Approximately half of the country’s dairy cows suffer from mastitis, a bacterial infection of their udders. This is such a common and costly ailment that a dairy industry group, the National Mastitis Council, was formed specifically to combat the disease. Other diseases, such as Bovine Leukemia Virus, Bovine Immunodeficiency Virus, and Johne’s disease (whose human counterpart is Crohn’s disease) are also rampant on modern dairies, but they commonly go unnoticed because they are either difficult to detect or have a long incubation period. A cow eating a normal grass diet could not produce milk at the abnormal levels expected on modern dairies, and so today’s dairy cows must be given high energy feeds. The unnaturally rich diet causes metabolic disorders including ketosis, which can be fatal, and laminitis, which causes lameness.
Another dairy industry disease caused by intensive milk production is “Milk Fever.” This ailment is caused by calcium deficiency, and it occurs when milk secretion depletes calcium faster than it can be replenished in the blood.
In a healthy environment, cows would live in excess of twenty-five years, but on modern dairies, they are slaughtered and made into ground beef after just three or four years. The abuse wreaked upon the bodies of dairy cows is so intense that the dairy industry also is a huge source of “downed animals” — animals who are so sick or injured that they are unable to walk even stand. Investigators have documented downed animals routinely being beaten, dragged, or pushed with bulldozers in attempts to move them to slaughter.
Although the dairy industry is familiar with the cows’ health problems and suffering associated with intensive milk production, it continues to subject cows to even worse abuses in the name of increased profit. Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH), a synthetic hormone, is now being injected into cows to get them to produce even more milk. Besides adversely affecting the cows’ health, BGH also increases birth defects in their calves.
Calves born to dairy cows are separated from their mothers immediately after birth. The half that are born female are raised to replace older dairy cows in the milking herd. The other half of the calves are male, and because they will never produce milk, they are raised and slaughtered for meat. Most are killed for beef, with close to one million being used for veal.
The veal industry was created as a by-product of the dairy industry to take advantage of an abundant supply of unwanted male calves. Veal calves commonly live for eighteen to twenty weeks in wooden crates that are so small that they cannot turn around, stretch their legs, or even lie down comfortably. The calves are fed a liquid milk substitute, deficient in iron and fiber, which is designed to make the animals anemic, resulting in the light-colored flesh that is prized as veal. In addition to this high-priced veal, some calves are killed at just a few days old to be sold as low-grade ‘bob’ veal for products like frozen TV dinners.

Cattle farming is potentially appealing to people who have the necessary land and resources to make it pay. Whether you’re planning on setting up an operation for organic cattle farming, dairy cattle farming or beef cattle farming, the industry of cattle farming is becoming progressively fashionable and lucrative. Cattle can be raised on land which has few other uses, such as areas of land which are unsuitable for any other crop except grass. There are a number of elements to look at and these include calving, inoculation and breeding. For many people cattle farming is an activity which requires less labor input than most farming activities and its is important to look at your specific objectives when setting out along the path of farming cattle, since there are a number of different ways of farming cattle for net income.
For example you could keep a low number of high quality cows and specialize in raising calves from this basic stock. Plainly such an endeavor also requires the services of a good herd bull unless you plan to utilize artificial insemination.
Another potential method of earning good money from cattle farming is to purchase good quality new born calves and then feed them on until they reach over 400 pounds in weight. This type of activity in general takes more labor to make it a winner but the pecuniary rewards can be high. Alternatively the feeding can continue until the calves weigh considerably more and therefore make them more attractive to the beef wholesalers or even to consumers directly.
The purchase of acceptable herd stock is of supreme importance and generally the size and quality of animal is more significant than the actual breed of cattle used. Cattle with abnormal fat are best avoided since they are likely to gain weight slowly, particularly in the first couple of months. Check prospective purchasers cautiously, good cattle should be alert, bright eyed and move around normally. Exceptions to this should be regarded with a degree of mistrust. Similarly, and much like humans, small framed cattle will generally end up as relatively light in weight and those with heavier frames will tend towards the heavier weights. It’s usually best to purchase cattle that are regular in frame since widely diverse frame sizes tend to need different feeding programs, which in turn requires more work.
Many cattle farmers have now seen the rewards of selling directly to consumers but if you plan to do this then it is important to consider having a sturdy business plan with specific aims in mind. Wherever practicable have a specific location for selling since it is generally easier and cheaper to transport live animals for a relatively short distance than a packaged and refrigerated product. As with most endeavors, your merchandise should be well branded and your facilities clean and in good repair.

Cattle are raised all over the world.  In India, people think cattle are holy so they aren’t killed or eaten there.  Some kinds of beef cattle are Aberdeen, Angus, Brahman, Charolais, Herefords, and Polled Herefords.  Farmers pick which breed they want to raise by the climate where they live.  For example, some cattle can be raised in areas where there isn’t too much water.
Male cattle are called bulls and females are called cows.  Steers are males who cannot reproduce.  Young cows are called heifers until they have babies.  Then they are called dams.  The father is called a sire and the baby is a calf.
Most cattle are registered.  When an animal is registered, their ancestors are traced and written down.  This is stored by an organization that keeps track of breeding information.  Cattle get an ear tag when they are registered.  The ancestors of animals are important when farmers do selective breeding.
Cattle are usually kept in pastures where they eat the grass.  When cattle eat, they swallow and then bring the food back up into their mouths to chew again.  This is called cud.  Ranchers [Cattle farmers] know how many cattle can be kept in the pasture before all the grass will be gone.
Calves are born in the spring.  They are watched carefully and given shots so they don’t get diseases.  They get branded with a mark that shows a ranch symbol.  If the cattle wander away from the ranch, this shows people where they belong.
Later in spring the herds are moved to different pastures so that the grass can grow back again.  Ranchers put out salt licks with minerals in them.  These are solid blocks of salt [with minerals] that cattle like to lick.  Farmers will move the herds every three or four weeks.
Just like in cowboy movies, ranchers use horses to herd the cattle from one pasture to another.  Some ranchers use four-wheel drive vehicles.
In fall, the herds will be moved closer to the farm house.  These pastures will be ones that were used in the early spring and will have grown grass again.  Beef cattle are usually sold then.  If cattle are kept over the winter, they go to smaller pastures nearer to the house.  This is so that the rancher does not have to go so far to check on them when it gets cold.  The ranchers will have to feed them when it snows.
Beef cattle are cheaper to raise than dairy cattle because they mostly eat grass.  Dairy farmers need to pay people to help them grow crops to feed their cows and they buy protein to add to the food.  This makes them cost more money.
Calves can be sold to other farmers who raise them in a penned area.  They are fed special food so that they fatten up quickly.  It takes between four to eight months before the calves are ready for the meat-packing plant.  A steer is ready to be sold when it is about one and a half years old.  Ranchers try to sell them at a time that they can get the most money for them.  The animals can be sold to someone who will fatten them up for market or right to a meat-processing plant.