer basic first-aid and medicines under veterinarian direction, and arrange veterinary care as required.
  • Assist with lambing, calving, kidding and birthing operations including monitoring pregnant animals, providing assistance during difficult births, and ensuring neonates receive colostrum and supplemental care.
  • Implement and maintain biosecurity protocols—quarantine incoming animals, maintain sanitation of handling facilities, and report unusual disease signs promptly to management and veterinarians.
  • Build, repair and maintain perimeter and internal fencing (wire, electric, post-and-rail), gates, and temporary panels to secure animals, control grazing units, and protect pasture boundaries.
  • Operate and maintain farm equipment and vehicles commonly used in herding—ATVs/UTVs, trucks, trailers, tractors, and motorized water pumps—ensuring safe operation and basic preventive maintenance.
  • Prepare, load and transport livestock for market, processing, or relocation, including proper use of chutes, ramps, and trailers and compliance with transport welfare and regulatory requirements.
  • Implement predator control and deterrent measures (guardian animals, fencing, night checks) and coordinate with management on humane removal or preventative strategies.
  • Monitor and maintain water systems for stock—check troughs, pumps, trough heaters, piping, and remote water sources; repair leaks and replace components to ensure constant water supply.
  • Record and maintain accurate livestock records including births, deaths, treatments, vaccinations, weights, ear tags/IDs and grazing allocations using paper logs or digital farm record systems.
  • Administer routine vaccinations, parasite control programs, and scheduled treatments under established protocols while ensuring proper storage and handling of medications.
  • Train, work alongside and supervise herding dogs or guardian animals, including daily conditioning, basic obedience, and deployment during mustering and lambing/calving seasons.
  • Lead mustering and drenching operations—organize crews, plan routes, coordinate timing to minimize stress, and ensure efficient movement of stock between paddocks or to stockyards.
  • Assist with breeding programs by identifying animals for selected matings, sorting breeding groups, and assisting with artificial insemination logistics or natural service management under direction of herd manager.
  • Conduct pasture assessments and provide feedback to management on forage conditions, weed infestations, soil compaction, and opportunities for reseeding or rest periods to support pasture health.
  • Maintain handling facilities—yards, pens, raceways, and shelters—ensuring safe, low-stress systems that reduce injury and improve operational flow during inspections, treatments or loading.
  • Follow all workplace health and safety policies including safe handling of livestock, chemical handling for medications and dips, safe use of machinery, and reporting of hazards or incidents.
  • Participate in seasonal site preparations (drought planning, wintering strategies, feed budgeting) to ensure consistent nutrition and shelter during adverse weather or low forage periods.
  • Prepare animals for sale or shows including grading, weighing, tagging, and ensuring required documentation and animal health checks are completed prior to movement off-property.
  • Provide on-site training and mentorship to new or seasonal staff in safe livestock handling techniques, equipment operation, and farm standard operating procedures.
  • Coordinate with management and supply vendors to order feed, fencing materials, replacement parts, and medications to maintain uninterrupted operations.
  • Perform routine maintenance on pastoral infrastructure such as corrals, shades, feeding stations, laneways and water troughs to reduce animal stress and loss.
  • Conduct nightly or periodic checks during extreme weather, birthing seasons, or when predators are active to safeguard animal welfare and respond rapidly to emergencies.
  • Ensure compliance with local and national livestock regulations, record-keeping requirements, and traceability systems (ear tags, passports, movement records).
  • Implement low-stress stock handling practices and continuously evaluate handling techniques to reduce bruising, shrink and animal mortality during routine operations.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Animal husbandry and livestock handling: experienced in low-stress handling of sheep, cattle, goats, and mixed stock as reflected in practical farm postings.
  • Grazing management and pasture rotation planning: ability to implement rotational grazing systems and manage stocking rates.
  • Livestock health monitoring and basic treatments: administering vaccines, drenches, wound care, and following veterinary treatment plans.
  • Emergency birthing and neonatal care: proven experience assisting with calving, lambing, and neonatal interventions.
  • Fencing construction and repair: proficiency with post driving, wire tensioning, electric fence systems and gate installation.
  • Tractor, ATV/UTV and trailer operation: safe driving and routine maintenance experience across varied terrain.
  • Livestock transport and loading: expertise in safe loading/unloading, trailer care, and compliance with transport welfare regulations.
  • Water systems and trough maintenance: diagnosing pump issues, plumbing repairs for remote watering systems.
  • Record-keeping and inventory management: maintaining accurate animal records, drug logs, and supply inventories; experience with farm management software or mobile apps.
  • Predator control and guardian animal management: deploying guardian dogs, fencing solutions and non-lethal deterrents.
  • Basic mechanical and small-engine repair: troubleshooting and repairing farm implements, pumps, and yard equipment.
  • Pasture and forage assessment: identifying pasture species, forage availability, and recommending reseeding or rest periods.
  • Biosecurity and regulatory compliance: implementing quarantine procedures and traceability systems consistent with industry regulations.
  • EID / tagging and identification systems: experience with ear tags, RFID/EID readers and companion record-keeping practices.
  • Animal welfare and pain recognition: identifying signs of distress, lameness, or illness and escalating appropriately.

Soft Skills

  • Strong observational skills and attention to animal behavior and welfare indicators.
  • Excellent communication and reporting — able to relay field observations clearly to managers and veterinarians.
  • Physical stamina and resilience to work long hours in variable weather and remote conditions.
  • Problem-solving and quick decision-making in emergencies (birthing complications, predation, equipment failure).
  • Teamwork and crew leadership — ability to train seasonal workers and lead mustering operations.
  • Time management and organizational ability to prioritize grazing, treatment schedules and maintenance tasks.
  • High level of responsibility and reliability — trustworthy when operating in remote or unsupervised environments.
  • Adaptability and flexibility to shifting seasonal demands and unexpected operational changes.
  • Respectful attitude towards livestock and environmental stewardship with a conservation-minded approach.
  • Conflict resolution skills for coordinating with neighbors, transporters and contractors during shared grazing or movements.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or equivalent; demonstrated practical experience on a farm or ranch often accepted in lieu of formal education.

Preferred Education:

  • Certificate or diploma in Agriculture, Animal Science, Range Management, or related vocational training.
  • Formal courses in animal first aid, livestock handling, and biosecurity protocols are advantageous.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Animal Science
  • Agriculture / Agricultural Technology
  • Veterinary Technology / Veterinary Assistant
  • Range and Pasture Management
  • Farm Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 1–7 years of direct livestock herding and farm operations experience, depending on scale and autonomy required.

Preferred: 3+ years of experience managing flocks/herds independently on medium to large-scale properties, demonstrated competency in pasture/grazing planning, animal health interventions, and mechanical operation of farm vehicles and equipment.

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