Cattle Farming - Know The Facts Before You Raise Cattle

At June of year 2002, there were 4,500,500 beef cattle and 39,500,000 sheep in New Zealand, which means 1.1 cattle and ten sheep for every New Zealand citizen. The wool, meat, and other products that come from this cattle farming division are worth approximately $6,300,000,000 every year, and are responsible for about 22% of exported goods of New Zealand.

There are more than 13,000 commercial beef and sheep cattle farms located in New Zealand, majority of which are possessed and run by cattle farming families. Beef and sheep farms are mainly on New Zealand's hill country. There is a broad assortment of farm systems and types that differ according to farmer preference, scale, climate, topography and land type. Most of the farms both have beef and sheep cattle, which balance each other in grazing systems based on pasture. A number of farms include arable crops or run deer, as well. This diversification lessens the risk of the cattle farming business.

All beef and sheep cattle farms are operated on low key pasture grazing methods, sometimes incremented with fodder cropping, silage and hay. This low priced method allows New Zealand farmers to provide high-quality wool and pasture-fed meat to markets all over the world at cutthroat costs.

Beef exported goods are still lead by frozen product beef exports into North America. However, other industries are also progressing in significance. Asian industries, particularly, are seeking for young, grass-fed, tender beef. In September of year 2002, the country of New Zealand made 565,000 tons, or 1% of the world manufacture of beef. Approximately 85% of this manufacture was exported, corresponding to 7% of the world business in beef cattle farming.

Regardless of the New Zealander's taking in of approximately 12 kilograms of lamb (with 12 kilograms of mutton) for each individual every year, 87% of their lamb manufacture is exported. Yearly manufacture is approximately 402,000 tons of lamb and 104,000 tons of mutton. This sum stands for just about 4% of world manufacture, but exports are responsible for 47% of the world exports. The sheep meat industry of New Zealand is very reliant on worldwide market access and meat costs.

Article Tags: Cattle Farming, Sheep Cattle