Cattle brokers connect buyers and sellers of cattle — matching supply with demand, negotiating terms, and earning commission on the transactions.
Cattle Broker pay typically runs $59K–$99K at this level.
Workdays involve calls and visits — talking to ranchers, feedlot operators, and packers about what's available and what's needed. Travel to auctions and operations is common, and many brokers maintain relationships with the same producers and buyers for decades.
Collaboration involves producers, buyers, and sometimes auction barns. What's harder than expected is the market knowledge required — cattle prices move daily on supply, demand, weather, and feed costs, and reading the market right takes years of being in the business.
People who thrive tend to be knowledgeable about cattle, comfortable with travel, and good at relationship-based business. If you're grounded in the industry, the role often fits — cattle work is hard to enter without prior connection to the business. People without rural roots or cattle background usually find the trade-craft and relationships harder to build than the financial side suggests.
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Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Business Operations roles →Cattle brokers connect buyers and sellers of cattle — matching supply with demand, negotiating terms, and earning commission on the transactions.
Median pay for a Cattle Broker is about $76K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $46K to $128K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Critical Thinking, Speaking, Active Listening, Judgment and Decision Making, and Reading Comprehension.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Closely related roles include Clean Rice Broker, Senior Agriculture Industry Specialist, and Procurement Specialist.
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