Farm Animal Attendant

Position Overview / Responsibilities:
The successful applicant will work a 40-hour week of 8 hours per day.  This schedule will include work on every other weekend and holidays in rotation with other team members to care for and feed animals 7 days a week and carry out research protocols.  The successful applicant will be expected to work with dairy cattle and swine.  This work will include outdoor activities in all seasons of the year.

Job duties
(These examples do not include all possible tasks in this work and do not limit assignment of related tasks but are consistent with Farm Animal Attendant class description dated October 1, 2009.)

1. Collect Experimental Data and Care for Dairy Cattle (35% of time)
   Feed and care for dairy cattle; monitor health of cattle and treat sick animals; care for calves; detect heat and artificially inseminate cows and heifers; install fences in pastures; move cattle to pastures; administer vaccines; operate feed mixing equipment; record data outlined in research protocols; help collect data as part of research trials; and keep routine management and organic certification records up to date and accurate.  Duties require working outdoors and in a barn.
2. Collect Experimental Data and Care for Swine (35% of time)
   Feed and care for swine; daily observation of health and keep accurate records of treatments and deaths; administer vaccines; collect data outlined in experimental protocols; process newborn piglets; adjust feeding and watering equipment as needed; detect heat and artificially inseminate breeding sows; collect semen from herd boars; operate feed mixing equipment; keep accurate breeding records; and keep routine management records up to date and accurate.  Duties require working outdoors and in a barn.
3. Maintain Facilities and Equipment (15% of time)
   Maintain barns, feedlots, pastures, feed mill and contents in clean, working order; help with hauling manure, and stacking hay when needed; help in the maintenance and fabrication of equipment and buildings when needed for experimental and remodeling projects; maintain permanent fencing around pastures and lots.
4. Miscellaneous (15% of time)
   Power wash and disinfect barns and equipment; temporary assignment to other teams on the center during periods of high labor needs in other teams; occasionally milk cows; help students complete experimental work when needed; record data on computerized herd management software; assist with feed, forage, and bedding transport and storage including during harvest; and other duties as assigned by the supervisor.