What Is Cattle Farming?

By Staff WriterLast Updated December 11, 2023

Cattle farming is the process of raising cattle from birth until the point at which they provide food or milk for consumption. A cattle farmer typically has a barn where milking cows live and a pasture where cattle graze.

Dairy farmers raise cattle to provide milk for family consumption and for distribution for revenue. Beef cattle farmers raise cattle until they reach adulthood and are large enough to produce meat at slaughter. Farmers also take some cattle to auction and sell them. Most of the cattle that farmers develop for beef consumption are sent to a USDA processing facility and sold through wholesale and retail channels.