Storey's Guide to Raising Beef Cattle (Storey Animal Handbook) Paperback - 1998

From the publisher

From raising a herd of cattle as a profitable small business, to keeping one or two for eating or breeding, this is the most comprehensive guide available on these multifaceted animals.

Raising beef cattle is one of the most natural and efficient backyard livestock operations. Because cattle graze on land that is unsuitable for growing food crops and feed on grasses that humans aren't able to digest, they make use of resources that may otherwise be wasted. More and more families concerned about antibiotics and hormones in commercial beef are also raising their own cattle.

Now Heather Smith Thomas, author of Storey's Your Calf, has written the definitive handbook for anyone considering raising these animals. Drawing on 35 years of experience raising beef cattle, Thomas provides in-depth coverage of every aspect of beef production including facilities, breeding and genetics, calving, and health care. Readers will also learn how to read cattle behavior and how to handle an individual steer or an entire herd efficiently and humanely.

The book's final chapter offers solid advice for marketing home cattle businesses of various sizes. Readers will learn all the legal and financial issues associated with producing beef and raising calves to sell.