Animal Breeders and Technicians

The U.S. Department of Labor predicts that agricultural workers will experience a decline in employment while animal breeders will experience a 2 percent increase in employment through 2032. More sophisticated agricultural technology is enabling fewer breeders and technicians to do more work in a more efficient manner, which is reducing employment in the field. Despite this decline, there will continue to be opportunities for animal breeders and technicians because there is high turnover in the field. Additionally, demand for more uniform products and an increasing foreign market may result in a need for more specially trained personnel.

More changes and efficiencies are expected in the next few years, in both the production and the marketing phases of the animal production industry. It is almost impossible for a one-person operation to stay in business for farm animals because of the costs involved. As a result, cooperatives of consultants and corporations will become more prevalent with greater emphasis placed on specialization.

For domesticated nonfarm animals, breeders usually work with individual species and do so because they love the animals, not for a profit-making business. Many in the industry report that the average dog breeder loses money on each successful litter.