Livestock Ranching
Livestock ranching involves large farms dedicated to breeding and raising cattle, sheep, or horses. With a growing population and rising demand for milk and dairy, agricultural output will need to increase in the coming years.
Ranchers can meet this demand by adopting methods that boost efficiency and profitability while minimising land damage. Raising large herds of livestock on extensive grazing lands started in Spain and Portugal around 100 CE. In the early 1500’s, Spanish explorers introduced cattle to the US. Overtime, cattle colonies grew, and livestock ranching became a fundamental part of agriculture in America. These ranchers used methods that are still being used today and the balance between modern and traditional methods are essential for the future of ranching.
In Practice
Monitoring and Adjustment: Successful rotational grazing requires ongoing monitoring and adaptive pasture allocation. Farmers observe livestock behavior, pasture growth, and forage quality. They adjust the rotation schedule based on weather conditions, forage availability, and animal requirements.
Pasture Management: As more rancher’s grazed their animals on open land, the quality of land reduced due to overgrazing. Grasses did not have time to grow, especially in winter, and new techniques were required. Effective pasture management involves techniques like dividing pastures, rotational grazing, and allowing periods of rest and recovery. The key is to monitor and adjust the rotation schedule based on weather, forage availability, and the needs of the animals.
Crop Rotation: Certain crops such as cereals and legumes can also be used for livestock feed, which can save expenses, meet nutrition requirements, and spreads manure on the pasture. Planting the same crops year after year can deplete soil nutrients and attract more weeds and pests. By rotating different crops, farmers can naturally replenish soil nutrients and reduce the need for synthetic fertilisers. This practice also disrupts pest cycles and helps control weed growth.
Branding: For livestock, this is the main method of permanent identification and proof of ownership. This is important when cattle from multiple ranches are together as the brand can be seen from a distance. In comparison, an ear tag is not as visible, it could also fall out and information would be missing. Brands can also be useful for traceability purposes. Hot-iron branding was a long-standing practice, but the new method of freeze branding has shown less discomfort in cattle.
Breeding Programs: To achieve desired performance targets for cattle, specific genes are selected and transferred through generations with breeding programs. Using the best genetics available allows ranchers to improve the profit of their cattle by driving cattle performance. Breeding programs may involve natural or artificial insemination services. Cattle can be straight bred or cross-bred depending on the intended market and environment.
Efficient Weighing Systems: Automated weighing systems provide accurate data on animal growth, breeding performance, and health. This information helps farmers make better decisions to improve their management practices and increase the performance of their livestock.
Key Benefits
- Pasture Management: Effective pasture management gives land time to recover, reducing fertiliser runoff, minimising erosion, and improving the water quality of nearby streams and rivers.
- Feed quality: Improve feed quality to boost animal health and performance, while increasing the number of cattle the feed can support.
- Weighing Systems: Weighing systems offer a seamless process from data capture to decision-making, overcoming the challenges of traditional paper-based methods.
- Sustainable intensification: Preserves land for future generations while still meeting the growing global demand for agricultural products.
- Fertilizer production: Cattle manure is a great source of organic fertiliser, which can increase soil fertility and crop production when managed appropriately.
- Way of life: Ranchers carry on a long-standing tradition of raising quality beef with hard work, and strong values. For many, ranching is more than a job. It's a way of life, often built around family and friends who support one another.
Key Challenges
- Soil degradation: Soil compaction from the hooves of cattle further degrades soil quality. Cattle have heavy, flat hooves that compress and flatten the soil which reduces is ability to absorb water and nutrients.
- Overgrazing: Drylands face the risk of overgrazing, which can harm soil quality and contribute to desertification. When too much forage is grazed, it can cause soil erosion, and the loss of topsoil reduces the quality of the forage and lowers crop productivity.
- Increasing demand: The demand for animal protein will increase significantly in the coming years to accommodate an increasing population. Limited land use pushes the challenge of producing more with less.
- Environmental challenges: Changing climates have increased the frequency of temperatures, droughts, and wildfires. Ranchers have experienced these conditions for some time, giving them a unique knowledge to managing these conditions.
- Reduced water availability: Water run-off from livestock ranching can include manure, antibiotics, hormones, and fertilizers which can lead to water pollution. Increased droughts can lead to reduced water availability, forage supplies, and cattle productivity.
Global Context
Livestock production uses about 30% of the world's agricultural land, both for grazing and growing feed crops. Although global fertility rates are declining, food demand will continue to grow due to population momentum and an increasing middle class. By 2050, the number of people living in cities is expected to double, driving up demand for livestock products like milk and meat. Livestock production is also responsible for 10 to 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with beef and milk production contributing about half of these.
Ranches exist on every content apart from Antarctica. The South American ranching industry is continuing to grow and is being led by Brazil and Argentina. In Australia and America, ranching is a strong section of the economy, and a way of life for many. Africa has wildlife ranches, which maintain healthy populations of animals and appeal to ecotourists. Large-scale cattle ranching is common throughout the islands in the South Pacific but rare in Asia. Most countries in Europe are too small to support ranches, however there are some outside Spain and Portugal.
Customer Story: Gallagher EID + Scales for Animal Performance
Jeff Chaffin, Manager at W4 Ranch in Morgan, Texas, shares how the Gallagher EID and Scales enables the team to gather real-time, individual animal data, even in remote locations. This data is helping optimize performance and improve cattle management on the ranch.
