You have a lot riding on your decisions.

Producing beef cattle can be a worthwhile and rewarding part of your farm and ranch. Farming and ranching is often a family business. Balancing the business decisions of the operation between family members can be challenging. You need reliable, trusted information that you can all agree on to avoid conflicts. University of Illinois Extension offers unbiased, research-based information to navigate these challenges. Minimize your family farm risks with Illinois Extension's online resources, videos, and fact sheets, as well as our in-person programs, field days, and one-on-one consultations.

It's more than just the cattle.

Implementing best management practices can help beef cattle producers become more efficient with their time and resources. Understanding and employing management strategies that can yield a positive return to the farm are crucial to success. While profitability is one key component to longevity in farming and ranching, managing natural resources and relationships with family and employees is also an important consideration. 

Producing a safe, wholesome beef product for your family and other families while caring for the land and your family is what it is all about!

The beef cattle industry has different challenges and opportunities.

• Evaluating your farm and ranch is an important starting point.
• Identifying your market and selecting cattle that fit your market is critical to success.
• Investigating feed resources, finding suitable land, and looking for opportunities to improve natural resources can prove vital to a sustainable farm.
• Putting management decisions into practice and applying research-based information into farming practices makes it all happen.
• Reflecting on practices to make sure they align with business and lifestyle goals is always a worthwhile task. 

University of Illinois Extension serves clientele navigating farming and ranching. Answering producer questions is a big part of our mission. Do you have questions about what genetics fit your environment, what feedstuffs can be fed to cattle, what marketing opportunities exist locally, and what stockmanship skills and facility designs can improve animal welfare on the farm? We can help.