The Golden Rules Of Farming Livestock

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When it comes to farming, livestock is always much more profitable than crops. Even though there is a much larger amount of cash needed to set up a livestock farm, you will find that you can sell the meat and animals for a far higher price than crops. And once your livestock farm is all set up and ready to go, the costs shouldn’t be too extortionate.

Even if you don’t have much farming experience, you will be able to easily adapt to working with livestock. You just need to remember the following Golden Rules.

Choose Livestock That Suits The Location

When you are thinking about starting a livestock farm, you will need to consider the type of animals you want to focus on. The choice between cows, sheep, and pigs shouldn’t be too difficult for you. But then you need to decide on the breed you want. When you are considering this, it is important to keep in mind the location of your farm. That’s because certain breeds have been developed for living in certain climates. So, if you live in a location that is cold all year around and gets a lot of winter snow, you might want to think about getting a hardy breed of cattle, like Highland Cattle.

Think About Year-Round Living Spaces

You need to make sure that you have sufficient spaces for your animals to live throughout the year. During the colder months, they will need to be inside buildings such as pole barns. Make sure that there is plenty of hay and straw on the floor of the barn. Once the spring is here, the animals will need to be turned out into fields. And this brings us nicely onto the next Golden Rule...

Plan Your Pastures

Before you do turn out your livestock to pasture during the spring and summer, you will need to carefully plan your pastures. This is especially important if you also farm crops. They should be in one field for one whole season before returning to their barns for the winter. Then, during the next spring and summer season, you need to turn them out into a different field. The field they were originally in should be left fallow. This is so that the field can regain all its important nutrients and return to full health.

Image/Matthias Zomer

Image/Matthias Zomer

Go Organic

To go organic or not to go organic, that is the question. And this is the biggest question that most farmers grapple with. Even though buying organic feed for your livestock can be very expensive, but you will certainly experience a lot of benefits. For instance, organic meat can be sold at a higher price. Plus, there will be a large market, as many people are now highly mindful of the provenance of their food.

There is plenty that you need to think about before you set up your livestock farm and, hopefully, this blog has helped you answer some questions. Got any more? Get in touch and ask us!