Livestock Ranching Quiz

Livestock: An Overview

• Livestock are domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool.

• The term livestock is sometimes used to refer solely to animals raised for consumption, and sometimes used to refer solely to farmed ruminants, such as cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs. Horses are considered livestock in the United States.

• Livestock farming practices have largely shifted to intensive animal farming, which increases the yield of commercial outputs but negatively impacts animal welfare, the environment, and public health.

• Animal husbandry practices have varied widely across cultures and time periods and continue to play a major economic and cultural role in numerous communities.

• Animals are domesticated when their breeding and living conditions are controlled by humans. Over time, the collective behavior, lifecycle, and physiology of livestock have changed radically.

• Micro-livestock refers to much smaller animals, usually mammals, such as rodents and lagomorphs (rabbits). Even smaller animals are kept and raised, such as crickets and honey bees.

• Livestock production has a significant impact on the world environment and is responsible for somewhere between 20 and 33% of the fresh water usage in the world.

• Livestock are responsible for 34% of all human-related emissions of nitrous oxide, through feed production and manure. They also produce greenhouse gases, with cattle producing some 79 million tons of methane per day.

• Livestock provide a variety of food and non-food products, including leather, wool, pharmaceuticals, bone products, industrial protein, and fats.

• Livestock production serves as a source of income and can provide additional economic values for rural families, often serving as a major contributor to food security and economic security.

• Livestock can serve as insurance against risk and is an economic buffer of income and food supply in some regions and some economies.

• Livestock enteric methane accounts for 30% of the overall methane emissions of the planet.

• Many studies have found evidence of the social, as well as economic, importance of livestock in non-Western countries and in regions of rural poverty.Motivations for Livestock Ranching - Summary

• Livestock ranching on national forest land in New Mexico maintains traditional values and cultural heritage.

• A sense of place, attachment to land, and the value of preserving open space are important themes for ranchers.

• Land and animals are important for maintaining culture and way of life for ranchers.

• Responsibility and respect for land, animals, family, and community are common themes for ranchers.

• In the US, profit is not a major motivator for involvement in livestock ranching.

• Family, tradition, and a desired way of life are major motivators for ranch purchase.

• Ranchers in the US historically accept low returns from livestock production.

• Livestock ranching can contribute to local economies and provide jobs.

• Livestock ranching can have negative environmental impacts, such as overgrazing and habitat loss.

• Sustainable ranching practices can mitigate negative environmental impacts.

• Livestock ranching is a complex issue with economic, social, and environmental considerations.

• Collaboration between ranchers, government agencies, and conservation groups is important for sustainable livestock ranching.