Feedyard Trainee – Cattle, Feed, Mill or Yard Departments

Job Title

Feedyard Trainee – Cattle, Feed, Mill, or Yard Departments

Department Manager

Hourly, Ag-exempt

Learns department roles and responsibilities in preparation for a management role. Performs duties personally or through subordinates.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Other duties may be assigned.

• May supervise employees on a limited basis; carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with organizational policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.
• Assigned duties as they pertain to specific departmental roles and responsibilities, including production job assignments in the area of experience and education for management preparation.
• Complies with applicable OSHA, FDA, and EPA regulations and maintains appropriate compliance records.
• Sets a positive example for employees by modeling safe work practices and following safety rules and policies. Communicates critical safety information to employees through regular safety training and monitors the workplace for unsafe or non‑compliant behavior.
• Participates in the development of department capital and operating budgets; manages expenses by studying historical data, anticipating needs, and researching costs.
• Manages department supplies inventory by researching costs, designing inventory systems, determining inventory levels, anticipating needed supplies, and approving orders.
• Maintains professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops, reviewing professional publications, establishing personal networks, and participating in professional societies.

• Inspects incoming loads of cattle for miscounts, sick animals, or other inconsistencies, checks in cattle, and records load information.
• Uses a horse to ride through assigned pens and identify sick animals by observing outward signs of distress; segregates sick cattle for treatment by driving them to the nearest hospital pen; reports deaths for removal.
• Moves and drives cattle in a low‑stress manner.
• Assists in shipping fat cattle by opening gates, driving cattle to shipping areas for weighing, counting cattle, separating strays, and checking withdrawals.
• Medically treats livestock according to protocols established by management and consulting veterinarians; administers treatment in a humane manner.
• Internally examines dead animals to determine cause of death and processes cattle by ear tagging, administering vaccines, implants, parasitics, and other preventive measures; sorts, re‑implants, mass‑treats, and re‑vaccinates cattle according to established protocol; administers vaccines and treatment per label specifications.
• Ensures that no animal leaves the facility without meeting applicable withdrawals by maintaining thorough and accurate records.

• Monitors cattle intake and assigns subsequent distribution of feed by familiarizing oneself with cattle eating patterns by gender, days on feed, weather, and breed; maximizes feed intake by following guidelines issued by consulting nutritionists.
• Ensures accurate feed delivery by monitoring feed bunks and assessing feed distribution, quantity, type, and timeliness.
• Ensures newly received cattle are fed promptly by coordinating feeding with the cattle department.
• Minimizes truck downtime by scheduling maintenance and repair; develops and implements a feed truck preventative maintenance program.
• Maintains cattle feeding records by compiling, entering, and analyzing information.
• Fills in when a driver is absent or as necessary by operating a feed truck, hay machine, or tractor.

• Minimizes mill downtime by completing maintenance requirements and scheduling maintenance and repair; develops and implements a mill preventative maintenance program.
• Monitors quality control of commodities…