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Farming Trends Raising Beef Cattle allows you to target individuals that own and operate farmlands that engage in production and feeding beef cattle. The sale of cattle and calves is the largest segment of the American agricultural economy.
Beef has been central to America's dining habits for a long time. The beef industry has worked hard to produce and promote a leaner product. Despite the many advances of the poultry industry, beef surpasses its competitors in both production and sales. The United States is the largest producer of beef products in the world, although it ranks fourth in total number of beef animals. A vast amount of acreage is needed to support beef cows, cattlemen own or manage more land than any other single industry. Two-thirds of this land is considered to be grazing land, 90 percent of it is unsuitable for growing commercial crops because of limited rainfall, steep slopes, rocky terrain, or poor soil. Thus, the land can only be used for pasturing beef cattle, sheep, goats, bison, horses, and wild animals. These grazing lands are ideal for cattle, because the cattle can convert grass and other forages into high-protein food sources. The typical beef cow does not spend a single day in a cattle fattening feedlot, but instead lives on grass and hay her entire life, being retained for breeding and nursing. Many ranchers consider themselves nothing more than grass farmers. Their job is to convert grass to beef as efficiently as possible. Their manure and urine naturally fertilize the grasslands, and their hoofing action breaks up the crust of the soil. When they are run in the proper manner without overgrazing, cattle play a key role in maintaining soil productivity and keeping forages in a healthy condition. These forages in turn protect soil from wind and water erosion, and leguminous forages, such as alfalfa, add nitrogen to the soil.
Owners and operators have experience and knowledge of owning and running beef cattle except feedlots business and working in the agricultural/farming industry. Farmer and ranchers have a high school education with biology, chemistry and accounting, marketing, and finance. Some have 2 year Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture and crop science, and also 4 year Masters with pricing, commodities, beef cattle management, and agronomy. Farmers and ranchers have many duties that include; feeding, mustering, moving cattle, assisting with animal husbandry, cleaning out the barns, taking care of the pasture and meadows, and caring for the cattle/livestock. The cattle/livestock are taken care of by certified veterinarians. Farmers own acres of land to provide feeding areas for cattle to graze and live on.
Farmers and ranchers purchase barn lights, barns, blocking chutes, boots, branding equipment, breeding equipment, brooms, buckets, buckles, calf tables, carts, cattle, cattle heath care supplies, cattle wormers, cleaning supplies, clippers, coats and blankets, computers, computer software, cooling exhaust fans, corral kits, cowboy boots, cows, dry material spreaders, ear tags, electronics, farm hoses, feed/water troughs, fencing, first aid kits, fly and lice control, fate latches, gloves, hay, hay tarps, haying equipment, head gates, insect control equipment, jeans, manure spreaders, outdoor lighting, outerwear, overalls, pitch forks, pocket knives, pumps, rakes, ranch vehicles, range cube feeders, range gates, ropes, round bale feeders, security cameras, shirts and tops, signs, silos, squeeze chutes, storage buildings, tools, tractor equipment, tractors, trailers, ventilation equipment, vests, waterers, weighing scales, wheel barrels.
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