What Is Livestock Farming?
Livestock farming means rearing and breeding domestic or farm animals for human consumption and obtaining meat, milk, wool, fur, and honey.
It is one of the earliest economic activities of human beings. It involves the farming of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, poultry, rabbits, snails, fishes, and honeybees.
Importance of Livestock Farming
- It continues to stay at a prominent place among the primary activities of the world economy.
- It directly or indirectly benefits local economic sectors such as food processing industries, handicrafts, tourism, and hospitality.
- Livestock farming creates employment opportunities and continues to become an important source of income.
- It facilitates a country to bring foreign exchange earnings by the export of livestock products and animals.
- It provides high-quality and nutrient-rich food products such as meat, egg, milk, cheese, etc.
Popular Livestock Breeds
Beef Cattle Breeds
Hereford
Hereford cattle are popular beef cattle bred mainly for beef production. They are initially from Herefordshire, England.
They are popular because their meat quality is very good.
The Hereford are medium-sized cattle breeds; however, farmers can increase their size at maturity and the degree of weight gain.
Shorthorn
The Shorthorn cattle breeds are initially from northern Europe and England. They are known by another name, such as the beef, Scotch, or Durham, in some areas of Scotland.
They are good milk producers. The color of its body varies from red to roan and occasionally from white to red and white.
Pigs
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The Duroc-Jersey
The Duroc-Jersey breed has been around since the late 19th Century and is popular because its meat quality is very good.
It is widely preferred in all of Iowa and some parts of Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. It is exported to Uruguay, Chile, Canada, and Argentina. The color of its body varies from golden red to mahogany red.
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The Poland China
Poland China is a crossbreed from several other species found in Ohio; Poland China dates back to 1860.
It rank in the top of U.S. pork production in pounds of hog per sow per year. This is known for the characteristic of having maximum weight at any given age. Similarly, The Poland Chinas gain readily under conditions of reasonable care and management.
Goats
Humans rear goats for milk, meat, cheese, and leather. Goats are an important source of milk in the United States, Europe, and China.
One of the benefits of keeping goats is it can be raised in small spaces.
Here are some goat breeds :
- Angora
- Boer
- Cashmere
- LaMancha
- Nubian
Types of Livestock farming
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Intensive Livestock Farming
Animals are reared with adequate temperatures, feed, and health care needed for animals to be healthy and produce faster.
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Semi-intensive Livestock Farming
Animals are housed and fed; however, they are allowed to graze or move around the farm area.
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Extensive Livestock Farming
Animals are raised on large areas of land so that animals take advantage of the natural resources of the area.
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Organic Livestock Farming
Animals are raised without using synthetic chemicals such as pesticides, chemical fertilizers, etc
6 Keys to Success in Livestock Farming
Therefore, before starting livestock farming, consider the following tips for successful livestock farming.
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Know your Purpose
Knowing the purpose of why you want to operate on livestock farming helps how you can achieve your goal. Goats or cattle are the best option to choose from If you are planning to get involved in livestock for meat and dairy products.
Knowing your purpose is very important in starting up livestock farming because what you choose will determine the required farm equipment.
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Start Small
There’s a famous saying that you should not put all your eggs in one basket.
Many people think that starting big is the key to success, but this is just another great misconception that leads you nowhere. Ask Successful farmers, and their advice is to start small and then grow your farm step by step.
Similarly, After knowing what type of livestock you are planning to get into, start with half a dozen animals. Later expand after having enough knowledge of their feeding habits, feed consumption, and other factors.
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Proper Feeding
Proper feeding is very important in livestock farming because it will perform as supposed when they are fed well.
But let’s get one thing straight- properly feeding livestock doesn’t mean overfeeding, but giving the right food for livestock.
Likewise, It requires a handful of times, practice, and dedication to feed your livestock properly.
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Get your Livestock Equipment
It is an undeniably important factor that helps in your livestock farming. So, ensure that all the necessary equipment is available to run your farm.
Here is some equipment commonly required for livestock farming. They are; feeding equipment, livestock trailer, water tanks, a manure spreader, a corral system.
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Get a Nutritionist and Veterinarian
A good veterinarian and a nutritionist provide you with the right guidance and assistance to keep your livestock in good health and get the right food for your livestock.
Never forget to have your livestock vaccinated to immune them from getting ill or contracting any injury.
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Make a Business Plan
In starting livestock farming, you have to know much about the weaknesses, strengths, opportunities, and possible damages your business will face. Similarly, This is why a business plan is needed, which helps you to prepare the plan and make changes accordingly.
So, Make a business plan and stick to it.
To say the least,
Establishing this livestock farming takes in much capital and needs dedication and accountability to take proper care of your animals.
So to have successful livestock farming, it is good for you to take account of the tips listed above; it is one of the lucrative farming businesses but call for your total dedication.
You can also reach for an established livestock farmer to get more information about the livestock farming business.
Which Animal Feed choice is best for you?
If cost is not a concern for you and you don’t want to worry about buying animal feed ingredients, you should feed your farm animals with manufactured feed. You will easily find many good-quality animal feed companies out there.
However, if you want to control the cost of rearing your animals, you should prepare your animal feed.
2 Factors Pushing Success in Livestock Farming
Low Feed Cost
The increased supply of corn and soybean has driven the prices of feed cost down. Livestock farmers now can spend less on feed and can reinvest their money on growing other aspects of their farm.
Consumer Preferences
Chicken carries on to be the main delicacy in most of the world, and there is increased consumer demand for chicken wings and breast. Similarly, pork ribs, bacon, steak, and burgers also contribute to the growth in the livestock farming business.
Sustainable Livestock Farming
- Keep Animals Healthy
In numerous parts of the world, many people suffer from illnesses directly linked to the consumption of unhealthy animals.
Raise Animals that suit your geographical area
One key to success in livestock farming is to raise animals that suit your geographical area. Before getting into a livestock farm, please find out how the animals will react to the change of climate and take account of factors such as local diseases and parasites.
Consider Smart Supplements
Similarly, Animals such as cattle, goats, and sheep productivity boost benefit from the supplement.
The supplement promotes the growth of microbes which supports them to provide better nourishment.
That’s about it
Finally, We have to look into factors influencing success in the industry and study sustainable practices to get success in livestock farming.
