Introduction to Livestock
Livestock farming systems produce milk and meat for human consumption. On this page, you’ll find everything you need to know if you want to start livestock farming. Topics covered include rearing livestock basics concerning dairy and beef cattle, poultry, sheep, goats, hogs, and other domesticated animals. Learn how to apply livestock best practices, and more.
Raising Livestock Resources
You can raise poultry in a range of locations and for different reasons. It’s become an increasingly popular pastime for urban residents, for example. Poultry can be raised for their eggs and meat, and a small investment can yield an income for several years.
If you’re a beginner in personal meat production and homesteading, raising small groups of pigs might interest you. Resources are available to help you learn the basics of raising hogs, from feeder to finish, swine management, breeding evaluation, animal welfare, and meat production.
Bovine farming encompasses a broad range of farming methods. You can raise beef cattle for meat or dairy cattle for milk and other dairy products. To be a successful cattle farmer, you need to learn the basics of good beef husbandry practices.
Raising sheep or goats for profit can be a satisfying enterprise. To raise them sustainably, you have to manage resources such as land, labor, capital, feed, and management. When starting a new sheep or goat enterprise, the first step is what type of animals to raise.
Horses are considered livestock because they can be kept or raised in a farm or ranch setting and used in a commercial enterprise. You can use horses for farm work or riding.
Raising Livestock: Best Practices
If you plan to raise livestock for the first time, you must understand and follow best practices. This applies whether you are raising them on a few acres or a much larger enterprise.
The first step is to acquire livestock. There are several things you should consider before you make a purchase. Did you realize that your livestock could be a source of danger? Livestock handling injuries are often the result of poor judgment and a lack of animal behavior knowledge.
There is always the hidden risk of livestock disease. Where possible, you should test newly purchased animals two to four weeks before you transport them to their new home. Biosecurity management practices help minimize or prevent disease transmission.
Poultry farmers should learn about the best breeds to raise for laying eggs and how best to handle any eggs that are produced. The basic principles of poultry health and diseases and their control will help you raise a productive flock.
To keep your livestock healthy, you must provide the correct nutrition for their needs in different growth stages. Animal feed is regulated under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Preventive Controls for Animal Foods rule. If you operate predominantly on a pasture-based housing and nutrition system, you can determine forage quality with feed analysis.
Body Condition Score is a tool that you use to describe the relative fatness of beef cattle or other livestock. It is a good indicator of whether your cattle are getting sufficient nutrients as well as their general health condition.
To run an efficient and profitable sheep or goat operation, you must understand the importance of lambing and kidding. Lamb and kid survival is critical to the overall success of a flock or herd.
The living conditions you provide for your livestock are also key if you want your animals to be healthy, happy, and disease-free. To evaluate and quantify a farm animal housing environment and ventilation system, you can use various tools. There are relatively inexpensive instruments for detecting ammonia gas concentration.
Pennsylvania law requires that farms and properties with animals develop and implement a manure management plan.
- Articles
Beekeeping - Honey Bees
Honey bees can be managed to produce many products, but they are even more valued for the major role they play in pollination of agricultural crops. - Articles
Planning to Start Raising Poultry
If you are planning to start raising poultry for the first time it is important that you understand best management practices. - Articles
Feeding Beef Cattle
Beef cattle feeding is possible on small and part-time farms, but the cost of feeding drops significantly as the size of the operation increases. - Videos
Make Biosecurity Your Routine
Length 5:02Biosecurity needs to be part of any poultry farm management plan. - Articles
What You Should Know About Buying Livestock
What a bargain! The price looks great, but are you really getting a bargain? - Articles
Using EBV Data to Promote Parasite Resistance
Internal parasites have been an issue in sheep production for a long time. - Articles
Off-Season and Accelerated Lamb Production
Sheep are ideally suited to small-scale and part-time farming operations in Pennsylvania due to their adaptability and nutritional versatility. - Articles
Entering the Dairy Industry - Dairy Rental and Sharemilking Agreements
Dairy farming requires a large capital investment. Extension Dairy Educator, Mat Haan weighs in on two potential options for getting a start in the industry. - Articles
8 Things You Need to Know Before Starting Your Own Dairy Farm
Whatever your background and experience, there are some things you need to know before you start milking cows. - Articles
Meat Goat Production
Demand for goat meat, milk, cheese, and hide has steadily increased in the United States along with the proliferation of ethnic and specialty markets. - Online Courses
$150.00
Dairy Goat Production and Management
Sections 8Length 20 hoursLearn the basics of dairy goat production and how to manage your operation, including breeds and selection, nutritional needs, potential health problems, and marketing your product. - Articles
So You Want to Raise Sheep or Goats?
There are a number of management skills that each sheep or goat producer should have to be successful. - Articles
Spring Lamb Production
Compared to most other livestock enterprises, spring lamb production has lower investment costs and labor requirements, and quicker returns on investment. - Online Courses
$99.00
Sheep Management and Production
Sections 8Length 25 hoursLearn the basics of sheep production and how to manage your operation, including breeds and selection, nutrition, health problems, grazing, and marketing. - Articles
Beef Cow-Calf Production
The beef cow-calf business is well adapted to small-scale and part-time farmers who have land suitable for pasture and hay production. - Articles
Introduction to Aquaculture
The type of aquaculture operation that you begin will be influenced by your financial and labor resources as well as available markets. - Online Courses
$99.00
Grazing 101: Sustainable Pasture Management for Livestock
Sections 7Length 12 hoursLearn how to sustainably manage beef cattle, sheep, and meat goats on pasture. Understand the variables concerning grazing systems, paddocks, fencing, and forage quality. - Articles
Dairy-Beef Production
Production of high-quality dairy-beef is relatively new to the beef industry and depends almost entirely on Holstein bull calves. - Articles
Producción de Carne de Vacas/Terneros
Los productores pueden retener las becerras para la expansión del rebaño o venderlas, junto con los novillos, a los operadores de lotes de engorde. - Online Courses
$139.00
Beef Production and Management
Sections 7Length 19 hoursThis online course about raising beef cattle covers breeds, establishing facilities, nutrition and reproduction, and marketing and finances. - Articles
Boarding Horses
Many people enjoy activities involving horses; however, they don't have the facilities to house their animals. - Articles
White-tailed Deer Production
White-tailed deer farming has become an established and growing industry over the past two decades. - Articles
Producción de Brócoli
El brócoli es un cultivo que se presta bien a las operaciones agrícolas de pequeña escala y de tiempo parcial. - Articles
Crianza de Caprinos
La carne del ganado caprino se consume ampliamente en todo el mundo, especialmente en los países en desarrollo.