Elk farming is an agricultural industry for the production of elk as livestock or for the sport of hunting. Elk have a variety of uses. The velvet antler or, the antler in the premature stages of growth, is believed by some to have medicinal purposes. Elk are also raised for venison, their meat. All of these markets are rising in popularity thus causing an increase in the breeding industry. Other species of similar type are farmed in the same way such as deer, moose, and red stag.
Elk farming has been an industry in the province of Alberta for decades, with a peak of 600 elk farms in the industry's heyday; in 2022, only 134 remained. [1] The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has strictly regulated elk farming due to concerns about chronic wasting disease (CWD), a prion disease that affects elk and other members in the deer family. Both Alberta and neighbouring Saskatchewan required all deer and elk farmers to test every animal that dies on their farms for CWD. [2]
The elk farming market is relatively new to the United States. In its early stages, the breeding stock has become of high value. The same standard for cattle also pertains to the production of elk: the bigger the better. In 1990, the North American Elk Breeders Association (NAEBA) was founded. NAEBA has set up rules and regulations for breed purity and strength, ownership, and marketing. They help the industry continually increase in production and quality of animal.
Elk do not need the close care that it takes to raise cattle because of their strong, hardy nature. They will eat just about any plants they can find, ranging from grass, shrubs, weeds, and even tree bark. The most common feeds are alfalfa and grain. In an area suitable for one beef cow, two to three elk may be kept comfortably. Elk may eat 2 to 3 percent of their body weight daily. On average a female elk (cow) has a live weight of 450 to 650 pounds. Male elk (bulls) are much larger, weighing from 800 to 1,000 pounds. Elk need an increase in nutrients so that they can produce better products. For example, before and during breeding, while the antlers are growing so they will produce a larger amount of velvet, and after calving.
The facilities that hold elk are very different than those for cattle. The fence is made of high-tensile wire, which provides strength and durability, and should be at least 8 feet high. The area should provide a large grazing area along with a fresh water supply and shelter. It is recommended[ by whom? ] that a strand of barbed wire be stretched at ground level to keep predators out and calves in. Electrified wire placed slightly above ground level is another option.
Elk breed from early September through November. This period is called the rut. A cow will give birth after a 250-day gestation. The calves are carried throughout the winter. Therefore, it is necessary that they are well fed and receive the needed nutrients during this period. If they are well taken care of, the elk will have up to a 95% pregnancy rate. Calves are born from May through July. Cow elk can begin to breed after 18 months, but bulls should wait to mature for two to three years. A cow elk can breed for more than 15 years effectively. The estrus cycle is about 21 days. A bull may breed as many as 20 cows in a season.
It has become a very common practice amongst elk breeders to use artificial insemination, a method of ensuring male genetic superiority—e.g., a bull with large antlers will pass that trait onto his offspring. For this purpose the semen is bought and the cow is bred artificially with the hope that the young will receive that genetic trait. Through artificial insemination and semen preservation, a sire can continue to produce offspring even after he is dead or his health has declined.
Velvet antler, the antler in the premature growing stages, is the main product derived from mature bull elk. In the second year of a bull elk life the antler begins to grow and continues to do so every year after that. The velvet is harvested while in the late stages of growth, just before it starts to turn into antler. That is when it calcifies and becomes hard like bone. A mature bull will produce 20 pounds or more of velvet annually. The current record is about 50 pounds in North America.
Velvet antler is tissue that is living and growing rapidly. It can grow up to one half pound a day. Because it is living, the velvet must be removed surgically. Like in any operation precautionary measures are taken to ensure the humane care and safety of the animal. Once cut, the velvet is then frozen and shipped to the manufacturer where it is then made into a consumable substance. Recent studies [ which? ] have shown that velvet contains large amounts of minerals with natural anti-inflammatory agents.
There is a growing demand for elk meat around the world. Elk meat is famous for its taste as well as its health benefits, as it is high in protein but low in fat, cholesterol, and calories.
A calf is a young domestic cow or bull. Calves are reared to become adult cattle or are slaughtered for their meat, called veal, and their hide.
The Highland is a Scottish breed of rustic cattle. It originated in the Scottish Highlands and the Western Islands of Scotland and has long horns and a long shaggy coat. It is a hardy breed, able to withstand the intemperate conditions in the region. The first herd-book dates from 1885; two types – a smaller island type, usually black, and a larger mainland type, usually dun – were registered as a single breed. It is reared primarily for beef, and has been exported to several other countries.
The Holstein Friesian is an international breed or group of breeds of dairy cattle. It originated in Frisia, stretching from the Dutch province of North Holland to the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It is the dominant breed in industrial dairy farming worldwide, and is found in more than 160 countries. It is known by many names, among them Holstein, Friesian and Black and White.
Dairy cattle are cattle bred with the ability to produce large quantities of milk, from which dairy products are made. Dairy cattle generally are of the species Bos taurus.
The Bali cattle, also known as Balinese cattle, Bali banteng, Indonesian cattle, or most generally, the domestic banteng are a domesticated species of bovine which originated from the banteng. Bali cattle are an important source of meat and are used for plowing. They are thought to have originated in Bali.
Beef cattle are cattle raised for meat production. The meat of mature or almost mature cattle is mostly known as beef. In beef production there are three main stages: cow-calf operations, backgrounding, and feedlot operations. The production cycle of the animals starts at cow-calf operations; this operation is designed specifically to breed cows for their offspring. From here the calves are backgrounded for a feedlot. Animals grown specifically for the feedlot are known as feeder cattle, the goal of these animals is fattening. Animals not grown for a feedlot are typically female and are commonly known as replacement heifers. While the principal use of beef cattle is meat production, other uses include leather, and beef by-products used in candy, shampoo, cosmetics, and insulin.
Frozen bovine semen is a method of preserving bovine semen for future artificial insemination, even after the death of the donor.
The Shetland is a small, hardy Scottish breed of cattle from the Shetland Islands to the north of mainland Scotland. The cattle are normally black and white in colour but there are smaller numbers in grey, red and dun.
The elk, or wapiti, is the second largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. The word "elk" originally referred to the European variety of the moose, Alces alces, but was transferred to Cervus canadensis by North American colonists.
The Australian Charbray is an Australian breed of cattle derived from a cross between the French Charolais cattle and American Brahman cattle. The charbray breed was first conceived in the United States of America in the 1930s and later introduced into Australia in 1969. In Australia, Australian charbray breeders are concentrated in the tropical Northern regions of Queensland. As of 1977, the official breeder society of Charbray cattle in Australia and New Zealand is the Charbray Society of Australia Limited, responsible for recording Charbray cattle in herd books, fostering improvement, enhancement and sales of Charbray cattle.
The Armoricaine or Armorican is an endangered French breed of domestic cattle. It originated in Brittany in the nineteenth century. It has a red coat with white markings, and has short horns.
The Black Hereford is a crossbreed of beef cattle produced in Britain and Ireland with Hereford beef bulls with Holstein-Friesian dairy cows. Black Herefords are not usually maintained from generation to generation, but are constantly produced as a byproduct of dairy farming as a terminal cross. They are one of the most common types of beef cattle in Britain and Ireland, outnumbering many pure beef breeds.
In Sri Lanka many farmers depend on animal husbandry for their livelihood, but not a large proportion. Therefore, many livestock products have to be imported. The main livestock products in Sri Lanka are milk, meat and eggs. Hides, wools and other products are still not produced within the country. Animal power formerly used in the cultivation of rice and vegetables have been replaced by modern technology to farmlands. However animal husbandry plays an important role in the rural economy for improving the living conditions of farmers in the country.
Cattle are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus Bos. Mature female cattle are called cows and mature male cattle are bulls. Young female cattle are called heifers, young male cattle are oxen or bullocks, and castrated male cattle are known as steers.
A bull is an intact adult male of the species Bos taurus (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species, bulls have long been an important symbol in many religions, including for sacrifices. These animals play a significant role in beef ranching, dairy farming, and a variety of sporting and cultural activities, including bullfighting and bull riding.
A cow calf operation is a method of rearing beef cattle in which a permanent herd of cows is kept by a farmer or rancher to produce calves for later sale. Cow–calf operations are one of the key aspects of the beef industry in the United States and many other countries. In the British Isles, a cow–calf operation may be known as a single-suckler herd. The goal of a cow–calf operation is to produce young beef cattle, which are usually sold. A rancher who works within such a model is often called a "cow–calf operator" in the United States.
The Vaynol is one of the United Kingdom's rarest breeds of cattle with less than 150 breeding animals registered. The breed is currently listed as “critical” on the Rare Breed Survival Trust list. There are currently three officially registered herds of Vaynol cattle existing in the United Kingdom. Together with the Chillingham and White Park cattle, the Vaynol is one of three horned breeds derived from ancient white parkland herds from Britain and Ireland. These park cattle were also the basis of a similar fourth breed, the polled British White.
The Artificial Insemination Centre of Quebec (CIAQ) is a limited partnership society founded in 1948 located in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada with the mission of improving through artificial insemination bovine herds used in milk and meat production throughout the province. The CIAQ is currently the sole bovine sperm production facility in Quebec and is the property of the Milk Producers of Quebec (PLQ), the Quebec Council of Milk Producing Breeds (CQRL) and the Provincial Council of Cattle Amelioration Clubs (CPCAB).
Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes, Hisar, a publicly funded, institute for water buffalo research. It is located 170 kilometres (110 mi) from Delhi, at Hisar in the north Indian state of Haryana. It has a sub-campus, Bir Dosanjh, at Nabha. CIRB operates a nationwide network of 10 research centres working on breed improvement of the 7 main native breeds. CIRB, with over 20 laboratories for buffalo research, is the world's largest buffalo research institute with the widest range of breeds under study. With the aim of improving breeds and dissemination of information, CIRB has sold over 1,000 bulls, conducted ~200,000 artificial insemination in the field for the farmers' buffaloes with a 41% conception rate, distributed ~520,000 progeny tested frozen semen kits to 45,000 farmers and over 250 institutes, imparted training to several thousand farmers on advanced buffalo husbandry, and created the world's first online Buffalopedia in several languages. It has a large research partner network across India and the globe. It is the second institute to successfully clone a buffalo in 2016, after the first successful cloning was achieved by the National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal in 2010. In July 2017, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research ranked CIRB Hisar as India's number one Buffalo research institute for the year 2016–17.
The Maraîchine is a French breed of beef cattle. It originates in, and is named for, the Marais Poitevin, the marshlands on the Atlantic coast of the département of the Vendée in western France.