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Career

Animal Breeders

Typical education: High school diplomaLower pressure

What they do

Select and breed animals according to their genealogy, characteristics, and offspring. May require knowledge of artificial insemination techniques and equipment use. May involve keeping records on heats, birth intervals, or pedigree.

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.
  • Investigative: Science, research, figuring out how things work and solving complex problems.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $51,130 Median per year · $24.58/hr Most earn $38,480–$90,550

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Package and label semen to be used for artificial insemination, recording information such as the date, source, quality, and concentration.
  • Purchase and stock supplies of feed and medicines.
  • Inject prepared animal semen into female animals for breeding purposes, by inserting nozzle of syringe into vagina and depressing syringe plunger.
  • Clip or shear hair on animals.
  • Observe animals in heat to detect approach of estrus and exercise animals to induce or hasten estrus, if necessary.
  • Brand, tattoo, or tag animals to allow animal identification.

Job outlook

United States
3% more jobs by 2035, about as fast as average · about 1,000 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Animal production and aquaculture84.3%
  • Support activities for agriculture and forestry3.7%
  • Self-employed (their own business)3.5%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: High school diplomaExperience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Animal breeding is usually not a straight-out-of-school job. Most people first have a high school diploma and about 1 to 2 years of hands-on work with animals before taking on breeding decisions, recordkeeping, and pedigree work.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Finish high school with strong science and math, and build hands-on experience with animals through part-time or summer work, since that experience is what employers look for next.

  2. Farmworker, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals

    6 months to 1 year

    Work daily with livestock on a farm or ranch, learning animal handling, feeding, health basics, and how records are kept, which prepares you to handle breeding stock.

  3. Animal Breeder

    Ongoing career; usually reached after about 1 to 2 years of related experience

    Select animals for breeding based on their genealogy and traits, plan matings, use techniques such as artificial insemination, and keep detailed records on heats, birth intervals, and pedigrees.

Where it can lead

  1. Ranch Manager

    2 to 4 years as an animal breeder or related livestock worker of experience first

    You take on responsibility for the whole operation, including planning, budgets, staff, and overall herd or flock management, which often requires a broader understanding of the business side of farming.

  2. Livestock Supervisor

    2 to 4 years of experience first

    You lead a crew of farm and ranch workers, assign daily tasks, and make sure animal care and breeding schedules are followed, which builds the leadership experience needed for management roles.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take biology, agriculture, and math classesGenetics, animal science, and math basics help you understand breeding, pedigrees, and record-keeping.
  • Join a 4-H or FFA chapterThese youth groups, common in many towns, teach animal care, responsibility, and how to raise and show livestock.
  • Get a part-time job at a farm, stable, or vet clinicDaily work with animals gives you the hands-on experience that breeding jobs usually require.
  • Volunteer at a local animal shelter or livestock showHelping with animals in different settings builds your handling skills and shows employers you are reliable.
  • Start a simple record-keeping habitTracking animal health, feeding, and birth dates builds the organized habits breeders use every day.

In college

  • Study animal science, agriculture, or a related majorCourses in animal genetics, reproduction, and nutrition directly cover the knowledge breeders use, though a high school diploma is the typical requirement for this job.
  • Work on a university farm or livestock unitCampus animal facilities often let students help with breeding programs and record-keeping, which is close to the real work.
  • Take a course in artificial insemination or reproductive techniquesMany colleges and extension programs offer short courses in these methods, which are listed in breeder job skills.
  • Join an animal science club or livestock judging teamThese groups build knowledge of animal traits and selection, which is how breeders choose animals.
  • Take a summer job or internship at a farm or breeding operationHands-on experience during breaks helps you reach the 1 to 2 years of related work that employers usually expect.

Tips for getting started

  • Keep your own simple records of any animals you care for, such as feeding, health, and birth dates. Breeders spend a lot of time on records, so this shows you already understand the work.
  • Ask local farms, ranches, or animal clubs whether you can volunteer or work part-time. Real hands-on time with animals is the experience employers want most.
  • Look up job postings for animal breeders and farm workers in your area to see which skills and experience they ask for, then start building those skills now.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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