Range Winter Sheepherder
Quick facts
- Pay
- 2686.85 USD /month
- Type
- Full-time
- Location
- MONTROSE, COLORADO
- Industry
- Agriculture — 74 open jobs
- Visa in listing
- H-2A
- Apply
- Free to apply — never pay anyone for a job offer or visa sponsorship
Job description
Begin date: 12/1/2026
Full Time: No
Number of Workers Requested: 1
Job Duties: Must have 3 months experience with 800 - 1000 head flocks. One reference required. The employee must be able to identify approaching storm periods and make precautions to prevent the herd from drifting against a fence line where they pile up and get drifted over with snow and freeze to death. The herder must be experienced in handling extreme winter conditions on a range to prevent death in sheep, goats, horses, and dogs. Due to animals exerting more energy during the winter months especially in extreme winter weather, the herder will need to monitor the nutritional needs of an animal throughout winter. Ensure that animals have access to unfrozen water and to distribute emergency supplemental feed. Monitor snow levels to prevent sheep/goats from being paralyzed in deep snow or caught up against a fence. Herders need to have experience in identifying animals who are not getting enough nutrition, keeping a fresh supply of water in freezing temperatures, and how to maintain animals in extreme weather conditions. Some work/tasks may occur off the range, but more than 50% of work will be performed on the range. Western Range Association and its member ranches facilitate practices of good animal husbandry. Employees that are found abusing, neglecting or abandoning livestock entrusted to their care may be terminated for cause. If the negligent/abusive actions of an employee result in the loss/death of livestock/animals or cause harm to another person, the employee may be held accountable for these actions. The worker will live in the employer provided range housing. Said housing will be clean and in good repair at the time it is provided to the employee. The employee is responsible to maintain the housing unit in a reasonable level of cleanliness in order to avoid flies, mice or other vermin. The employee is responsible to alert the employer of damage to the housing unit within a reasonable amount of time. The employee may be held accountable for damage to the housing unit that is the result of negligence on the part of the employee (normal wear and tear excepted). Hours worked footnote: On call for up to 24 hours 7 days a week
Job Classification: 45-2093.00 - Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals
Experience Required: Yes
Months of Experience Required: 3
Special Requirements: NONE Cooper Sheep Ranch provides rides to all H2A workers at anytime if they need to visit town for any reason, medical, bank or general supplies such as cloths or personal needs. We also make weekly trips providing all food and supplies.
Work Schedule (Start/End time): null null - null null
Visa sponsorship record
No public sponsorship records foundWe didn't find H-1B, H-1B1, E-3 or green card (PERM) filings under the name Cooper Sheep Ranch in the Department of Labor and USCIS data. That doesn't mean the job can't be sponsored — the company may file under a different legal name, be new to sponsorship, or sponsor a visa that isn't in these datasets (for example H-2B or J-1).
Tip: ask the recruiter early, in writing, which visa they sponsor and whether they cover the legal and filing fees.
Which visas can work for this job
- Mentioned in the listing
H-2A
- H-2B / H-2A (seasonal and temporary work)
Temporary non-agricultural (H-2B) or agricultural (H-2A) jobs. The employer files a labor certification and petition; you apply for the visa at a US consulate. H-2B has a yearly cap of 66,000 (plus supplemental visas); H-2A has no cap.
- EB-3 “other workers” green card
Permanent residence for jobs that need less than 2 years of training. Waits for this category are long (often several years).
- H-1B
H-1B needs a role that requires at least a bachelor's degree, so it's usually not an option here.
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor OFLC disclosure data (H-1B/H-1B1/E-3 LCA, PERM), OFLC prevailing wage data, USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub, E-Verify participating employers. Data loaded: LCA FY2024–FY2026, PERM, USCIS Data Hub, OFLC wages; updated 2026-10-03. Employers are matched by name, so records of companies with similar names can occasionally be mixed up. This is general information, not legal advice — talk to an immigration attorney about your case.