DOMESTICATION AND IMPORTANCE OF LIVESTOCK

LIVESTOCK DEFINED: The term livestock is normally defined as animals

raised to produce milk, meat, work, and wool. It includes beef and dairy cattle, swine, sheep,

horses, goats, and poultry. Other animals used in agriculture such as emus,

bees, fish bait, etc. are considered alternative animal agriculture and are not covered here.

WHAT DOES THE DOMESTICATION OF ANIMALS MEAN?

To adapt animals for use by humans Animals taken from nature and raised under the

care of humans

WHY WERE ANIMALS DOMESICATED?

To Provide a Steady Food Supply

To Provide Transportation

To Perform Work

To Provide Raw Materials for Clothing

TO INCREASE DESIREABLE CHARACTERISTICS

To Provide Pleasure and Recreation

WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION IN THE

U.S.?

CATTLE Cattle were on the the first ship

to arrive in Jamestown in 1607 There are about 115 million

head of cattle in the U.S. Cattle are divided into beef and

dairy breeds Angus is the most popular beef

breed and holstein is the most common dairy breed

SWINE Swine were on the first ship in

Jamestown in 1607 Wild hogs are the descendants

of escaped domesticated hogs Today’s trend in the industry is

to produce lean hogs as opposed to the fatter hogs that were grown in the early and middle 1900’s

SHEEP Sheep were domesticated

about 8,000 years ago They are raised for meat

and wool There are over 200 breeds

of domestic sheep The management of sheep

is more complex than the management of most animals

GOATS Goats were one of the first

animals to be domesticated, about 9,000 years ago

They are raised for food and clothing

Goats are excellent scavengers There are 300 breeds of

domestic goats Production of meat-type goats

are a current trend

HORSES In the 1800’s and early

1900’s, horses were used for power and transportation

Most horses are owned for recreation and personal pleasure

There are about 6.6 million horses in the U.S.

CHICKENS Chickens are the most

important poultry species They are raised for meat

and eggs Today chicken production

is a large commercial industry as opposed to the small flocks seen in early America

WHAT ARE THE COMMON FUNCTIONS OF LIVESTOCK IN

TODAY’S SOCIETY?

CONVERTING GRAIN AND ROUGHAGE INTO MEAT

CLOTHING

POWER

RECREATION

PRODUCTS

HOW HAVE LIVESTOCK CONSUMPTION TRENDS

CHANGED?

CONSUMPTION TRENDS The consumption of beef has declined since 1970

from about 79 pounds to about 65 pounds per person per year.

Pork consumption has remained relatively stable at just under 50 pounds per person per year.

CONSUMPTION TRENDS

The consumption of lamb and mutton has declined from 1.9 pounds per person to 0.9 pounds per person per year since 1970.

Chicken Consumption Trends

Chicken consumption had steadily increased from 27 pounds to about 50 pounds per person per year

Dairy Consumption Trends The consumption of all dairy products has slightly

increased from 554 pounds in 1970 to 585 pounds per person per year

Turkey Consumption Trends Turkey consumption has increased from 6.71

pounds to 14 pounds per person per year.

Consumption Trends The increase in the consumption of poultry and the

decrease in the consumption of beef can be explained by new health concerns such as high cholesterol

WHAT IS THE ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF THE

LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY IN THE UNITED STATES?

MEAT ANIMALS: production and income in the U.S. 1997 - 1999

year production marketings Value of production

Cash receipts

Value of home

consumption

Gross income

-------million pounds------- ---------------- million dollars ----------------

1997 65,692 81,915 37,983 49,689 382 50,070

1998 67,890 82,478 33,181 43,344 347 43,691

1999 68,478 84,471 33,970 45,614 362 45,975

THE BEEF INDUSTRY Beef accounts for 6% of all supermarket sales Beef cattle and calves accounted for

$31,376,515,000 of gross income in the U.S. in 1996

Texas is the leading state in beef cattle production

THE DAIRY INDUSTRY The U.S. produced $23,057,197,000 worth of milk

in 1996 Wisconsin is the leading dairy producing state Milk is produced in all 50 states

THE SWINE INDUSTRY The U.S. ranks second to China in the number of

hogs produced Iowa is the number one hog producer in the U.S. In 1997 the U.S. had a gross income of

$13,246,479,000 from the hog industry

THE SHEEP INDUSTRY Colorado is the number one sheep producing state In 1997 sheep had a gross value of $645,941,000

in the U.S.

THE GOAT INDUSTRY Texas is the number one goat producing state

THE POULTRY INDUSTRY Chicken, turkey, and eggs account for a high

percentage of farm income for all products In 1997 the value of poultry production in the U.S.

was $21,635,976,000 Georgia is the number one broiler producing state

and Ohio is the number one egg producing state

THE HORSE INDUSTRY There is no accurate count of the number of horses

in the United States It is estimated that over 16 billion dollars is spent

in the horse industry every year. Most horses and mules are owned for pleasure

however, they are a major factor in creating jobs in vet services, feeds and feeding, and equine equipment and supplies

REMEMBER Livestock was domesticated for convenience of humans The term livestock generally refers to horses, cattle,

swine, poultry, sheep, and goats Livestock production is a major economic factor in the

U.S. economy Consumption of poultry has increased in recent years

while red meat consumption has declined or remained stable