Beef Cattle Ranching

The US beef cattle ranching industry includes about 750,000 operators with combined annual revenue of $50 billion. Only about 5,000 operations have more than 500 head of cattle. Major companies include US Premium Beef, Agri Beef, and King Ranch. The industry is highly fragmented: the 50 largest operators hold less than 2 percent of the market.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Demand is driven by food prices, population growth, and global trade policies. The profitability of individual operations depends on production efficiency and anticipating market demand. Large operators have some advantages in volume purchasing and efficient use of labor. Small operators can compete successfully by producing special grades of beef cattle and by using "family" labor.

PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Major products are beef cattle and calves ready to be slaughtered or ready for "finishing" in feedlots. Annual US sales of beef animals include about 45 million cattle and 10 million calves.

The operations of beef ranchers revolve around breeding cows, feeding cattle, and providing veterinary care. Beef cattle ranchers mainly breed their own animals, with a traditional calving season in the early spring. Cows can produce one calf per year and are either naturally bred by a bull or artificially inseminated by a technician. Beef cows have a nine month gestation period. From birth until weaning, calves depend on their mother's milk and forage resources. Calves are typically weaned when they weigh between 400 and 600 pounds and are either ...