Winter Range Cattle Herder
Employer
3071 Road 67
Harrisburg, NE 69345
United States
Job description
Required to be available 24 hours per day, 7 days a week and spend the majority of workdays on the range. All job duties are closely and directly related to the production of livestock.
Perform any combination of the following tasks to attend to livestock on the range: administer emergency minor medical care to sick/injured pregnant cows using roping methods to gently immobilize cow without causing undue stress; administer medication as needed; apply medications to cuts and bruises; assist with irrigating forage; assist with sorting and cutting of culls; assist with supplemental feeding (when weather or quality of forage precludes use of range forage); assist with weed control on grazing areas (including noxious, invasive and poisonous plant species); brand, tag, clip or otherwise mark young animals for identification purposes; build and/or maintain fence and facilities to ensure the safety and health of animals and forage; care for newly born offspring; detect direction from which the wind or prevailing storms are coming to keep cows gathered and safe; detect through winter tracking methods where other rancher(s)' livestock has been to avoid overgrazing of forage; examine animals to detect diseases and injuries; feed and water and ensure adequate provision of both; feed supplemental rations; feed, water and tend to the dogs (both guard and working dogs) and horses; gather and trail cow-calf pairs through sorting and shipping process; gradually herd cows in specified direction using methods which move cows slowly and safely through varying terrain, avoiding deep snow; guard against predatory animals and from eating poisonous and/or noxious plants; help with later stages of training horses and shoe camp horses; help with maintenance of meadow lands and repair fences; herd to appropriate grazing area; herd/trail cows to viable water sources; identify and administer appropriate medication for various health issues such as internal parasites, respiratory issues, injuries, etc.; identify and locate the more nutrient dense cool season grasses within grazing areas; keep cows in small groups to allow grazing on proper mix of forage; maintain and set up supply wagon in appropriate direction to provide wind break/shelter/protection for horses & dogs; make certain animals have access to fresh water; make sanded trails for the safety of cows; make sufficient water from snow for horses/dogs at camp; monitor animals for weight gain, thrift and health problems; monitor for birthing problems and take correct actions when problems are identified; monitor grazing areas for poisonous and/or noxious plants and take action to prevent animals from consuming any identified; move cows at a pace sufficient to ensure they receive ample water/forage during daylight hours before bedding down at night; operate camp stove appropriately to provide/conserve heat in extreme cold/high winds; properly use/store food supplies for herder/horses/dogs; protect pregnant cows from harsh winter conditions; report to employer dehydration & other indicators of deterioration in animal body condition/behavioral changes indicating malnutrition or disease; report to rancher dehydration & other indicators of deterioration in body condition/behavioral changes indicating malnutrition; report to rancher on water/forage/weather conditions; ride unmarked perimeters of designated range area; rope, flank and dehorn calves; round up strays using dogs and/or fence; shoe horses with sharp shoes for better footing on frozen creeks/slopes; spray livestock with insecticide; track and report location of sick and injured cows; trail groups of pregnant cows to designated areas using winter trailing methods to avoid undue stress on cows; trail pregnant cows across ice to water sources or to forage area by choosing safe crossing area; use ax to chop large holes in frozen creeks/reservoirs to water 20-30 cows at a time; use proper animal husbandry skill to prevent hypothermia/abortion/death
Special Requirements
Required to: spend the majority of work days on the range, live and work singly or in small groups of workers in isolated areas for extended periods of time, to ride, handle and tend horses in a manner to assure the safety and health of the worker, co-workers, horses and livestock, to operate equipment and machinery required to perform job duties indicated in a safe and responsible manner, attend animals during all hours of the day as required for their safety and well-being, demonstrate commonsense and awareness of safe equine handling procedures, i.e. no running in barns, shouting, abusing animals, leaving gates/stall doors/feed rooms open or smoking in and around barns, sheds or hay storage, comply with employers maintenance, operating, cleaning and sanitation protocols, perform tasks capably and efficiently without close supervision, to maintain equipment and machinery to a standard established by the employer, maintain and manage remote housing locations in a safe and