Cow-Calf Ranches: Where Beef Begins

For many beef animals, the story begins on a cow-calf farm or ranch. These operations maintain breeding cows, raise calves and form the first stage of the beef supply chain.

What is a cow-calf operation?

A cow-calf producer keeps a breeding herd of cows and bulls. Calves are born on the farm or ranch and usually remain with their mothers for several months.

During this stage, cattle may spend much of their time on pasture. Winter feeding can include hay, silage, greenfeed, grain or other feeds depending on the ranch, climate and production system.

What happens after weaning?

There is no single route. A rancher may retain the calves, sell them privately, sell them through an auction mart, send them to a backgrounding operation, place them in a feedlot, or finish them for direct beef sales.

Questions worth asking

If knowing the complete production story matters to you, ask whether the cattle were born on the farm, purchased as calves or yearlings, and whether they remained on that operation through finishing.