Cattle Herdsman

Description: Châtel Farms is a seeking a self-motivated, hard-working candidate open to contributing to the shared commitment of our goal in delivering excellence in animal health, beef quality, and customer relationships through vertical integration within FPL Foods. The Herdsman position will be based at the Châtel Farms feedyard located in Reidsville, GA with primary focus being the care and handling of approximately 8,000 head from arrival through shipment for harvest.

Primary Responsibilities:

1. Monitor the health and well-being of cattle in large groups. Riding pens daily to determine when an animal is in need of treatment and/or removal from a pen and carry out actions accordingly. Châtel Farms is an NHTC verified, All-Natural feeding operation; accurate and timely recognition of cattle illness is crucial as prophylactic antibiotic treatment is not administered.
2. Participate in the care and development of seedstock bulls and females.
3. Coordinate with Cattle Manager and Lead Processer to perform peaceful movement of cattle throughout the yard. A strong knowledge of cattle behavior applied to efficient, low-stress cattle handling/sorting-primarily in a large pen setting, with some additional sorting of cattle on foot in smaller pens.
4. Accurate identification of cattle within pens with the ability to correct strays and return cattle to the proper location.
5. Ability to accurately record and enter data into computer systems.
6. Maintenance and continual improvement of property (fencing, small construction, plumbing, etc.) to ensure all processing facilities, pens, and other areas are in safe, working order.
7. Ability to prioritize tasks and apply critical thinking skills to carry out tasks in a timely and efficient manner.
8. Ability to follow and perform established protocols.
9. Strong communication skills with personal accountability for workload and willingness to work with a team.
10. Show interest in and strive to accomplish farm objectives.
11. Additional duties may be assigned at surrounding farm locations depending on season of need- including but not limited to: assisting in silage harvest, assisting in calving and/or breeding season, assisting in sorting/weaning protocols.
12. Scheduled weekend and holiday rotation

Work Environment:

• Exposure to dust & weather of all kinds; employee must provide appropriate clothing/outerwear
• Position involves working in close contact with livestock- proper handling/animal husbandry skills are required
• Some contact with pharmaceuticals as directed by a veterinarian and farm protocols
• Movement through areas wet and slick from manure and mud.
• Frequent lifting/maneuvering of up to 100lbs.
• Responsibilities occur in areas of metal, wooden, barbed, and electric fencing and can be in confined and/or high traffic areas on sand, gravel, or concrete surfaces.