Curious Cattle

In British Columbia, about 10 million hectares of land are used by the ranching industry. There are about 265,000 beef cows in B.C. Calves stay with their mothers until they are sold. From spring until fall, the cattle are allowed to wander and graze on rangelands. When the calves are 6-7 months old, they are weaned and sent to a stocker, who will keep the animals for another 5-14 months, or directly to a feedlot. At the feedlot they are given a specialized diet that is very dense in food energy to encourage well-marbled meat. The animal may gain 400 pounds during the 3-4 months it stays at the feedlot.

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