Ranch hand vs herdsman

The differences between ranch hands and herdsmen can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a herdsman has an average salary of $30,283, which is higher than the $27,569 average annual salary of a ranch hand.

The top three skills for a ranch hand include harvest, farm work and farm machinery. The most important skills for a herdsman are milking, dairy farm, and dairy cattle.

Ranch hand vs herdsman overview

	Ranch Hand	Herdsman
Yearly salary	$27,569	$30,283
Hourly rate	$13.25	$14.56
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	4,309	173
Job satisfaction	1	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

Ranch hand vs herdsman salary

Ranch hands and herdsmen have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Ranch Hand	Herdsman
Average salary	$27,569	$30,283
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $34,000	Between $14,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	Petersburg, ND	New York, NY
Highest paying state	North Dakota	Vermont
Best paying company	Williams International	Cargill
Best paying industry	Health Care	Professional

Differences between ranch hand and herdsman education

There are a few differences between a ranch hand and a herdsman in terms of educational background:

	Ranch Hand	Herdsman
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Business	Animal Science
Most common college	-	-

Ranch hand vs herdsman demographics

Here are the differences between ranch hands' and herdsmen' demographics:

	Ranch Hand	Herdsman
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 78.3% Female, 21.7%	Male, 70.3% Female, 29.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 3.1% Hispanic or Latino, 26.8% Asian, 1.8% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.0% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 1.7% White, 71.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between ranch hand and herdsman duties and responsibilities

Ranch hand example responsibilities.

Manage habitat, predators, whitetail and several species of exotic animals.
Assist with lessons and summer camps which include helping riders groom, tack up and mount.
Relocate wheel line sprinklers used to irrigate crops.
Halter training fillies and colts, handling mares, studs and foals
Operate a backhoe to dig dirt and move large oil field equipment.
Clean livestock stalls and sheds using disinfectant solutions, brushes, and shovels.

Herdsman example responsibilities.

Lead farm tours and help organize CSA member events.
Feed, water, injecting antibiotics.
Implement GPS and data analysis for more precision planting and spraying measures.
Train and supervise milking personnel.
Administer antibiotics and other vaccines.
Prepare harvest products for transportation, balancing efficient module volume with acceptable quality standards for pick-up

Ranch hand vs herdsman skills

Common ranch hand skills

Harvest, 15%
Farm Work, 12%
Farm Machinery, 9%
Physical Characteristics, 7%
Cattle Ranch, 6%
Farm Animals, 4%

Common herdsman skills

Milking, 27%
Dairy Farm, 15%
Dairy Cattle, 12%
Pigs, 5%
Farm Equipment, 5%
USDA, 4%