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The differences between pen riders and farm hands can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a pen rider has an average salary of $50,738, which is higher than the $26,594 average annual salary of a farm hand.
The top three skills for a pen rider include stray animals, yard maintenance and computer system. The most important skills for a farm hand are drive tractor, beef cattle, and milking.
A pen rider looks after a large herd of cattle, usually in a ranch setting, by monitoring and moving the cattle in a pen. Modern pen riders are trained animal care specialists who must also be excellent on horseback. Pen riders monitor animals for sickness or distress and isolate the sick from a herd for care. They are also responsible for moving herds through different pens for feeding, veterinary services, milking, and any other farm operation.
A Farm Hand is responsible for assisting Farmers in their daily tasks of taking care of the farm, raising the animals, and growing crops. Most of the duties involved require good communication skills, active listening, knowledge of farming, and determination to accomplish tasks as they can be tiring due to the involvement of physical work. The working conditions are diverse, and the tasks of a Farm Hand will vary through the seasons and situations, it can be unpredictable and will require a great deal of effort and passion.
Pen riders and farm hands have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pen Rider | Farm Hand | |
| Average salary | $50,738 | $26,594 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $106,000 | Between $21,000 And $33,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Hurdsfield, ND |
| Highest paying state | - | North Dakota |
| Best paying company | - | Tyson Foods |
| Best paying industry | - | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a pen rider and a farm hand in terms of educational background:
| Pen Rider | Farm Hand | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Most common major | Animal Science | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between pen riders' and farm hands' demographics:
| Pen Rider | Farm Hand | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.3% Female, 24.7% | Male, 77.7% Female, 22.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 3.1% Hispanic or Latino, 23.6% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 3.0% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 1.7% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 3% | 3% |