Can You Raise Cattle In Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania is home to 23,000 cattle farms, including nearly 8,800 beef cattle farms. The producers work hard every day to provide you and your family with healthy and wholesome beef!

How many acres does a cow need in PA?

The general rule of thumb is 1:1. That means one cow per one acre of pasture. Keep in mind that is a minimum requirement.

Can I raise a cow in my backyard?

Raising a couple cattle can feed your family and then some for the year. You don’t even need a lot of land to do it—as a rule of thumb, you can keep one cow-calf pair per every 2 acres of pasture for 12 months.

How many cattle farms are in Pennsylvania?

23,000 cattle farms
We are home to nearly 23,000 cattle farms, including nearly 8,800 beef cattle farms.

Can a cow live on 1 acre?

But just because you only have a one-acre field shouldn’t preclude you from getting cows. However, you will need to purchase hay to feed them because one acre is not enough land to support anything bovine. Cows can indeed be kept on small plots—an acre or two—but they must be fed.

Can you own a cow in PA?

A. ALL Dairy breed cattle regardless of sex or age must have official identification. B. Beef breed cattle that are sexually intact animals of any age must have official identification.

What is the most profitable crop in Pennsylvania?

To determine which are the most valuable crops grown in the state, Stacker ranked them based on their total annual value of production as of July 16, 2022. Corn took the top spot with annual production in the Keystone State of $1 billion.

How many acres do you need per cow?

Cows require a considerable amount of space when compared to other livestock. “You want at least an acre per cow,” Robbins said. “If they’re going to have a baby, you want two acres for a cow-calf pair. That’s the minimum amount of land.”

How many acres do cows need to roam?

You may have heard a rule-of-thumb is that it takes 1.5 to 2 acres to feed a cow calf pair for 12 months. That means we should be able to have 10 to 13 cows. Let’s see how this rule-of-thumb holds up. It looks like our rule-of-thumb held up pretty good, 11 cows on 20 acres, is 1.8 acres per cow.

How cold is too cold for a cow to be outside?

In general cows are cold tolerant and are comfortable down to 20°F. Most cows are managed outside even under extreme conditions and can benefit from extra care when effective temperature (ambient temperature and wind chill) drops below 0°F.

Is Pennsylvania a good state for farming?

Farming represents the backbone of Pennsylvania’s heritage. With 52,000 farms and 7.3 million acres of farmland, agriculture is also a big business in Pennsylvania, accounting for approximately $83.8 billion in direct economic output, 280,500 jobs and $10.9 billion in earnings.

How many acres do you need to be considered a farm in PA?

ten acres
What Are The Eligibility Requirements? A property must be ten acres in size, and in Agricultural Use, Agricultural Reserve, or Forest Reserve.

Which part of Pennsylvania is perfect for farming?

Farming is prominent in the rural areas of the commonwealth, the southeast in particular (including Berks County, Lancaster County, and York County).

Do beef cattle need a barn?

Cattle need only minimal shelter. During calving it is nice to have a place where the cow and newborn calf can get out of the elements for a day or two. It is good to have a place where they can find shade in hot weather and wind break from the cold.

How many bales of hay does a cow eat in a year?

Determine the number of bales of hay that each cow needs by dividing the cow’s yearly need by the adjusted weight of each bale. For a cow needing 8,190 pounds of hay per year and a bale weight of 960 pounds, divide 8,190 by 960 for a yearly need of about 8.5 bales per cow.

How many cows should I start with?

Most farmers start off with 2 to 5 cows. They may not have the money or experience to handle more. Focus on getting a few healthy cows, then turning them into profit so you are able to afford more. Sell your products at a local level to get started.

What animals Can you not own in PA?

In Pennsylvania, you must acquire a permit for exotic animals that are listed as exotic wildlife by the state. This list includes all bears, coyotes, lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, cheetahs, cougars, wolves and any crossbreeds of these animals. Additionally, keeping venomous snakes requires a venomous snake permit.

What animals Can you not own Pennsylvania?

Coyotes, Wolves, Foxes, and Bobcats
Basically, any wild dog/crossbreed of wild animals is off-limits in Pennsylvania. Plus, these are some dangerous animals to keep in your house.

How many acres do you need in PA to have a horse?

The minimum gross lot area shall be at least three acres for the keeping of horses. Two horses may be kept on a three-acre lot.

How much is hay per acre in PA?

2021 STATE AGRICULTURE OVERVIEW

Commodity Yield
HAY
HAY 2.57 TONS / ACRE
HAY, (EXCL ALFALFA) 2.45 TONS / ACRE
HAY, ALFALFA 2.9 TONS / ACRE

How many goats can you have per acre in PA?

Goats are similar to sheep in that you can support about 6-8 goats on an acre of land.