cattle business plan template

Cattle Farm Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Cattle Farm Business Plan

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 500 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their cattle farms. We have the experience, resources, and knowledge to help you create a great business plan.

In this article, you will learn some background information on why business planning is important. Then, you will learn how to write a cattle farm business plan step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here >

What is a Cattle Farm Business Plan?

A business plan provides a snapshot of your cattle farm as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategies for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why You Need a Business Plan for a Cattle Farm

If you’re looking to start a cattle farm or grow your existing cattle farm company, you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the growth of your cattle farm to improve your chances of success. Your cattle farm business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes.

Sources of Funding for Cattle Farms

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for a cattle farm are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans, and angel investors. When it comes to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, the loan officer will not only want to ensure that your financials are reasonable, but they will also want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business. Personal savings and bank loans are the most common funding paths for cattle farms.

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How to write a business plan for a cattle farm.

If you want to start a cattle farm or expand your current one, you need a business plan. The example guide below details the necessary information for how to write each essential component of your cattle farming business plan.

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your executive summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the kind of cattle farm you are running and the status. For example, are you a startup, do you have a cattle farm that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of cattle farms?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan.

• Give a brief overview of the cattle farm industry.
• Discuss the type of cattle farm you are operating.
• Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target customers.
• Provide a snapshot of your marketing strategy. Identify the key members of your team.
• Offer an overview of your financial plan.

Company Overview

In your company overview, you will detail the type of cattle farm you are operating.

For example, you might specialize in one of the following types of cattle farms:

• Cow-calf: This type of cattle farming involves using mature cattle to breed calves that are then sold to producers.
• Backgrounding: This type of cattle farming involves growing feeder cattle that can be sold to producers once they reach a certain weight or age.
• Finishing: This type of cattle farming involves harvesting cattle to weight in a feedlot, readying them for sale to market.
• Specific Breed: This type of cattle farming specializes in breeding specific types of cattle such as Angus or Hereford.

In addition to explaining the type of cattle farm you will operate, the company overview needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to questions such as:

• When and why did you start the business?
• What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include the number of customers served, the amount of meat sold, reaching $X amount in revenue, etc.
• Your legal business structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry or market analysis, you need to provide an overview of the cattle farm industry. While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the cattle farm industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating.

Secondly, market research can improve your marketing strategy, particularly if your analysis identifies market trends.

The third reason is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section of your cattle farming business plan:

• How big is the cattle farm industry (in dollars)?
• Is the market declining or increasing?
• Who are the key competitors in the market?
• Who are the key suppliers in the market?
• What trends are affecting the industry?
• What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
• What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential target market for your cattle farm? You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section of your cattle farm business plan must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: individuals, schools, families, and corporations.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of cattle farm you operate. Clearly, individuals would respond to different marketing promotions than corporations, for example.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, including a discussion of the ages, genders, locations, and income levels of the potential customers you seek to serve.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can recognize and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers.

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Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other cattle farms.

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from that aren’t directly competing with your product or service. This includes other types of meat farms such as poultry, fish, or pork farms, and meat alternative suppliers. You need to mention such competition as well.

For each such competitor, provide an overview of their business and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as

• What types of customers do they serve?
• What type of cattle farming business are they?
• What is their pricing (premium, low, etc.)?
• What are they good at?
• What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective. And don’t be afraid to ask your competitors’ customers what they like most and least about them.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

• Will you make it easier for your customers to acquire your product?
• Will you offer products or services that your competition doesn’t?
• Will you provide better customer service?
• Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.

Marketing Plan

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For a cattle farm business plan, your marketing strategy should include the following:

Product : In the product section, you should reiterate the type of cattle farm company that you documented in your company overview. Then, detail the specific products or services you will be offering. For example, will you provide live cattle, meat, or dairy products?

Price : Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of your plan, you are presenting the products and/or services you offer and their prices.

Place : Place refers to the site of your cattle farm company. Document where your company is situated and mention how the site will impact your success. For example, is your cattle farm located near a city, in a rural area, or adjacent to other farms? Discuss how your site might be the ideal location for your customers.

Promotions : The final part of your cattle farm marketing plan is where you will document how you will drive potential customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

• Advertise in industry publications and networking events
• Reach out to local meat buyers
• Distribute flyers
• Engage in email marketing
• Advertise on social media platforms
• Improve the SEO (search engine optimization) on your website for targeted keywords

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your cattle farm, including answering calls, feeding and caring for cattle, scheduling employees, billing customers and collecting payments, etc.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to acquire your Xth customer, or when you hope to reach $X in revenue. It could also be when you expect to expand your cattle farm business to a new market.

Management Team

To demonstrate your cattle farm’s potential to succeed, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company.

Ideally, you and/or your team members have direct experience in managing cattle farms. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act as mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in managing a cattle farm or running a small cattle breeding operation.

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statements.

Income Statement

An income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. It shows your revenue and then subtracts your costs to show whether you turned a profit or not.

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will your farm have 100 cattle on average and will 20% of your cattle be ready for sale every year? And will sales grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Balance Sheets

Balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. While balance sheets can include much information, try to simplify them to the key items you need to know about. For instance, if you spend $50,000 on building out your cattle farm business, this will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a lender writes you a check for $50,000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Cash Flow Statement

Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business, and ensure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can turn a profit but run out of money and go bankrupt.

When creating your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing a cattle farm:

• Cost of farming equipment and supplies
• Payroll or salaries paid to staff
• Business insurance
• Other start-up expenses (if you’re a new business) like legal expenses, permits, computer software, and equipment

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your farm lease or information about the type of cattle on your farm.

Writing a business plan for your cattle farm is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will have an expert cattle farming business plan, cow calf business plan or a beef cattle business plan. You will understand the cattle farm industry, your competition, and your customers. You will develop a marketing strategy and will understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful cattle farm.

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Cattle Farm Business Plan FAQs

What is the easiest way to complete my cattle farm business plan.

Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily write your cattle farm business plan.

How Do You Start a Cattle Farm Business?

Starting a cattle farm business is easy with these 14 steps:.

• Choose the Name for Your Cattle Farm Business
• Create Your Cattle Farm Business Plan
• Choose the Legal Structure for Your Cattle Farm Business
• Secure Startup Funding for Your Cattle Farm Business (If Needed)
• Secure a Location for Your Business
• Register Your Cattle Farm Business with the IRS
• Open a Business Bank Account
• Get a Business Credit Card
• Get the Required Business Licenses and Permits
• Get Business Insurance for Your Cattle Farm Business
• Buy or Lease the Right Cattle Farm Business Equipment
• Develop Your Cattle Farm Business Marketing Materials
• Purchase and Setup the Software Needed to Run Your Cattle Farm Business
• Open for Business

Learn more about how to start your own cattle farm company .

Other Helpful Business Plan Articles & Templates

How To Create The Perfect Cattle Business Plan For Beginners

Creating a well-thought-out cattle business plan can make all the difference between success for the beginner farmer who makes one, and failure for the one that fails to write it.

This guide will help you create the perfect plan when starting your farm, even with little to no money .

Table of Contents

Reasons To Have A Business Plan

Having a workable business plan is important for the following reasons:

• It helps you raise capital from angel investors, relatives, friends, partners, and financial institutions like banks
• It acts as a living guide for the starting, implementation, operation, and ending of your cattle farm
• It helps keep all the involved persons in organic sync with the farm’s goals and objectives
• It boosts your chances of success with efficient management and acts as the stepping stone for a systematic record-keeping culture
• It helps you to theoretically analyze your business idea to measure its feasibility (practicality) and viability (success potential), and theoretically determine your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats ( SWOT analysis )
• It helps you plan for growth and expansion along the same operational procedures or branching into directly and indirectly related lines of action, such as value addition to your products

How To Write The Perfect Cattle Farm Business Plan

Writing the perfect business plan for a cattle farm doesn’t have to be challenging, whether yours is set to be a small-scale farm or a complex one.

To write an operational business plan, you must include:

• Organizational plan
• Management plan
• Financial plan
• Operations plan
• Marketing plan
• Exit strategy

Let’s take a closer look at each of these aspects.

Organizational Plan

The organizational plan provides a detailed description of the business concerning the reason for its existence, goals, and objectives.

The mission and vision statements usually appear in the executive summary of formal business plans.

If yours is an internal-use-only plan, you could place the two items in the organizational plan or leave them out altogether. However, this second option runs the risk of losing sight of what your vision is for the farm.

The organizational plan basically answers the question, “What business am I in?”. You can answer this question by listing your intended products, services, location, market, and what makes your business unique.

You could raise animals for milk, value-added dairy products, beef production, and high-quality semen. You can also make money selling live animals as calves, lactating cows, pet cows , and bred heifers.

Cattle services aren’t so popular, but you could look into cow tourism/cattle farm agri-tours, cow cuddling/hugging therapy, and educating aspiring and practicing cattle entrepreneurs.

Your organizational plan should also list your short-term and long-term goals and objectives for the farm. These could be guided by your reasons for the establishment of the farm.

Management Plan

The management of most small farms is easy. The farm owner doubles up as the farm manager and field worker, eliminating the need for an elaborate management plan.

Sometimes, family farm owners may receive free or paid assistance from family members or friends, making it necessary to expand the plan.

The management plan must also be detailed if the farm will involve other key players such as investment partners and specialized workers like the driver, farm manager, accountant, sales and marketing officer, and lawyer.

Your plan should provide details such as:

• All stakeholders enlisted by their experience in cattle farming or technical know-how of the business
• Names of staff and partners, together with their respective positions
• General responsibilities of each stakeholder
• The hierarchy of command from the management team down to the lowest employee on the farm

Financial Plan

Your financial plan can make or break your business. It comprises four key aspects:

• Your financial status and funds required: How much money do you have in savings or partner-raised capital? How much start-up capital do you need? And how much is required in operational expenses? Do you have an emergency or risk management fund? If you need outside money, what type of funding are you seeking? This could be credit card debt, grants, and loans from private lenders or commercial banks.
• Use of funds: What will your capital be used for? Typical uses include working capital, licensing, salaries/wages, infrastructure, pasture establishment/development, and daily operational costs. Other uses include cattle purchasing , raw materials for feeds, land, farm machinery and equipment, and unforeseen expenditure.
• Revenue model: How will your farm make money?
• Financial statements: You can’t improve what you haven’t measured. There’s every need to prepare financial reports like balance sheets, profit and loss statements, income statements, tax statements, and break-even analysis . You’ll also need to consider monthly cash flow projections, payback period , and repayment of loans and investor money with interest.

Operations Plan

The operations plan details the technical aspects of your day-to-day cattle-keeping business. It’s a detailed overview of how your business will run and how products will be manufactured.

It includes aspects such as:

• Feeding program: This details what you’ll feed your cattle to achieve the required nutritional levels and desired weights, production levels, and body condition. It shows the types of feeds and how they will be mixed and offered to cows.
• Quality assurance for products or services
• Health program: This details cattle treatment, vaccination procedures, disease prevention mechanisms, breeding protocols, vet and animal nutrition services, post-mortem procedures, and dead cow disposal measures.
• Operational strategy: Will yours be a cow-calf operation, feedlot finishing operation, backgrounding, zero-grazing, or open-range ranching?

Marketing Plan

The marketing plan provides details such as:

• Your target market
• Customer knowledge based on customer analysis of demographics, likes, dislikes, estimated disposable incomes, expectations, consumption behavior for the products you produce, and their location.
• Market analysis to learn cattle industry projections and prevailing market trends
• Pricing strategy for your services or products based on prevailing market prices or private calculations informed by your cost of production
• Competition analysis and how you’ll deal with business competition (both nearby farms and those out of state)
• Marketing strategy, promotion, and distribution of products or services

Exit Strategy

The exit strategy is useful when you want to leave the business permanently or temporarily. It shows when, how, and why you might exit the business. The most common reasons are prohibitive feed costs and ever-increasing operating expenses.

The exit plan details options such as:

• Selling your business to a larger farm (acquisition)
• Selling parts of the business or all of it to other smallholders, for example, through an auction
• Diluting or selling your ownership in a partnership farm
• Succession with a continuity plan for handing over to the next generation if you become incapacitated or your corporeal existence comes to an end.

When To Amend Your Business Plan

You might need to review and amend your cattle farming business plan along the way for the following reasons:

• Desire to change from one product line to another. You could shift from beef cattle like Hereford and Angus to dairy cattle like Friesians and Guernseys .
• Realization of objectives. You might realize the objectives you set out to achieve, making it necessary to change tactics if there’s nothing more to achieve.
• The departure of partners leading to a lower number of partners or a total shift to a sole proprietorship model
• Addition of new partners
• Substantive market changes or disruptions that warrant a change in standardized operation procedures
• The need to retreat to regroup if things haven’t been going according to plan and you wish to overhaul the business
• Changes in cattle, such as a shift from light-feeding cattle breeds to heavy feeders like Holsteins
• Changes in cattle feed crops. You might want to shift from grass-based farming to rearing cows using field forage crops like corn for silage.

Alex grew up in a rural area with chickens, cows, goats, and rabbits. He has always enjoyed waking up at 6 am to tend to his flock and vegetable garden. He bought his first cow at 25 and named her "104". In 2021, he set up an aquarium and now spends his lazy time watching his fish. He is happiest watching small animals and plants grow big, not to mention writing to share his farm-life experiences.

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How to write a business plan for a cattle farm?

Are you an aspiring cattle farmer looking to start up a business, or an existing one looking to expand and become more profitable? If so, then writing a business plan for your cattle farm is essential.

A well-crafted business plan can help you identify potential opportunities and risks associated with running a cattle farm, as well as guide you on how best to manage the operations of the farm.

In this in-depth guide, we’ll explore why it’s important to write a business plan for your cattle farm, what information is required to create one, what should be included in the document itself, and which tools are available that can make the process easier.

Let’s get started!

In this guide:

Why write a business plan for a cattle farm?

• Information needed to create a business plan for a cattle farm
• What goes into your cattle farm financial forecast?
• The written part of a cattle farm business plan
• What tool should I use to write my cattle farm business plan?

To draw up a roadmap

A business plan for a cattle farm helps you define your objectives and set goals for the next 3-5 years, which can be incredibly useful for achieving success in the long run.

The writing process of a business plan requires careful consideration of all aspects of running your cattle farm, from financial management to sales & marketing strategies and operational procedures.

Having these clear objectives laid out ahead of time will help ensure that your cattle farming venture runs smoothly and achieves its desired outcomes.

To compare financials and track progress

One of the main benefits of writing a business plan for a cattle farm is to be able to regularly compare your actual financial performance against what you planned in your forecast, and make adjustments where needed.

This enables you to maintain visibility on your future cash flows and make informed decisions about investments to grow your farm.

To secure funding

If you want to receive capital from investors or banks, you must have a comprehensive cattle farm business plan. 

Financiers will be looking closely at your venture's growth prospects, profitability, and cash flow to estimate the possible returns on their investment.

Now that you know why it’s important to write a business plan for a cattle farm, let's look at the information needed to create one.

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What information is needed to create a business plan for a cattle farm?

Carrying out market research for a cattle farm.

Conducting market research is an essential step before creating a business plan for a cattle farm. Market research can help you to estimate revenues and provide insights into potential areas of growth or decline.

When you embark on market research of your cattle business, you seek to answer the following questions:

• Is the cattle industry growing?
• What segments (processed milk products, beef processing and packaging, breeding services, and cowhide sale) of the market are most attractive?
• Who is the competition?
• How long does it take from calving to sales?
• What is the best time for breeding?
• What are sales and profit margins like?
• What are the major trends in the cattle industry? For example, consumers are more interested in organic-bred cattle than those bred using hormones, steroids, and antibiotics.

This information will help you create and communicate in your business plan the strategies that will give your farm the best chance for success.

Developing the marketing plan for a cattle farm

Creating a sales & marketing plan for your cattle farm is the next step.

Having a concrete action plan in place will be necessary to create an accurate budget for sales and marketing expenses in your business plan, and to ensure that you have sufficient resources to deliver your sales forecast.

The staffing and equipment needs of a cattle farm

Before starting a cattle farm business plan, it is also key to take into consideration the investments and recruitment plan. 

This will ensure that all necessary costs are accounted for and that sufficient capital is available to launch or grow the venture.

 Some of the costs you must be aware of includes:

• Land purchase
• Fencing the land
• Land preparation
• Water source or supplies
• Tools and equipment costs
• Cattle shelter 
• Cattle purchases
• Licenses and permits

Once you have gathered all the necessary information to create the business plan for your cattle farm, it is time to start building the financial forecast.

What goes in the financial forecast for a cattle farm?

The financial forecast of a cattle farm’s business plan will include important information like the Profit and Loss (P&L) statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement, and sources and uses table.

Let’s have a look at each table in a bit more detail.

The projected P&L statement

The projected P&L statement of a cattle farm business plan shows how much revenues it is expected to generate, how sales will evolve and how profitable it can be in the future.

The projected balance sheet of your cattle farm

The balance sheet of a cattle farm is an essential financial statement that provides a snapshot of the farm’s financial position at any given time.

It records the assets, liabilities, and equity of the farm and serves as a valuable tool for owners, investors, and lenders to understand the overall financial health of the venture.

Assets are what a business owns and uses to make money. Examples of assets for a cattle farm include:

• Machinery and equipment

Liabilities on the other hand are what the business owes, they include things like:

• Accounts payable (money owed to suppliers)
• Tax payables

When total liabilities are deducted from total assets, what is left is the owner’s equity which represents the net worth of the business for the owners.

The projected cash flow statement

A projected cash flow statement for a cattle farm is a financial document that shows how much cash the farm will generate and spend in the future. 

All transactions that involve the inflow and outflow of cash from a business are recorded in the cash flow statement.

This statement makes it easy for financiers to understand how much money your business produces (or will produce) and how much cash it will need for smooth operations.

The initial financing plan

An initial financing plan is important when writing a cattle farm business plan. It is also called sources and uses table. 

This table helps you figure out how much money you will need to start your farm, where it will come from, and what it will be used for.

Having this information all in one place makes it easier to plan your finances and prepare for the future of your business.

A solid financial forecast is the foundation for any successful cattle farm business plan. But to understand how relevant this financial data is, it's essential to provide context within the written part of the plan.

What goes in the written part of a cattle farm business plan?

The written part of a cattle farm business plan consists of 7 main sections:

The executive summary

The presentation of the company, the products and services section, the market analysis, the strategy section, the operations section, the financial plan.

The executive summary section of your cattle farm’s business plan should be a one-page (two-page maximum) summary presented in such a way that will convince investors and banks to read the rest of the plan.

The executive summary of your cattle farm business plan should begin with an overview of the farm itself, including key points such as the purpose of the business, its legal structure, its management team, and any pertinent information about the geographic area in which it operates.

After this should come a quick market overview highlighting who the farm sells to and who it competes with.

Then you should include key financials such as forecasted sales, growth, and profit, as well as expected cash flow projections and capital requirements.

This section of your business plan should include details about the ownership and legal structure of your cattle farm, your farm’s location, and information about the management team.

When writing about the legal structure, you should include information about the legal entity that owns the farm, such as whether it is a sole proprietorship, limited liability company, partnership, or other type of legal ownership.

You should also list the shareholders (people with a stake in the business) and the percentage of ownership each one holds.

The location section should provide an overview of the geographical area where the farm is located, with information about nearby cities and towns, access to major roads and highways, availability of water sources, climate considerations, and any other factors that could influence the success of the farm.

Then you should continue with the presentation of the management team which provides an in-depth look at who is running the farm’s day-to-day operations, including information about each individual's experience, education, and qualifications for their specific roles on the farm.

When writing the products and services section of your business plan for a cattle farm, it is important to clearly describe what breed of cattle (lisrace lumberjack, bos taurus, Angus cattle, etc.) you will raise and any other related services or products that you may offer. 

This should include information about the size and quality of the herd, as well as any specialized breeds or special care practices used in raising them. 

It is also important to outline any additional sources of income such as selling hay, feed, or providing agricultural consulting services. 

Additionally, outlining plans for expansion into new markets could help convince investors that this is an enterprise with growth potential.

When presenting the conclusion of your market analysis in your cattle farm business plan, you should touch on demographic and segmentation information, your target market and competitors, and details about any barriers to entry and relevant regulations that you must comply with.

The demographic and segmentation section should include information about the different customer segments on the market and their purchasing habits for each of the main categories of products and services. 

The target market section then zooms in on the segments you intend to serve and why your products and services match what customers are looking for.

Then you should explain who your main competitors are, and how your products and services compare to theirs.

You should also consider any potential barriers that can impede entry into the market (such as a limited availability of farm land for example) and relevant regulations that must be adhered to for compliance purposes. 

In the strategy section of your cattle farm's business plan, you should explain your competitive advantage, price strategy, marketing plan, milestones, and risks and mitigants.

To demonstrate the financial viability of your farm, you must be able to clearly explain what your competitive advantage is - i.e. how you intend to compete in an already crowded marketplace.

In addition, you should include details of your pricing strategy and show that it is profitable for you and attractive for customers.

Then comes your sales and marketing plan which outlines how you will reach your target markets, followed by any important and realistic milestones which are achievable within specified time frames.

Finally, you must detail any potential risks associated with your farm and possible solutions or mitigations for these risks.

The operations section of your cattle business plan should provide an overview of the functions and activities of your cattle farm. 

It should cover information such as the staffing team, roles of staff members, recruitment plan, operating hours, key assets, and intellectual property needed to operate the farm.

A cattle farm may have the following type of staff on its payroll:

• Farm manager
• Slaughterer
• Veterinarian

For example, if you plan on hiring a veterinary technician or farm manager, explain their experience requirements and how they will contribute to the operation of your business.

You should also include your schedule and operating hours to give investors an idea of what a typical business day for your farm looks like, as well as information on the main assets and intellectual property that the business requires to operate.

These assets include any resources such as land, buildings, equipment or technology essential for running the farm. If you plan on leasing or buying any of these assets, provide details about the timelines and costs involved.

Lastly, the operations section should include information about the suppliers that you plan to work with. Be sure to provide details such as the cost of goods, delivery times and any other relevant commercial terms.

This will give investors a better understanding of how you plan on running your farming operation.

The financial plan section of the cattle farm business plan will include the financial forecast (balance sheet, P&L and cash flow statements, and the sources and uses table) that we talked about earlier.

Now that you have a clear understanding of the content of your cattle farm business plan, it's time to look at the tools available for creating one.

What tool should I use to write my cattle farm's business plan?

In this section, we will look at three options for writing a detailed business plan for your cattle farm: writing it yourself with Word and Excel, hiring a consultant to do it, and using online business plan software.

Create your cattle farm's business plan using Word or Excel

Creating a cattle farm business plan with Word or Excel is a possible option but usually not the best one. 

On the plus side, both programs are relatively inexpensive. However, there are some significant drawbacks to using these programs to create a business plan.

Excel isn’t an easy tool to use, especially when it comes to creating financial forecasts without making mistakes. 

As a result, it will be hard for financiers to trust the accuracy and validity of your numbers, and, therefore, using Excel isn’t recommended unless you are well versed into the art of accounting and finance.

Drafting the written part with Word also suffers from severe flaws. You start from scratch with no instructions to aid you, forcing you to think long and hard before filling up the pages. It is also time-consuming and tedious to format your business plan with Word.

Hire a business plan writer to draft your cattle farm's business plan

Outsourcing the business plan for a cattle farm to a consultant can be a viable solution as they are used to writing such plans. But this solution also comes with certain disadvantages.

Business plan writers may lack the livestock industry expertise needed to anticipate sales and cost accurately, forcing them to rely on your assumptions. 

Hiring consultants to write a business plan is also expensive (budget a minimum of $2,000 or £1,500), with additional fees if the business plan needs to be updated after the initial version has been produced.

Finally, hiring a consultant gives you less control over the result than writing it yourself and your vision for the farm's future may not be adequately presented in the business plan.

Use an online business plan software for your cattle farm's business plan

Another alternative is to use online business plan software . 

There are several advantages to using specialised software to write a cattle farm’s business plan:

• You are guided through the writing process by detailed instructions and examples for each part of the plan 
• You can be inspired by already written business plan templates 
• You can easily make your financial forecast by letting the software take care of the financial calculations for you, without error
• You get a professional document, formatted and ready to be sent to your bank
• You can easily update your financial forecast and track it against actual financial performance to see where the farm stands

If you're interested in using this type of solution, you can try our software for free by signing up here . 

We hope that this article has helped you to better understand how to write the business plan for a cattle farm. Do not hesitate to contact us if you still have questions.

Also on The Business Plan Shop

• How to write a business plan for a poultry farm
• How to write a business plan for a fish farm
• What should you include in your business plan appendices?
• Business plan cost explained
• How to present your sales and marketing strategy in your business plan?

Know someone in the farming industry? Share this article with them!

Founder & CEO at The Business Plan Shop Ltd

Guillaume Le Brouster is a seasoned entrepreneur and financier.

Guillaume has been an entrepreneur for more than a decade and has first-hand experience of starting, running, and growing a successful business.

Prior to being a business owner, Guillaume worked in investment banking and private equity, where he spent most of his time creating complex financial forecasts, writing business plans, and analysing financial statements to make financing and investment decisions.

Guillaume holds a Master's Degree in Finance from ESCP Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Business & Management from Paris Dauphine University.

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Beef Cattle Farming Business Plan [Sample Template]

By: Author Tony Martins Ajaero

Home » Business ideas » Agriculture Industry » Livestock Farming » Cattle and Dairy

Are you about starting a cattle rearing farm for beef ? If YES, here is a complete sample cattle rearing business plan template & feasibility study you can use for FREE. To start with, you may want to consider going on the internet to read up a whole lot about the trade, as well as get information from those who are already in it. Below is a sample cattle rearing business plan template;

A Sample Beef Cattle Farming Business Plan Template

1. industry overview.

The agricultural industry of which livestock farming or better still cattle rearing is a subset of is no doubt among the leading industry in most countries of the world; it is the industry that produce food for the populace and raw materials for industries.

Because of the significant role the agriculture sector plays, the government of most countries ensures that they go all the way to subsidize seedlings, fertilizers, and farming implements and machinery for farmers and also encourage entrepreneurs to go into various kind of farming including cattle rearing.

There are several business opportunities available in the agricultural industry and one good thing about the industry is that there is market for all the produce from the industry. 

Cattle rearing is of course a thriving and profitable business because usefulness of beef and other by products from cattle. People eat beef, drink their milk, and use their fur and skin. With cattle milk, cheese can be made, along with other dairy products.

The Beef Cattle Farming industry is indeed a large industry and pretty much active in countries such as United States of America, Israel, Argentine, Holland, Egypt, China, Germany, Turkey and Nigeria et al. There is no single livestock farming company that has dominate market share in the industry hence smaller cattle rearing business can successfully make profits.

Statistics has it that in the united states of America alone, there are about 38,184registered and licensed livestock farming business responsible for employing about 62,463and the industry rakes in a whooping sum of $13 billion annually. The industry is projected to enjoy 3.1 percent annual growth.

If you are looking towards leveraging on the agriculture industry to generate huge income, then one of your best bet is to start cattle rearing business. Cattle rearing business is all about mass – breeding of cattle ( cows, oxen, bulls, bullocks, steers, heifers and calf et al ) for the sole aim of making profits. In most cases it is referred to as livestock farming business.

One thing is certain about cattle rearing business, if you are able to conduct your market research and feasibility studies , you are more likely not going to struggle to sell your cattle and its products because there are loads of people out there we eat beef, drink milk and industries that make use of byproducts from cattle in manufacturing their products.

Over and above there are few barriers to entry into the livestock production industry. Usually, all inputs are readily available. In the nearest future, players in this industry may face the highest costs associated with accessing technology, especially in relation to genetic modification engineering in livestock breeding.

So also, intellectual property rights protecting new inventions and technology may mean that new entrepreneurs coming into the industry will need to pay license fees and this of course will cause increase in the start – up fee for starting a livestock breeding/cattle rearing business.

2. Executive Summary

Perry Coleman and Family Cattle Ranch, LLC is a registered and licensed livestock farming company that will be based in the outskirt of Dallas, Texas – United States. We have done our detailed market research and feasibility studies and we were able to secure a hundred acres of land to build our cattle ranch and start our cattle rearing business.

Our cattle ranch / cattle rearing business is a going to be standard one hence will be involved in commercial breeding of cows, oxen, bulls, bullocks, steers, heifers and calf et al. We will also be involved in boarding services, breeding services, dairy support services, livestock health services, farrier services, and shearing services as well.

In the nearest future, hopefully within the first five years of officially running Perry Coleman and Family Cattle Ranch, LLC, we will start our meat processing plant and milk processing plant and also start exporting our products to other parts of the world.

Which is why aside from the fact that we’ve secured the required farming land for breeding cattle in commercial level, we have also hired some key employees who are currently undergoing training so as to be able to fit into the ideal picture of the 21 st century cattle rearing business workforce that we want to build.

We are in the cattle rearing business because we want to leverage on the vast opportunities available in the livestock farming industry, to contribute our quota in growing the U.S. economy, in national food (meat) production, raw materials production for industries, to export agriculture produce from the United States to other countries and over and above to make profit.

Perry Coleman and Family Cattle Ranch, LLC is well positioned to become one of the leading cattle rearing business in the United States of America, which is why we have been able to source for the best hands and equipment to run the business.

We have put process and strategies in place that will help us employ best practices when it comes to cattle rearing processes, meat and milk processing and packaging as required by the regulating bodies in the United States of America.

Perry Coleman and Family Cattle Ranch, LLC is a private registered livestock farming company that is owned by Perry Coleman and family. The company will be fully and single handedly financed by the owner – Perry Coleman and his immediate family members at least for a period of time.

Before starting Perry Coleman and Family Cattle Ranch, LLC, Perry Coleman has worked with some of the leading livestock farms in the United States of America. He has worked in the industry for well over 10 years before resigning to start his own cattle rearing business.

3. Our Products and Services

Perry Coleman and Family Cattle Ranch, LLC is a licensed livestock farming business that is committed to cattle rearing, meat and milk processing and packaging for both the United States’ market and the global market. We will also produce related raw materials for industries in commercial quantities.

We will also ensure that we operate a standard food processing plant as part of our complimentary business offering. These are the areas we will concentrate on in our livestock farming business. If need arises we will definitely add more related animal breeding services to our list;

• Boarding services
• Breeding services
• Dairy support services
• Livestock health services
• Farrier services
• Sale and export of cotton wool and other dairy products
• Sale of Cattle and milk
• Sale of processed meat (beef)/can – beef (Processed Diary foods, and can beef et al)
• Shearing services
• Livestock farming related consultancy and advisory services

4. Our Mission and Vision Statement

• Our Vision is to become one of the leading cattle rearing business brands not just in Dallas – Texas, but also in the United States of America.
• Our mission is to sell our produce ( cattle, beef and milk ), byproducts and processed meat in commercial quantities both locally, nationally and internationally.
• We want to build a cattle rearing business that can favorably compete with other leading livestock farming / cattle rearing brands in the United States of America and in the globe.

Our Business Structure

Perry Coleman and Family Cattle Ranch, LLC is a cattle rearing company that intend starting small in Dallas – Texas, but hope to grow big in order to compete favorably with leading cattle rearing and livestock farms in the industry both in the United States and on a global stage.

We are aware of the importance of building a solid business structure that can support the picture of the kind of world class business we want to own. This is why we are committed to only hire the best hands in and around Dallas.

At Perry Coleman and Family Cattle Ranch, LLC, we will ensure that we hire people that are qualified, hardworking, dedicated, customer centric and are ready to work to help us build a prosperous business that will benefit all the stake holders ( the owners, workforce, and customers ).

As a matter of fact, profit-sharing arrangement will be made available to all our senior management staff and it will be based on their performance for a period of five years or more as agreed by the management of the farm. In view of the above, we have decided to hire qualified and competent hands to occupy the following positions; Below is the business structure of Perry Coleman and Family Cattle Ranch, LLC;

• Chief Operating Officer

General Farm Manager

Administrator/Accountant

• Cattle Ranch Manager/Supervisor
• Sales and Marketing Executive
• Field Employees
• Front Desk Officer

5. Job Roles and Responsibilities

Chief Operating Officer:

• Increases management’s effectiveness by recruiting, selecting, orienting, training, coaching, counseling, and disciplining managers; communicating values, strategies, and objectives; assigning accountabilities; planning, monitoring, and appraising job results; developing incentives; developing a climate for offering information and opinions; providing educational opportunities.
• Responsible for providing direction for the business
• Creates, communicates, and implements the organization’s vision, mission, and overall direction – i.e. leading the development and implementation of the overall organization’s strategy.
• Responsible for signing checks and documents on behalf of the company
• Evaluates the success of the organization
• Responsible for the planning, management and coordinating all farm activities across the various sections on behalf of the organization
• Supervises other section manager
• Ensures compliance during project executions
• Provides advice on the management of farming activities across all section
• Responsible for carrying out risk assessment
• Using IT systems and software to keep track of people and progress of the growth of crops, fishes, birds and animals
• Responsible for overseeing the accounting, costing and sale of farm produce after harvest
• Represent the organization’s interest at various stakeholders meetings
• Ensures that farming goals desired result are achieved, the most efficient resources (manpower, equipment, tools and chemicals et al) are utilized and different interests involved are satisfied. Responsible for preparing financial reports, budgets, and financial statements for the organization
• Responsible for overseeing the smooth running of HR and administrative tasks for the organization
• Defines job positions for recruitment and managing interviewing process
• Carries  out staff induction for new team members
• Responsible for training, evaluation and assessment of employees
• Oversees the smooth running of the daily farming activities across the various farming sections.
• Defining job positions for recruitment and managing interviewing process
• Carries out staff induction for new team members
• Responsible for preparing financial reports, budgets, and financial statements for the organization
• Responsible for financial forecasting and risks analysis.
• Responsible for developing and managing financial systems and policies
• Responsible for administering payrolls
• Ensuring compliance with taxation legislation
• Handles all financial transactions for the company
• Serves as internal auditor for the company

Cattle Ranch and Animal Manager/Supervisor

• Responsible for managing the commercial breeding of cattle (cows, oxen, bulls, bullocks, steers, heifers and calf et al)
• Responsible for managing boarding services, breeding services, dairy support services, livestock health services, farrier services, and shearing services et al.
• Works closely with the General Manager to achieve the organizations’ goals and objectives

Sales and Marketing Officer

• Identifies, prioritizes, and reaches out to new partners, and business opportunities et al
• Identifies development opportunities; follows up on development leads and contacts; participates in the structuring and financing of new business
• Writing winning proposal documents, negotiate fees and rates in line with company policy
• Responsible for handling business research, marker surveys and feasibility studies for clients
• Responsible for supervising implementation, advocate for the customer’s needs, and communicate with clients
• Develops, executes and evaluates new plans for expanding increase sales
• Documents all customer contact and information
• Represents the company in strategic meetings
• Helps to increase sales and growth for the company

Field Workers/Contract Staff

• Responsible for feeding cattle and other livestock as instructed by the supervisor
• Responsible for cleaning the cattle ranch
• Change the water in the water trough/trench as instructed by the supervisor on a regular basis
• Handles farm implements and machines as instructed by the section manager/supervisor
• Assists in handling the breeding of cattle
• Carries out task in line with the stated job description
• Assist in transport working tools and equipment from the farm and back to the designated store room
• Handles any other duties as assigned by the farm manager

Client Service Executive/Front Desk Officer

• Welcomes guests and clients by greeting them in person or on the telephone; answering or directing inquiries.
• Ensures that all contacts with clients (e-mail, walk-In center, SMS or phone) provides the client with a personalized customer service experience of the highest level
• Through interaction with clients on the phone, uses every opportunity to build client’s interest in the company’s products and services
• Manages administrative duties assigned by the cattle ranch manager in an effective and timely manner
• Consistently stays abreast of any new information on the company’s products, promotional campaigns etc. to ensure accurate and helpful information is supplied to clients
• Receives parcels/documents for the company
• Distributes mails in the organization
• Handles any other duties as assigned my the line manager

6. SWOT Analysis

Perry Coleman and Family Cattle Ranch, LLC do not intend to launch out with trial and error hence the need to conduct a proper SWOT analysis.

We know that if we get it right from the onset, we would have succeeded in creating the foundation that will help us build a standard cattle rearing business that will favorably compete with leading cattle rearing/livestock farms in the United States of America and in the rest part of the world.

As a cattle rearing business, we look forward to maximizing our strength and opportunities and also to work around our weaknesses and threats. Here is a summary from the result of the SWOT analysis that was conducted on behalf of Perry Coleman and Family Cattle Ranch, LLC;

Our strength as a cattle rearing business is the fact that we have healthy relationships with loads of major players (agriculture merchants) in the livestock farming industry; both suppliers and buyers within and outside of the United States.

We have some of the latest cattle rearing machines; tools and equipment that will help us breed our cattle (cows, oxen, bulls, bullocks, steers, heifers and calf et al) in commercial quantities with less stress. Aside from our relationship (network) and equipment, we can confidently boast that we have some the most experienced hands in cattle rearing/livestock farming industry in our payroll.

Our weakness could be that we are a new cattle rearing business in the United States and we may not have the required cash to pump into the publicity of our business. We are aware of this and from our projection will overcome this weakness with time and turn it to a major advantage for the business.

• Opportunities:

The opportunities that are available to us cannot be quantified, we know that there are loads of homeowners, and industries that will source for cattle ( cows, oxen, bulls, bullocks, steers, heifers and calf et al ), beef, and milk and also industries that will source for the raw materials from our livestock farms both in the United States of America and other parts of the world.

Some of the threats and challenges that you are likely going to face when you start your own cattle rearing are global economic downturn that can impact negatively on household spending, bad weather cum natural disasters ( draughts, epidemics ), unfavorable government policies and the arrival of a competitor ( a commercial farm that rear same animals ) as our cattle ranch within same location.

There is hardly anything you can do as regards this threats and challenges other than to be optimistic that things will continue to work for your good.

7. MARKET ANALYSIS

• Market Trends

One of the common trends in the commercial cattle rearing or livestock farming line of business is that most players in the industry are no longer concentrating only on farming a particular species of livestock or just livestock / cattle farming alone.

They now find it easier to run both livestock farming and crop cultivation. Some even go ahead to include meat and milk processing and packaging business alongside their product offerings; it helps them 8. Our Target Market

Naturally, the target market of those who are the end consumer of livestock farm produce and also those who benefits from the business value chain of the agriculture industry is all encompassing; it is far – reaching.

Every household consumes produce from livestock farms be it meat, milk, and the skin (leather) used for bags, belts and shoes production et al. So also a large chunk of manufacturing companies depends on livestock farms for some of their raw materials. In essence a cattle farmer should be able to sell his or her farm produce to as many people as possible.

We will ensure that we position our business to attract consumers of agriculture produce not just in the United States of America alone but also other parts of the world which is why we will be exporting some of our farm produce either in raw form or processed form to other countries of the world.

Our Competitive Advantage

It is easier to find entrepreneur flocking towards an industry that is known to generate consistent income which is why there are more cattle ranches in the United States of America and of course in most parts of the world.

For example, Statistics has it that there were 2.2 million farms in the United States of America, covering an area of 922 million acres. These goes to show that there are appreciable numbers of farmers in the United States of America but that does not mean that there is stiffer competition in the industry.

As a matter of fact, entrepreneurs are encouraged by the government to embrace commercial farming / livestock farming. This is so because part of the success of any nation is her ability to cultivate her own food and also export foods to other nations of the world.

Perry Coleman and Family Cattle Ranch, LLC is fully aware that there are competitions when it comes to selling livestock and meats all over the globe, which is why we decided to carry out thorough research so as to know how to take advantage of the available market in the United States and in other parts of the world.

We have done our homework and we have been able to highlight some factors that will give us competitive advantage in the marketplace; some of the factors are effective and reliable livestock farming processes that can help us sell our livestock and processed meat and milk at competitive prices, good network and excellent relationship management.

Another competitive advantage that we are bringing to the industry is the fact that we have designed our business in such a way that we will operate an all – round standard commercial livestock farms that will be involved in diverse areas such as animal rearing and meat and milk processing and packaging plant. With this, we will be able to take advantage of all the available opportunities within the industry.

Lastly, our employees will be well taken care of, and their welfare package will be amongst the best in the industry meaning that they will be more than willing to build the business with us and help deliver our set goals and achieve all our objectives as a standard commercial cattle rearing business with a meat and milk processing and packaging plant.

9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY

• Sources of Income

Perry Coleman and Family Cattle Ranch, LLC is in the livestock breeding industry for the purpose of maximizing profits hence we have decided to explore all the available opportunities within the industry to achieve our corporate goals and objectives.

In essence we are not going to rely only on the sale of our livestock to generate income for the business. Below are the sources we intend exploring to generate income for Perry Coleman and Family Cattle Ranch, LLC;

• Sale of Cattle(cows, oxen, bulls, bullocks, steers, heifers and calf et al)  and milk

10. Sales Forecast

From the survey conducted, we were able to discover that the sales generated by a commercial livestock farm / cattle rearing business depends on the size of the ranch, the network of the business. We have been able to critically examine the cattle rearing industry cum commercial livestock farm business and we have analyzed our chances in the industry and we have been able to come up with the following sales forecast.

The sales projection is based on information gathered on the field and some workable assumptions as well with respect to the nature of cattle rearing business that we run. Below are the projections that we were able to come up with for the first three years of running Perry Coleman and Family Cattle Ranch, LLC;

• First Fiscal Year-: $200,000
• Second Fiscal Year-: $450,000
• Third Fiscal Year-: $700,000

N.B : This projection is done based on what is obtainable in the industry and with the assumption that there won’t be any major economic meltdown that can impact negatively on household spending, bad weather cum natural disasters (draughts, epidemics), and unfavorable government policies.

• Marketing Strategy and Sales Strategy

We are quite aware that the reason why some commercial livestock farms hardly make good profits is their inability to sell off their livestock to a larger market. In view of that, we decided to set up a standard meat and milk processing and packing plant to help us maximize profits.

Over and above, we have perfected our sale and marketing strategies first by networking with agriculture merchants and companies that rely on raw materials from the livestock farming industry who are likely to refer become our customers.

In summary, Perry Coleman and Family Cattle Ranch, LLC will adopt the following strategies in marketing our cattle rearing produce;

• Introduce our business by sending introductory letters alongside our brochure to stake holders in the agriculture industry, companies that rely on the livestock farming industry for their raw materials, hotels and restaurants and agriculture produce merchant et al.
• Advertise our business and livestock farms in agro – allied and food related magazines and websites
• List our commercial livestock farms on yellow pages ads (local directories)
• Attend related agriculture and food expos, seminars, and business fairs et al
• Leverage on the internet to promote our business
• Engage in direct marketing
• Encourage the use of Word of mouth marketing (referrals)

11. Publicity and Advertising Strategy

Any business that wants to grow beyond the corner of the street or the city they are operating from must be ready and willing to utilize every available means ( both conventional and non – conventional means ) to advertise and promote the business. We intend growing our business which is why we have perfected plans to build our brand via every available means.

We know that it is important to create strategies that will help us boost our brand awareness and to create a corporate identity for our cattle rearing business. Below are the platforms we want to leverage on to boost our cattle rearing brand and to promote and advertise our business;

• Place adverts on both print (newspapers and magazines) and electronic media platforms
• Sponsor relevant community based events / programs
• Leverage on the internet and social media platforms like; Instagram, Facebook , twitter, YouTube, Google + et al to promote our business
• Install our Bill Boards on strategic locations all around Dallas – Texas
• Engage in road show from time to time in targeted neighborhoods
• Distribute our fliers and handbills in target areas
• Contact corporate organizations and residence in our target areas by calling them up and informing them of Perry Coleman and Family Cattle Ranch, LLC and the farm produce we sell
• List our commercial livestock farms in local directories / yellow pages
• Advertise our commercial cattle ranch in our official website and employ strategies that will help us pull traffic to the site.
• Ensure that all our staff members wear our branded shirts and all our vehicles and trucks are well branded with our company logo et al.

12. Our Pricing Strategy

Some of the factors that will help you sell your farm produce at the right price that will guarantee that you make profits is dependent on your strategy while some of the factors are beyond your control. For example, if the climatic condition is unfavorable and if there is natural disaster in the location where you have your commercial livestock farm, then it will directly affect the prices of your livestock.

Over and above, if you want to get the right pricing for your livestock, then you should ensure that you choose a good location for your cattle ranch, choose a good breed that will guarantee steady and multiple breeding (prolific breeds), cut the cost of running your farm to the barest minimum.

And of course try as much as possible to attract buyers to your farm as against taking your livestock or even your produce to the market to source for buyers; with this, you would have successfully eliminate the cost of transporting the goods to the market and other logistics.

We are quite aware that one of the easiest means of penetrating the market and acquiring loads of customers for all our cattle rearing produce is to sell them at competitive prices hence we will do all we can to ensure that the prices of our livestock and processed and packaged beef and milk are going to be what other commercial livestock farmers would look towards beating.

One thing is certain; the nature of cattle rearing business we are involved in makes it possible for farmers to place prices for their livestock/farm products based on their discretion without following the benchmark in the industry. The truth is that it is one of the means of avoiding running into loss. The easier you sell off your livestock when they are mature the better for your business.

• Payment Options

The payment policy adopted by Perry Coleman and Family Cattle Ranch, LLC is all inclusive because we are quite aware that different customers prefer different payment options as it suits them but at the same time, we will ensure that we abide by the financial rules and regulation of the United States of America.

Here are the payment options that Perry Coleman and Family Cattle Ranch, LLC will make available to her clients;

• Payment via bank transfer
• Payment with cash
• Payment via online bank transfer
• Payment via check
• Payment via bank draft

In view of the above, we have chosen banking platforms that will enable our client make payment for farm produces purchase without any stress on their part.

13. Startup Expenditure (Budget)

When it comes to calculating the cost of starting a cattle rearing business / commercial livestock farm, there are some key factors that should serve as a guide. The most important expenses is the construction of the cattle ranch / cages/fencing as the case may be.

For example, the start – up cost for a fish farm is different from the start – up cost for mechanized crop farming, so also the start – up cost for poultry farming is different from the start – up cost of cattle ranch (dairy farm) et al. As a matter of fact, if you choose to start a mechanized crop farming, then you should be willing to raise huge capital base to start the business.

This is so because some cultivation machines/equipment can be pretty expensive. Below are some of the basic areas we will spend our start – up capital in setting up our cattle rearing business/cattle ranch;

• The Total Fee for incorporating the Business in United States of America – $750.
• The budget for key insurance policies, permits and business license – $2,500
• The amount needed to acquire/lease a farm land  – $150,000
• The amount required for preparing the farm land (for construction of cattle ranch and cages/fencing et al et al) – $100,000
• The cost for acquiring the required working tools and equipment/machines/fencing et al– $50,000
• The amount required for purchase of the first set of cattle (cows, oxen, bulls, bullocks, steers, heifers and calf et al) – $150,000
• The Cost of Launching an official Website – $600
• The amount required for payment of workers for a period of 3 months – $100,000
• Additional Expenditure (Business cards, Signage, Adverts and Promotions et al) – $2,000

Going by the report from detailed research and feasibility studies conducted, we will need an average of $650,000 to start a standard cattle rearing/commercial livestock farming business in the United States of America.

Generating Funding/Startup Jonah Perry Coleman and Family Cattle Ranch, LLC

No matter how fantastic your business idea might be, if you don’t have the required money to finance the business, the business might not become a reality. Finance is a very important factor when it comes to starting a business such as cattle rearing.

No doubt raising start – up capital for a business might not come cheap, but it is a task that an entrepreneur must go through.

Perry Coleman and Family Cattle Ranch, LLC is a family owned business and it will be financed by the owners of the cattle ranch – Perry Coleman and family. These are the areas where we intend sourcing for fund for Jonah Livingston and Family Farms Ltd;

• Generate part of the start – up capital from personal savings and sale of his stocks
• Generate part of the start – up capital from friends and other extended family members
• Generate a larger chunk of the startup capital from the bank (loan facility).

N.B: We have been able to generate about $200,000 (Personal savings $150,000 and soft loan from family members $50,000 ) and we are at the final stages of obtaining a loan facility of $450,000 from our bank. All the papers and document has been duly signed and submitted, the loan has been approved and any moment from now our account will be credited.

14. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy

The future of a business lies in the numbers of loyal customers that they have the capacity and competence of the employees, their investment strategy and the business structure. If all of these factors are missing from a business (company), then it won’t be too long before the business close shop.

One of our major goals of starting Perry Coleman and Family Cattle Ranch, LLC is to build a business that will survive off its own cash flow without the need for injecting finance from external sources once the business is officially running.

We know that one of the ways of gaining approval and winning customers over is to sell our farm produce ( livestock and processed beef and milk ) a little bit cheaper than what is obtainable in the market and we are well prepared to survive on lower profit margin for a while.

Perry Coleman and Family Cattle Ranch, LLC will make sure that the right foundation, structures and processes are put in place to ensure that our staff welfare are well taken of. Our organization’s corporate culture is designed to drive our business to greater heights and training and retraining of our workforce is at the top burner of our business strategy.

As a matter of fact, profit-sharing arrangement will be made available to all our management staff and it will be based on their performance for a period of five years or more as determined by the management of the organization. We know that if that is put in place, we will be able to successfully hire and retain the best hands we can get in the industry; they will be more committed to help us build the business of our dreams.

Check List/Milestone

• Business Name Availability Check : Completed
• Business Incorporation: Completed
• Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts various banks in the United States: Completed
• Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed
• Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress
• Application for business license and permit: Completed
• Purchase of All form of Insurance for the Business: Completed
• Leasing of farm land in Dallas – Texas: Completed
• Conducting Feasibility Studies: Completed
• Start – up Capital Generation: Completed
• Writing of Business Plan: Completed
• Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
• Design of The Company’s Logo: Completed
• Graphic Designs and Printing of Packaging Marketing / Promotional Materials: Completed
• Recruitment of employees: In Progress
• Building /construction of cages and fence et al: In Progress
• Purchase of the needed working tools, machines and equipment: Completed
• Creating Official Website for the Company: In Progress
• Creating Awareness for the business (Business PR): In Progress
• Farm land Treatment, Health and Safety Arrangement: In Progress
• Establishing business relationship with key players in the industry (agriculture farm produce merchants and transporter / haulage): Completed

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Cattle Farming Business Plan Template [Updated 2024]

Cattle Farming Business Plan Template

If you want to start a Cattle Farming business or expand your current Cattle Farming business, you need a business plan.

The following Cattle Farming business plan template gives you the key elements to include in a winning business plan. The template can be used for a beef cattle business plan, a livestock business plan or any other cattle farming business plan.

You can download our Business Plan Template (including a full, customizable financial model) to your computer here.

Below are links to each of the key sections of a Cattle Farming business plan sample:

Cattle Farming Business Plan Home I. Executive Summary II. Company Overview III. Industry Analysis IV. Customer Analysis V. Competitive Analysis VI. Marketing Plan VII. Operations Plan VIII. Management Team IX. Financial Plan

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Livestock Farming Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Livestock Farming Business Plan

You’ve come to the right place to create your Livestock Farming business plan.

We have helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans and many have used them to start or grow their Livestock Farms.

Below is a template to help you create each section of your Livestock Farming business plan.

Executive Summary

Business overview.

Bear Creek Farms is a new livestock farm located just outside of Austin, Texas, near Bear Creek. The company operates a 1000-acre farm that is home to hundreds of pastured cattle, pigs, and sheep. The farm will produce milk, cheese, and meat to sell to grocery stores, restaurants, and individuals located in the Austin area. We aim to be the largest producer of meat and dairy in the region in the next decade, all while keeping our commitment to raising our livestock ethically and sustainably.

Bear Creek Farms is founded and run by Barry Ellis. Barry has worked on local farms for the past ten years, starting off as a farm hand and working his way into a farm operations manager position. As such, Barry has extensive experience running a livestock farm and will be able to make Bear Creek Farms one of the most profitable farms in the region.

Product Offering

Bear Creek Farms will be involved in the commercial breeding and care of cattle, pigs, and sheep to provide the following products:

Customer Focus

Bear Creek Farms will target all residents living in Austin, Texas, and the surrounding areas. We will primarily target local grocery stores and restaurants but will also offer an online store where local residents can purchase our products directly from the farm.

Management Team

Bear Creek Farms is founded and run by Barry Ellis. Barry has worked in the livestock farming industry for over a decade, starting off as a farmhand and working his way up into a management position. As such, he has extensive experience in running a livestock farm as well as considerable knowledge of the industry. He is committed to running the farm with a strict code of ethics and sustainability practices, which will help us stand out from the competition. His leadership experience and industry expertise will be the farm’s greatest assets.

Success Factors

Bear Creek Farms will be able to achieve success by offering the following competitive advantages:

• There is a high demand for meat and milk in the community. The demand is currently not being met by local and regional farms.
• Bear Creek Farms will employ a team of friendly, knowledgeable, and highly qualified farmhands.
• The farm will be a major producer of several meat and dairy products to cater to a wide demographic.
• Bear Creek Farms will offer the best pricing in town. The pricing structure is the most cost-effective when compared to the competition.

Financial Highlights

Bear Creek Farms is currently seeking $1,000,000 to start the company. The funding will be dedicated to securing the farmland and purchasing the necessary equipment and supplies. Funding will also be dedicated towards three months of overhead costs to include the payroll of the staff and marketing costs for the farm. The breakout of the funding is below:

• Land and Equipment: $500,000
• Livestock Care Supplies: $200,000
• Three Months of Overhead Expenses (Payroll, Rent, Utilities): $150,000
• Marketing Costs: $50,000
• Working Capital: $100,000

The following graph below outlines the pro forma financial projections for Bear Creek Farms.

Company Overview

Who is bear creek farms.

Bear Creek Farms is a new livestock farm located just outside of Austin, Texas. Our mission is to become the largest supplier of meat and dairy products in the region over the next decade. The region is currently experiencing a shortage, and local farms cannot keep up with demand. Our farm will help meet this demand but also provide locals with better products that are priced moderately. The residents of Austin will soon learn that we offer the best meat and dairy products, making us the most popular farm in the region.

  Bear Creek Farms will commit itself to a strong code of ethics and sustainable practices. This will ensure that all livestock are well cared for and that our products are of the highest quality. It will also ensure that our farm continues to operate efficiently for decades to come.

Bear Creek Farms History

Barry incorporated Bear Creek Farms as an S corporation on May 1st, 2023. Barry has selected an initial location and is currently undergoing due diligence on it and the local market to assess if it is a suitable location for a commercial livestock farm.

Since incorporation, the company has achieved the following milestones:

• Found a potential farm location
• Developed the company’s name, logo, and website
• Determined supply requirements
• Began recruiting key employees

Bear Creek Farms Services

Bear Creek Farms will be home to hundreds of cattle, sheep, and pigs. All livestock will be pastured and treated with great care. The farm will adhere to a strict set of ethics and sustainable practices.

We will raise all of the livestock to produce meat and dairy products. Some of these products will include:

Industry Analysis

Bear Creek Farms competes against large-scale livestock farmers in the U.S. The livestock industry remains in strong demand as meat is a common staple in most Americans’ diets.

The improved living standards for many people in the country have resulted in a shift in meat preferences, with most choosing beef-based products rather than products derived from pork and chicken. Farms that understand these changing diet trends will have a competitive advantage by offering their target market the exact products they demand.

The livestock production industry faces many challenges, including droughts/climate change, rising labor costs, the price of feed, and the increasing popularity of plant-based diets. The primary factor that works in the industry’s favor is the rapid improvement of farming technology and automation.

Despite these challenges, the livestock industry is still going strong. According to Markets and Markets, the precision livestock industry was valued at $5.2 billion in 2022 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.99% from now until 2030. This projected growth shows that Bear Creek Farms is sure to be a very profitable and successful business.

Customer Analysis

Demographic profile of target market, customer segmentation.

Bear Creek Farms will primarily target the following customer profiles:

• Local meat and dairy consumers
• Grocery stores
• Restaurants

Competitive Analysis

Direct and indirect competitors.

Bear Creek Farms will face competition from other companies with similar business profiles. A description of each competitor company is below.

Lone Star Livestock Farms

Lone Star Livestock Farms is one of the largest livestock farms in the state of Texas. The company boasts an 8,000-ha farm that is home to thousands of livestock. Lone Star Livestock Farms also has well-established relationships with local retailers and is one of the most popular producers of meat and dairy in the region. Lone Star has been in operation for nearly 50 years and has automated equipment and machines that consistently improve operations.

Rolling Hills Farm

Rolling Hills Farm has been a major cattle farm in Texas since 1990. The farm provides excellent quality beef at an affordable price due to its advanced machinery and automated processes. Rolling Hills products can be found in nearly every grocery store and restaurant in the region. The farm also has a large distribution network that can serve customers up to a 500-mile radius. Since Rolling Hills Farm only produces beef, steak, and milk, it will only be a competitor for target markets that buy these products.

SW Livestock, Inc.

SW Livestock, Inc. has been in business for the past 50 years and enjoys great success. SW Livestock, Inc. is one of the largest livestock producers in the southern half of the United States, and its products can be found in nearly every grocery store across 15 states. The farm produces a wide variety of products, including milk, beef, steak, bacon, and pork. SW Livestock, Inc. is an enormous operation, making it our largest competitor.

Competitive Advantage

Bear Creek Farms will be able to offer the following advantages over their competition:

• Management : The company’s management team has years of farm and marketing experience that allows them to market and serve customers in an improved and more sophisticated manner than the competitors.
• Relationships : Having lived in the community for 20 years, Barry Ellis knows all of the local leaders, media, and other influencers. As such, it will be relatively easy for Bear Creek Farms to build brand awareness and an initial customer base.
• Quality products at affordable pricing : The company will provide quality meat and dairy products at affordable pricing.
• Sustainable packaging : Bear Creek Farms will utilize product-oriented packaging materials that can reduce the damage to the products at the time of supply. The packaging will also be made from sustainable materials to keep our farm’s commitment to sustainability.

Marketing Plan

Brand & value proposition.

Bear Creek Farms will offer a unique value proposition to its clientele:

• Efficient and quick delivery network
• Quality, sustainable packaging
• Delicious, high-quality products at a moderate price
• Excellent customer service and long-lasting client relationships

Promotions Strategy

The promotions strategy for Bear Creek Farms is as follows:

Social Media Marketing

Social media is one of the most cost-effective and practical marketing methods for improving brand visibility. The company will use social media to develop engaging content, such as sharing pictures of the livestock and creating educational content about the industry.

Website/SEO Marketing

Bear Creek Farms will develop a professional website that showcases pictures of the farm and its livestock. It will also invest in SEO so that the company’s website will appear at the top of search engine results.

Word of Mouth/Referrals

Barry Ellis has built up an extensive list of contacts over the years by living and working in the livestock farming industry. Since a number of local livestock farms have ceased operations, they have committed to Barry that Bear Creek Farms will be their livestock supplier. They trust his work ethic and commitment to the local community.

Bear Creek Farms will highlight our location, livestock, and products on a major billboard facing the busiest highway in town. The billboard will provide the location of Bear Creek Farms and the website URL.

Bear Creek Farms’ pricing will be moderate, so customers feel they receive great value when availing of the products. Pricing will be about 50% lower than retail prices to allow wholesalers and retailers to earn their margins.

Operations Plan

The following will be the operations plan for Bear Creek Farms. Operation Functions:

• Barry Ellis will be the Owner and President of the company. He will oversee all staff and manage the general operations of the farm. Barry has spent the past year recruiting the following staff:
• Jane Silver– Accountant who will manage all client invoicing, billing, and payables.
• Michelle Vance – Marketing Assistant who will run all the marketing and promotions campaigns.
• Eric Mason– Head Farmhand who will oversee the farming staff and day-to-day operations.
• Rebecca Wright– Distribution Manager who will oversee the packaging and distribution of all products.
• Over the next several months, Barry and Eric will hire several farmhands to help manage the livestock and the farm.

Milestones:

Bear Creek Farms will have the following milestones completed in the next six months.

• 6/2023 – Finalize purchase of farmland
• 7/2023 – Purchase farm equipment, supplies, and materials
• 8/2023 – Finalize contracts for grocery store chains and restaurant clients
• 9/2023 – Purchase initial livestock
• 10/2023 – Hire and train farm staff
• 11/2023 – Bear Creek Farms begins farm operations

Though Barry has never run a business himself, he has been in the industry long enough to develop an in-depth knowledge of the operations and administrative sides of the business. He will hire other professionals who can help with the other aspects of the business he is unfamiliar with, such as marketing and accounting.

Financial Plan

Key revenue & costs.

Bear Creek Farms’ revenues will come from the sales of meat and dairy products to its customers. The major costs for the company will be the cost of land and equipment. The staff will earn competitive salaries allowing Bear Creek Farms to hire experienced workers. In the initial years, the company’s marketing spending will be high as it establishes itself in the market.

Funding Requirements and Use of Funds

Key assumptions.

The following outlines the key assumptions required to achieve the revenue and cost numbers in the financials and pay off the startup business loan.

• Number of Cows: 100
• Number of Pigs: 200
• Number of Sheep: 250
• Average Revenue per Animal: $500
• Number of Products Sold Per Year: 100,000

Financial Projections

Income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement, livestock farming business plan faqs, what is a livestock farming business plan.

A livestock farming business plan is a plan to start and/or grow your livestock farming business. Among other things, it outlines your business concept, identifies your target customers, presents your marketing plan and details your financial projections.

You can easily complete your Livestock Farming business plan using our Livestock Farming Business Plan Template here .

What are the Main Types of Livestock Farming Businesses? 

There are a number of different kinds of livestock farming businesses , some examples include: Cattle Ranching, Sheep Farming, Chicken Farming, and Hog Farming.

How Do You Get Funding for Your Livestock Farming Business Plan?

Livestock Farming businesses are often funded through small business loans. Personal savings, credit card financing and angel investors are also popular forms of funding.

What are the Steps To Start a Livestock Farming Business?

Starting a livestock farming business can be an exciting endeavor. Having a clear roadmap of the steps to start a business will help you stay focused on your goals and get started faster.

1. Develop A Livestock Farming Business Plan - The first step in starting a business is to create a detailed livestock farming business plan that outlines all aspects of the venture. This should include potential market size and target customers, the services or products you will offer, pricing strategies and a detailed financial forecast.

2. Choose Your Legal Structure - It's important to select an appropriate legal entity for your livestock farming business. This could be a limited liability company (LLC), corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship. Each type has its own benefits and drawbacks so it’s important to do research and choose wisely so that your livestock farming business is in compliance with local laws.

3. Register Your Livestock Farming Business - Once you have chosen a legal structure, the next step is to register your livestock farming business with the government or state where you’re operating from. This includes obtaining licenses and permits as required by federal, state, and local laws.

4. Identify Financing Options - It’s likely that you’ll need some capital to start your livestock farming business, so take some time to identify what financing options are available such as bank loans, investor funding, grants, or crowdfunding platforms.

5. Choose a Location - Whether you plan on operating out of a physical location or not, you should always have an idea of where you’ll be based should it become necessary in the future as well as what kind of space would be suitable for your operations.

6. Hire Employees - There are several ways to find qualified employees including job boards like LinkedIn or Indeed as well as hiring agencies if needed – depending on what type of employees you need it might also be more effective to reach out directly through networking events.

7. Acquire Necessary Livestock Farming Equipment & Supplies - In order to start your livestock farming business, you'll need to purchase all of the necessary equipment and supplies to run a successful operation. 

8. Market & Promote Your Business - Once you have all the necessary pieces in place, it’s time to start promoting and marketing your livestock farming business. This includes creating a website, utilizing social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, and having an effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. You should also consider traditional marketing techniques such as radio or print advertising.

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How to Start a Farm: Plan Your Operation

Think about your operation from the ground up and start planning for your business.  A good farm business plan is your roadmap to start-up, profitability, and growth, and provides the foundation for your conversation with USDA about how our programs can complement your operation. 

Keep reading about planning your business below, get an overview of the beginning farmer's journey , or jump to a different section of the farmer's journey.

On This Page

Why you need a farm business plan.

A comprehensive business plan is an important first step for any size business, no matter how simple or complex. You should create a strong business plan because it:

• Will help you get organized . It will help you to remember all of the details and make sure you are taking all of the necessary steps.
• Will act as your guide . It will help you to think carefully about why you want to farm or ranch and what you want to achieve in the future. Over time, you can look back at your business plan and determine whether you are achieving your goals.
• Is required to get a loan . In order to get an FSA loan, a guarantee on a loan made by a commercial lender, or a land contract, you need to create a detailed business plan . Lenders look closely at business plans to determine if you can afford to repay the loan.

How USDA Can Help

Whether you need a good get-started guide, have a plan that you would like to verify, or have a plan you’re looking to update for your next growth phase, USDA can help connect you to resources to help your decisions.

Your state's beginning farmer and rancher coordinator  can connect you to local resources in your community to help you establish a successful business plan. Reach out to your state's coordinator for one-on-one technical assistance and guidance. They can also connect you with organizations that specifically serve beginning farmers and ranchers.

It is important to know that no single solution fits everyone, and you should research, seek guidance, and make the best decision for your operation according to your own individual priorities.

Build a Farm Business Plan

There are many different styles of business plans. Some are written documents; others may be a set of worksheets that you complete. No matter what format you choose, several key aspects of your operation are important to consider.

Use the guidelines below to draft your business plan. Answering these kinds of questions in detail will help you create and develop your final business plan. Once you have a business plan for your operation, prepare for your visit to a USDA service center. During your visit, we can help you with the necessary steps to register your business and get access to key USDA programs.

Business History

Are you starting a new farm or ranch, or are you already in business? If you are already in business:

• What products do you produce?
• What is the size of your operation?
• What agricultural production and financial management training or experience do you, your family members, or your business partners have?
• How long have you been in business?

Mission, Vision, and Goals

This is your business. Defining your mission, vision and goals is crucial to the success of your business. These questions will help provide a basis for developing other aspects of your business plan.

• What values are important to you and the operation as a whole?
• What short- and long-term goals do you have for your operation?
• How do you plan to start, expand, or change your operation?
• What plans do you have to make your operation efficient or more profitable ?
• What type of farm or ranch model (conventional, sustainable, organic, or alternative agricultural practices) do you plan to use?

Organization and Management

Starting your own business is no small feat. You will need to determine how your business will be structured and organized, and who will manage (or help manage) your business. You will need to be able to convey this to others who are involved as well.

• What is the legal structure of your business? Will it be a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, trust, limited liability company, or other type of entity?
• What help will you need in operating and managing your farm or ranch?
• What other resources, such as a mentor or community-based organization , do you plan to use?

Marketing is a valuable tool for businesses. It can help your businesses increase brand awareness, engagement and sales. It is important to narrow down your target audience and think about what you are providing that others cannot.

• What are you going to produce ?
• Who is your target consumer ?
• Is there demand for what you are planning to produce?
• What is the cost of production?
• How much will you sell it for and when do you expect to see profit ?
• How will you get your product to consumers ? What are the transportation costs and requirements?
• How will you market your products?
• Do you know the relevant federal, state, and local food safety regulations? What licensing do you need for your operation?

Today there are many types of land, tools, and resources to choose from. You will need to think about what you currently have and what you will need to obtain to achieve your goals.

• What resources do you have or will you need for your business?
• Do you already have access to farmland ? If not, do you plan to lease, rent, or purchase land?
• What equipment do you need?
• Is the equipment and real estate that you own or rent adequate to conduct your operation? If not, how do you plan to address those needs?
• Will you be implementing any conservation practices to sustain your operation?
• What types of workers will you need to operate the farm?
• What additional resources do you need?

Now that you have an idea of what you are going to provide and what you will need to run your operation you will need to consider the finances of your operation.

• How will you finance the business?
• What are your current assets (property or investments you own) and liabilities (debts, loans, or payments you owe)?
• Will the income you generate be sufficient to pay your operating expenses, living expenses, and loan payments?
• What other sources of income are available to supplement your business income?
• What business expenses will you incur?
• What family living expenses do you pay?
• What are some potential risks or challenges you foresee for your operation? How will you manage those risks?
• How will you measure the success of your business?

Farm Business Plan Worksheets

The Farm Business Plan Balance Sheet can help gather information for the financial and operational aspects of your plan.

Form FSA-2037 is a template that gathers information on your assets and liabilities like farm equipment, vehicles and existing loans.

• FSA-2037 - Farm Business Plan - Balance Sheet
• FSA-2037 Instructions

Planning for Conservation and Risk Management

Another key tool is a conservation plan, which determines how you want to improve the health of your land. A conservation plan can help you lay out your plan to address resource needs, costs and schedules.

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) staff are available at your local USDA Service Center to help you develop a conservation plan for your land based on your goals. NRCS staff can also help you explore conservation programs and initiatives, such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) .

Conservation in Agriculture

Crop insurance, whole farm revenue protection and other resources can help you prepare for unforeseen challenges like natural disasters.

Disaster Recovery

Special Considerations

Special considerations for businesses.

There are different types of farm businesses each with their own unique considerations. Determine what applies to your operation.

• Organic Farming  has unique considerations. Learn about organic agriculture , organic certification , and the  Organic Certification Cost Share Program  to see if an organic business is an option for you. NRCS also has resources for organic producers and offers assistance to develop a conservation plan.
• Urban Farming  has special opportunities and restrictions. Learn how USDA can help farmers in urban spaces .
• Value-Added Products . The Agricultural Marketing Resource Center (AgMRC) is a national virtual resource center for value-added agricultural groups.
• Cooperative.  If you are interested in starting a cooperative, USDA’s Rural Development Agency (RD) has helpful resources to help you begin . State-based  Cooperative Development Centers , partially funded by RD, provide technical assistance and education on starting a cooperative.

Special Considerations for Individuals

Historically Underserved Farmers and Ranchers: We offer help for the unique concerns of producers who meet the USDA definition of "historically underserved,"  which includes farmers who are:

• socially disadvantaged
• limited resource
• military veterans

Women: Learn about specific incentives, priorities, and set asides for  women in agriculture within USDA programs.

Heirs' Property Landowners: If you inherited land without a clear title or documented legal ownership, learn how USDA can help Heirs’ Property Landowners gain access to a variety of programs and services

Business Planning

Creating a good business plan takes time and effort. The following are some key resources for planning your business.

• Farm Answers from the University of Minnesota features a library of how-to resources and guidance, a directory of beginning farmer training programs, and other sources of information in agriculture. The library includes business planning guides such as a Guide to Developing a Business Plan for Farms and Rural Businesses and an Example Business Plan .
• The Small Business Administration (SBA) offers information about starting, managing, and transitioning a business.

SCORE is a nonprofit organization with a network of volunteers who have experience in running and managing businesses. The Score Mentorship Program partners with USDA to provide:

• Free, local support and resources, including business planning help, financial guidance, growth strategies.
• Mentorship through one-on-one business coaching -- in-person, online, and by phone.
• Training from subject matter experts with agribusiness experience.
• Online resources and step-by-step outlines for business strategies.
• Learn more about the program through the Score FAQ .

Training Opportunities

Attend field days, workshops, courses, or formal education programs to build necessary skills to ensure you can successfully produce your selected farm products and/or services. Many local and regional agricultural organizations, including USDA and Cooperative Extension, offer training to beginning farmers.

• Cooperative Extension  offices address common issues faced by agricultural producers, and conduct workshops and educational events for the agricultural community.
• extension.org  is an online community for the Cooperative Extension program where you can find publications and ask experts for advice.

Now that you have a basic plan for your farm operation, prepare for your visit to a USDA service center.

2. Visit Your USDA Service Center

How to Start a Farm with USDA

Get an  overview of the beginning farmer's journey  or jump to a specific page below.

Find Your Local Service Center

USDA Service Centers are locations where you can connect with Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, or Rural Development employees for your business needs. Enter your state and county below to find your local service center and agency offices. If this locator does not work in your browser, please visit offices.usda.gov.

Learn more about our Urban Service Centers . Visit the Risk Management Agency website to find a regional or compliance office  or to find an insurance agent near you.

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Cattle Farming Business Plan Template

Oct.08, 2013

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Table of Content

The demand for livestock products such as milk and beef is at an all-time across the globe. This turn of events has resulted in an increase in the number of cattle farms that are being constructed across the world to meet the demand for these products. If you are thinking of doing the same, it is important that you prepare a cattle farming business plan to help you steer the farm in the right direction.

OGS Capital is a reputable firm that has been offering business plan writing services for the last ten years. We have managed to serve thousands of clients from all parts of the world, and our reputation online and offline is clear proof that we deliver on our clients’ expectations and promises that we make at the start of our engagement.

Reasons Why Cattle Farming is Profitable

Before venturing into any form of business, it is crucial that you understand how the industry works. Get to know the type of services and products that the customers want. Get an estimate of the total amount of money that you would need to start a business. Our team did a research about cattle farming to save you time and money, and here are the top reasons why this form of farming is profitable.

• High demand for high-quality cattle products
• Use of modern equipment has streamlined operations and operating costs
• Full array of Growth Opportunities

To venture into this business through the right channel, you need to understand the importance of a cattle farming business plan . We recently held an open discussion with our staff and clients whom we have in the past written cattle farming business plan for; and here is a summary of that discussion.

Understanding the Market Demographics

The market demographics are important and cannot be ignored no matter the type of business that you intend to start. To write a cattle farming business plan, you will need to understand these demographics and the only way to do that is through a feasibility study. For instance, you need to know the type of feeds that you should purchase and the best cattle breeds in the market.

Hence, the cattle farming business plan will not only require you to do the feasibility study but also give you additional information on how to run the business.

Encouraging Transparency and Avoiding Losses

Transparency will help in ensuring that the cattle farm is not only successful in the short term but also on a long-term basis. Therefore, it is important to come up with concrete ways of promoting transparency in the farm. The accounting department needs to have a system to ensure that it does not make unjustified payments to suppliers and other people who do business with the farm directly.

A cattle farming business plan prepared by one of our experts will provide clear guidelines on how to encourage transparency in the farm. We will also go an extra mile and come up with a decision-making strategy that you can count on to make the right decisions and avert losses.

Makes Hiring Easier and Promotes Efficiency

The cattle farm needs a group of experts to contribute to making the right choices. Our team will help you get experts from the job market that has the required skills and expertise. We will provide ideas on what you should look out for when evaluating the job candidates. Without this information being included in the beef cattle farming business plan, you may not succeed in getting financing for the business plan from investors .

In addition, we will interact with you and give you professional advice on how to promote efficiency in the farm to safeguard its profitability. Note that one of the main reasons most cattle farms fail is due to poor management and lack of efficiency among many other factors.

These are the three most important benefits that you are guaranteed to enjoy by seeking professional cattle farm business plan writing services . Get in touch with our support team for more information on what we can do to ensure that your cattle farm succeeds by filling this quick form.

We will carefully evaluate and consider all information that you provide before embarking on writing the cattle farming business plan, and this will ensure that it is as comprehensive and detailed as possible.

Download Cattle Farming Business Plan Sample in pdf

OGScapital writer specializes business plan themes such as chicken farming business plan , dairy farm business plan , goat farming business plan , pig farm business plan , poultry farming business plan , fish farm business plan and etc.

OGSCapital’s team has assisted thousands of entrepreneurs with top-rate business plan development, consultancy and analysis. They’ve helped thousands of SME owners secure more than $1.5 billion in funding, and they can do the same for you.

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How to Write a Business Plan for Farming and Raising Livestock

Last Updated: May 4, 2023 Approved

This article was co-authored by Karin Lindquist . Karin Lindquist earned a BSc in Agriculture as an Animal Science major from the University of Alberta, Canada. She has over 20 years of experience working with cattle and crops. She's worked for a mixed-practice veterinarian, as a sales representative in a farm supply store, and as a research assistant doing rangeland, soil, and crop research. She currently works as a forage and beef agriculture extension specialist, advising farmers on a variety of issues relating to their cattle and the forages they grow and harvest. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 17 testimonials and 93% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 382,501 times.

A business plan is essential to have in place before you seek to start up a farm business, no matter what else you've done by way of preparation. In today's world, animal agriculture is more complex and more variable than it was 100 years ago. There are changing markets, high costs, low profit margins, different ways to raise cattle, and niche markets. The type of business plan you make is up to you, but the following step-by-step process of making a proper business plan will help you in the long run.

• You should be mainly brainstorming about your goals and objectives. [1] X Research source It's much more effective to run any business when you have a goal in mind to reach rather than having vague ideas of "wanting to do something with animals". That's simply not enough, and is certainly not going to get you anywhere fast!
• As you consider your goals, remember that strategy is not the same as marketing. The strategy for your business is how you plan to deliver value to your customers (your "value proposition"), how you intend to you convince potential customers to obtain that value from you by communicating your distinctiveness as a producer (or, what makes you different from other farms or ranches), and why you can deliver that value better than other producers (your performance anatomy). Your marketing plan should explain how you intend to communicate your strategy to your existing and potential customers. [2] X Research source

• Such an analysis is very simple and flexible to use, since you can use it to analyze your personal self, your business, or the industry you are wishing to start a career in.
• Internal forces that you have control over such as what breeds you choose, whether you want to run an intensive or extensive operation, how you feed your animals, etc.
• External forces that you have no control over such as the weather, the topography and soil-type of the land you are farming/ranching on, local, national and international industry issues, market prices, product demand and consumer preferences.
• Also analyze your farm, the land your farm sits on and your family. Ask similar questions as mentioned above, only with your family you will need to ask about times you should have to spend with them, what will happen if you put your farming operation before your family, what you can do to encourage and teach your kids to be involved in your operation, etc.
• The more research about what you're getting into that you do at this stage, the more aware you will be of what to expect when surprises do come. When you finally get started on your business plan, you'll be far more aware of the pitfalls, challenges , needs and requirements it takes to be involved and compete in the kind of livestock/farming operation you want to have.

• Where am I at now? Include a SWOT analysis (see earlier step), for these areas: customers, operations, human resources, and finance . If you don't have a business, a SWOT analysis as mentioned in the previous step is totally fine.
• Personal goals include things like working fewer hours, furthering your education in areas like different commodity markets or accounting and production programs, etc.
• Business goals are focused mainly on the farm unit as a business entity; examples include maximum debt load to carry, possibly owning or controlling x number acres, etc.
• How do I get there? This is the most important part of your business plan, because this is the area where you put on paper how you want to get the things you want for a better you, family and business. Brainstorming is great tool to use in this section, as you can always have a Plan B, C, D, etc., in addition to your Plan A.
• How do I know I have arrived? If you visualize your business plan as a journey, it is not difficult to understand that you will need to measure your progress along the way and determine if you are moving towards your goals, spinning your wheels or rolling backwards. This is done by defining, collecting and reviewing metrics, measurements and Key Performance Indicators on a regular basis in order to validate your plan and decisions, direct your future activities, justify any modifications to the plan and intervene when things are not happening according to the plan. All your goals should be measurable. Metrics and measurements will give you the answer to this important question.

• Vision Statement: A statement of what you or your farm will look like in the next 5 to 10 years.
• Mission: This determines or defines the purpose the organization attempts to perform in society. This statement should concisely explain what the company does, for whom and why.
• Values: These are general standards or guidelines that are important to your farm and farm family.
• Situational Analysis: This is the process of identifying and understanding how your business is positioned within the environment you operate, both internal and external. Step 3 is what this part of the strategic plan is all about.
• Goals: What are the major achievements you would like to accomplish in the next 3 to 5 years?
• Objectives: How do you plan on achieving your goals?
• Critical Success Factors: Areas of performance critical to long-term successes of an organization, and its development, growth and achievement. For each CSF you should define one or more Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), which are metrics you will use to determine if you are achieving your CSFs. CSFs are expressed as general statements of goals ("Maintain customer satisfaction.") while KPIs are more specific ("Decrease in number of product packaging complaints.")
• In a nutshell, you don't have to go through the headache of answering all of the questions posted above. Instead, use the three simple questions above in Step 4 as a means to answer all 8 of these standard business-plan questions.
• Production resources are also important to mention: Land base, Equipment base, and Buildings and Structures.
• Marketing Plan: Where and how will you sell your commodities? Remember, selling is just getting rid of what you have. When you market, you have to plan to sell commodities at a good price.
• Financial Plan: This includes budget analysis, revenues and expenses, debt, unpaid labour, opportunity costs, benchmark analysis of yourself from other operations, statements of cash flow , depreciation of machinery, animals, buildings, etc., wages, family living costs, etc.
• Human Resources plan: Most farms rely on one worker (i.e., the owner) to run the operation. But, nonetheless, human resource plans should highlight hiring issues facing the business and how to address them. It should further describe the kind of people that are required to operate the business (general responsibilities, title, skills, availability and any training programs needed.)
• Plan: Establish the objectives for whatever it is you intend to do, the processes necessary achieve those objectives and the metrics and measurements required to control the processes and prove that the objectives are being achieved.
• Do: Execute the plan and collect metrics and measurements along the way as defined in the previous phase.
• Check: Review the results, metrics and measurements and determine if any improvements can and should be made to the plan.
• Act: Implement the improvements so the next time the process is executed the results will be better.
• Succession Planning . This can be the hardest part of a business plan, as one has to plan what should happen if the main operator is injured or worse, dies. Succession planning includes developing a continuity plan for your business and determining the process of transitioning a business to new owners. This transition may be an outside sale (equipment and land auction sale), or an inheritance sale (passing the business down to the next generation). [7] X Research source

• Proprietorship : This is the simplest form of business organization. It primarily involves one person running the whole she-bang. Debts and negligent acts committed by employees are the responsibility of the proprietor. But, all the legal complications and expenses and negotiations for agreements are not required, nor is a business name required.
• General Partnership : This means two or three people running an operation. With more than one person running a farm, this means that the business must have a registered name, and each partner is responsible for all debts, obligations and liabilities of the operation. This partnership automatically dissolves with a death, bankruptcy, or insolvency.
• Limited Partnership : This is basically one person is responsible for everything in the firm, whereas the other is only there to supply capital, nothing more or less. A limited partner has no active part in the goings-on of an operation, but he may inspect the books of the firm and advise management.
• Co-ownership : This is where two or more persons own property jointly.
• Joint Venture : This is commonly used in farming, where there is a joint partnership between parties, and is created in order to conduct a specific or limited commercial venture without creating a partnership. This is commonly a temporary arrangement between two parties.
• Corporations : These are legal entities where shareholders own the corporation through the ownership of shares. It is a separate legal entity, distinct from its shareholders. The individual shareholder's liability is limited to that person's investments in the corporation, unless the shareholder has personally guaranteed the obligations of the corporation. A corporation can provide very flexible framework in terms of succession to the next generation. The owner may also give employees shares in the growth and profit of the operation without giving up management rights of a partner.
• Trust: This is a relationship where legal ownership of the property is separated from beneficial ownership of the property.

Community Q&A

• Ask for help when writing a business plan. Get a professional business analyst or someone similar with lots of experience analyzing and writing up such plans so they can help you if and when you are stuck on a particular section. Thanks Helpful 33 Not Helpful 5
• A business plan is good to have when signing on for a loan at the bank. They will be more interested in the financial portion of your business plan, because they need to see how it will affect them in terms of what they can get out of it in terms of money. Thanks Helpful 30 Not Helpful 9
• Put everything in writing. Nothing's worse than not writing something down and suddenly forgetting it. Also, have a separate file folder for thus business plan so you know where it is and where you can access it in the future. If you have it on the computer, save it on a hard drive or a data stick so if your computer crashes on you and you can't get your work back up, you have it saved on a separate disk. Thanks Helpful 29 Not Helpful 10

• Don't go in over your head and attempt to write out a business plan in one sitting. It may take a week or more before you get it all done, so take your time. Indeed, many established businesses started by spending six months or more preparing business plans; rushing will simply harm your business in the long run. Thanks Helpful 11 Not Helpful 2
• Don't think that you won't have to look at your business plan ever again for the rest of the time you are running your operation. You should always try to analyze what yourself and your business at least once a year to know where you are struggling and where you are doing great. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 2

Things You'll Need

• Computer text program or paper/notepad and pens
• Printer if you want hard copies of computer documents
• Research tools such as the internet, local library, libraries of agricultural bodies, etc.
• Phone numbers of people in the industry that you're interested in so that you can ask any important questions
• Books or websites on making business plans (but don't over-complicate things)
• Books on information about certain livestock interested in raising
• Newspapers and magazines of industry news and events in your area or the area you are interested in pursuing your farming career

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://grasshopper.com/academy/developing-a-business-plan/brainstorming-tips/
• ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelskok/2013/06/14/4-steps-to-building-a-compelling-value-proposition/
• ↑ https://www.business.qld.gov.au/starting-business/planning/market-customer-research/swot-analysis/conducting
• ↑ https://www.agriculture.com/farm-management/business-planning/do-a-swot-analysis-on-your-farm
• ↑ https://keydifferences.com/difference-between-strategic-planning-and-operational-planning.html
• ↑ https://fitsmallbusiness.com/business-succession-planning/

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Sample Cattle Farming Business Plan

Beef cattle farming business plan sample.

With a growing demand for cattle and its products such as hides, beef plus other related products, cattle farming is a serious business that requires adequate skills and tools that increase the likelihood of success.

It is in light of this fact that this article focuses on providing the knowledge required for writing an effective and comprehensive cattle farming business plan.

Being a livestock arm of the agricultural business sector, entrepreneurs have continually shown a growing interest in this sector because of its inherent huge potentials for growth.

This cattle rearing business plan sample is especially critical to the entrepreneur with a strong interest in cattle farming, but with little or no knowledge on how to effectively draft one.

Using the guidelines provided here, it is believed that the entrepreneur will benefit immensely from this format.

Here is a sample business plan for starting a cattle farm.

Executive Summary

Products and Services

Vision Statement

Mission Statement

Target Market

Competitive Advantage

Source of Revenue

Sales Projection

Payment Channels

Publicity and Advert Strategies

To be located in Texas , The Ford Ranch is a cattle farming business that will compete favorably with other well-established cattle ranches. This will be possible through hiring the services of experts in this field who will form the bulk of our workforce. These specialists will be hired to each head specific departments of the cattle farm where their expertise will be most needed.

Some of the cattle to be raised will include bulls, heifers, and oxen among others.

From the date of commencement of our business operations, we plan on increasing our capacity to include cattle processing into beef and other products, plus the takeoff of the dairy division of our business where we will be producing dairy products for the market .

The products and services to be offered at The Ford Ranch will include the rearing of livestock that includes heifers, bulls, oxen, and calf among other animals.

Our processing department of the cattle farming business will follow shortly and will churn out processed cattle products such as beef, and other related products.

This is in addition to our dairy unit which will commence simultaneously with the dairy processing department.

We will be offering shearing services, plus consultancy and advisory services relating to cattle rearing for other cattle farmers.

At the Ford Ranch, our vision is to establish a world-class cattle farming business that will compete favorably with other more established cattle farms/ranches, leading to the emergence of a well-respected and trusted brand by both consumers and investors.

We at the Ford Ranch plan on embarking on an aggressive growth plan that will project us into the top 5 cattle farming brands in America within the first 7 years from the commencement of our business operations.

Within a reasonably short time, we will be providing value-added services such as adding a processing and dairy products unit to our business.

Because of the far-reaching nature of agriculture, our target market will consist of a vast segment of the consuming public. Almost every household in Texas and the United States consume cattle products that consist of milk, meat and cheese, and leather products among others.

We will establish an effective marketing department to ensure that our products and services are the most preferred over those of our competitors.

A competitive advantage we at The Ford Cattle Ranch have over our competition is the selection of the best hands to handle departments they possess requisite skills in.

This includes a quality control unit that will be manned by these experts and will ensure that every product is closely and thoroughly tested and undergoes stringent scrutiny before it is released for consumption.

We will also ensure that our entire workforce is provided with the best work conditions necessary for optimal functioning. This is in addition to an attractive remuneration package that our entire workforce is entitled to.

Our source of revenue generation will come mainly from the sale of the products and services we offer. These will include both processed and unprocessed cattle products, and also the sale of live cattle.

The consultancy and advisory services we render will also form part of our income stream.

We have come up with a healthy three-year sales projection using important factors that will see our sales increased significantly.

The research conducted that led to these findings has however omitted natural disasters as well as an economic crisis as part of the factors considered.

The chart below summarizes these findings;

• First Year $506,000
• Second Year $780,000
• Third Year $1,200,000

We will be including a wide range of payment options to create ease of payments for our esteemed clients. This is aimed at eliminating the difficulties faced by clients in paying for services through the use of restricted channels.

Some of the payment channels to be adopted will include the availability of POS machines for payments, acceptance of cash deposits, internet banking, mobile banking, the acceptance of cheques among other payment channels.

We will be adopting far-reaching publicity and advert options to achieve the widest publicity on the services and products we render.

Some of these will include building a website for our cattle farming business, placement of paid adverts in electronic and print media to enhance our presence.

This article has provided a cattle farming business plan sample for the entrepreneur to work with.

Following the format used, the investor is guided to success through the adoption of this format, while supplying information unique to his/her own cattle farming business.

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Starting Beef Cattle Farming Business Plan (PDF)

Starting a beef cattle farming business presents a unique and lucrative opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs. The demand for quality beef continues to rise globally, making this an opportune time to enter the market. With a growing population and a steady increase in the consumption of protein-rich diets, the beef industry is poised for sustained growth. This demand creates a fertile environment for new entrants, offering a chance to tap into a thriving market. Beef cattle farming involves breeding cows to get calves, which are then raised and sold for beef. Beef cattle production is a very profitable business, and many farmers are making money all over the world by starting cow-calf operations businesses. However, to build a profitable, sustainable beef cattle ranching business, you require sufficient knowledge of how to efficiently keep the beef cattle, good business management skills, and a good beef cattle farming business plan. This article will outline how to start the cattle production business, and the beef cattle farming business plan – PDF, Word and Excel.

Beef cattle farming is a lucrative business project that is providing income for a lot of livestock farmers. There are some important things you need to consider before you setup a beef cattle production business. You need to gather the correct resources, decide on the size of your cattle farming project this includes the number of cattle; location of the beef cattle production business, as well as your target market. These decisions will be affected by the amount of capital you have, and the size of your target market. If you do not have a lot of capital, you can always start small and grow your beef cattle breeding project overtime. You also need to carry out market research (Who are you going to sell the cattle to? At what price?) and write a cow-calf operations business plan before you start the project.

Market Research

Market research is a pivotal step when embarking on a beef cattle farming venture. It serves as the compass guiding your business decisions and can ultimately determine your success in this industry. Assessing the local demand is essential; understanding the existing market, who your potential customers are, and their preferences can help you tailor your cattle farming approach to meet these needs effectively. It’s imperative to delve into the pricing dynamics of various grades of beef within your target market. This involves a comprehensive examination of not only the prevailing prices but also the factors that influence them. Identifying potential customers and understanding their preferences and price sensitivity is equally vital, as it enables you to tailor your pricing strategy to match their expectations. Additionally, recognizing the seasonality of cattle and beef prices is key, as these fluctuations can significantly impact your revenue and profit margins. A competitive analysis will help you understand the landscape of existing cattle farms, their strategies, and what sets your venture apart. Identifying your competitive advantages and crafting a unique selling proposition can be key to carving out your niche in the market.

As a crucial component of market research in the context of starting a beef cattle farming business, the selection of the appropriate cattle breed plays a pivotal role. This decision encompasses a comprehensive assessment of various factors, including the availability of breeds in your region, their feed conversion efficiency, the cost associated with acquiring them, and the specific demands of the market. Each breed possesses distinct characteristics that impact their suitability for your business, such as their growth rate, meat quality, and adaptability to local conditions. Additionally, you should delve into supply chain considerations, establishing efficient logistics and partnerships to transport and distribute your products effectively.

Land for Beef Cattle Farming

Land is an important factor when you are starting a cattle ranching business. When selecting land for your cattle farm, some important considerations include: availability of good grass and pasture for grazing, availability of good, quality water supply, land size in relation to size of your cattle herd and soil type as it affects forage production potential.  Other factors include availability of already made infrastructure like pens, sheds, buildings, as constructing new working facilities and buildings on a cattle farm is expensive.

A beef cattle farming venture requires huge tracts of land. This is because you will need spaces for grazing and other dedicated farm structures. You must consider the terrain; flat land that gently slopes is ideal. The soil characteristics are important as well – loam soil is the best. That soil type is best suited for consistent pasture and forage development. The availability of adequate pastures is yet another land consideration. You must ensure there are enough pastures. This connects to considering the quality of forage available. Ideally, you need pastures and forage mainly constituted of grasses and legumes. If the legumes composition is at least a third of the total, that would be great. Water availability is also a huge consideration. The best is to have a clean, fresh, and reliable water source. Preferably it should be within a 1 mile radius. This will be convenient for the cattle so that they do not have to go far to find water. It is advisable to check the quality of the water; especially if it is a natural water source. High salt and sulphur levels are detrimental to your cattle. Proximity of strategic road networks is of utmost importance for accessibility and mobility. Bear in mind that within the beef cattle farm, gravel roads are the best.

Housing for Beef Cattle Production Business

To be successful in the beef cattle ranching business, you need to provide proper shelter and housing for your cattle. Beef cattle can be negatively affected by mud, harsh winds, and extreme low temperatures. The design and type of beef cattle facilities should take into consideration the need to provide the required space, feed, shelter, water, waste management and livestock handling features. Beef cattle housing can broadly be in the form of cubicles, sheds, pens, corrals, barns, or open yards. However, it is important to ensure that there is enough shade for the cattle. That is why protection from the weather elements is a huge consideration in beef cattle housing. Protection from predators is also closely tied to that. Overall, the housing must be clean with good ventilation. Plus the beef cattle housing must generally be easy to clean. Ensure that there is dry surface, floor, or bedding. It is best to use dry straw on them; adding sand also helps in that regard.

The cattle housing must be big enough to allow free movement of the cattle. The housing must not be homogenous; there should be separate segments for different specific uses. For example, you need separate segments for calves, sick cattle, or newly arrived cattle. It is recommended that beef cattle housing must be set up on an elevated spot. This streamlines cleaning activities, drainage, and runoff. Take into account the prevailing wind direction in your chosen location – the beef cattle housing should be erected standing perpendicular to that. Other cattle handling structures include crowding pens, sorting corrals, working chutes & gates, squeeze gates and sick pens. However the necessity of the structures depends on the scale of the cattle farming business. The cattle ranch farm also requires good fencing. Pasture fencing for cow-calf operations business is a necessity, so as to contain the cattle and manage their grazing. This can be done by barbed wire, high tensile smooth wire or electric fencing. The costs of constructing the housing should be include in the beef cattle production business plan. 

Equipment For Beef Cattle Farming Business

Beef cattle farming equipment mainly comprises of feed and water equipment. For example, you need feeding bunks and, feeding bins (or troughs) or portable hay feeders. Water equipment can be in the form of or involve drinkers, tanks, canals, pumps, pipes, and the like. Other handy equipment is for handling the beef cattle. For instance, chutes are central to this. Chutes are narrow mechanisms or passages used to control and guide the beef cattle in certain spaces. There are several different types of chutes e.g. holding chutes, working chutes, and loading chutes. Headgates are also central to the use of chutes. Cattle guards or grids are important in controlling the movement of the beef cattle. Then there are general equipment such as protective clothing, wheelbarrows, buckets & pails, livestock trailer, manure spreader, tractors, and the like. Specialized equipment for operations such as dehorning and castrating are needed too. Your cattle farming business plan should take into account the cost of purchasing or renting the land, structures and buying the equipment. 

Breeding Stock for Beef Cattle Production Business

To start a beef cattle production business, you require the breeding stock. The breeding stock consists of male cattle which are known as bulls, and female cattle/cows. Alternatively, instead of using bulls, you can use artificial insemination for breeding the cattle. The selection of cattle breeding stock is basically two-tier. The first aspect involves choosing the cattle breed you want. Then the second aspect is choosing the individual cattle. You can choose to start with calves and rear them to maturity. You could also start with cows or heifers at various stages of development. Another approach can be to start with fully grown cattle. Always remember that choosing purebreds is the best way to go. Your overall choice should be informed by personal beef cattle farming goals. That should also go hand in hand with climatic considerations of your chosen location. Availability of cattle breeding stock is also another huge consideration.

There are a number of specific attributes to note when choosing your beef cattle breeding stock. You should consider the age; young livestock is usually the best to pick. Consider fertility or reproductive rate, and mothering or maternal ability. In beef cattle farming, feed efficiency and quality of meat are important factors. What is cattle’s performance and health status? What are their behavioural profiles? For instance, aggression in cattle is not a good trait. All of these specifics must be ascertained with the backing of comprehensive records. You must also be diligent enough to make physical inspections of the cattle. The idea is to note defects or desirable characteristics. The cattle breeds you choose will affect the beef production potential of your cattle farming business. Some breeds are better than others at producing cattle with good beef quality. Other characteristics which vary among breeds include calving ease, milking ability, feed conversion, diseases resistance, longevity and average birth weight. The most popular breeds used in the the beef cattle farming business include Angus, Brahman, Limousin, Hereford, Simmental, Shorthorn, Texas Longhorn, Nguni, Gelbvieh, Charolais, Africander,  Highlands among others. The beef cattle farming business plan should include the costs of purchasing the breeding stock.

Feed And Nutrition

Success in the beef cow-calf production business is also greatly affected by the feeding program. The feeding program of the beef production business should ensure that adequate nutrition is provided to both the cows and calves at all growth stages and during all seasons. This should be done while keeping an eye on the feed costs, as they greatly affect profitability of the beef cattle farming business. Failure to provide adequate feeding for the beef cattle results in low reproductive performance, poor growth of the calves and poor disease resistance. These factors all lead to reduced revenues for the beef cattle production business, thus lower profits. In beef cattle farming business, weight and grade of meat are the major goals which informs the feeding regiment. Feeding generally depends on the size of the cattle. The bigger the frame, the higher the grain content should be. Cattle f eeding programs of beef farming are usually based on pasture grazing, in combination with supplementary feed. The supplementary feed for cow-calf operations include hay, salts & minerals, concentrates, silage, commercial beef feed, fodder, corn and grains. The most important dynamic is feed conversion or efficiency. Do not make the mistake of thinking overfeeding is a good thing. It usually leads to the build-up of excess fat thus lowering the beef quality. That is why it is important to seek guidance from experts on feeding using the right rations. The feed costs should be included in the beef cattle production business plan. 

Health & Disease Management in Beef Cattle Farming

Ensuring the health and well-being of your beef cattle is of paramount importance in the successful operation of your farming business. A comprehensive approach to health and disease management is not only ethical but also integral to maintaining the quality and productivity of your cattle herd. To achieve this, preventative health measures are vital. This includes implementing a vaccination program tailored to your region’s prevalent diseases, providing access to clean water and nutritious feed, and maintaining a hygienic living environment. Regular monitoring and control of external parasites like ticks and flies are also crucial aspects of preventative care.

Disease monitoring and surveillance form another critical component. Regular health checks and veterinary consultations enable the early detection of potential health issues, while meticulous record-keeping helps track your cattle’s overall well-being. Staying informed about disease outbreaks in your area and having the ability to implement quarantine measures if needed is essential. Collaboration with a veterinarian ensures that sick cattle receive proper treatment and medication, administered according to recommended guidelines. Biosecurity measures should be in place to prevent disease introduction and spread, and continuous education and training ensure that both you and your farm staff are well-prepared to manage cattle health effectively. Prioritizing health and disease management not only benefits your cattle’s well-being but also contributes to the sustainability and profitability of your beef cattle farming business.

Beef Cattle Farming Business Model

The beef cattle farming business model involves a well-defined and cyclical process that begins with the acquisition of breeding bulls and cows. These animals form the foundation of your operation, as they play a crucial role in producing calves, which will eventually become your marketable cattle. The mating of bulls and cows leads to the birth of calves, and from that point onward, the focus shifts to feeding and raising these young cattle until they reach the desired market age, and you then sell them. This careful management ensures that the cattle are healthy, well-nourished, and ready for sale, optimizing their value in the market.

The central financial aspect of this business model lies in managing the costs associated with feeding the cattle, which constitutes the major expense. However, the revenue generated from selling the cattle at market age significantly surpasses these feeding costs and other operational expenses. This robust revenue-to-cost ratio results in a healthy profit margin for the business. The key to sustained success in this model is its repeatability throughout the year, which ensures a consistent and steady stream of income. By following this cycle of breeding, raising, and selling, you can create a reliable and profitable business model in the beef cattle farming industry.

Capital for Cattle Ranching Business

The amount of capital required for the beef cattle breeding business depends on the scale of the project. When starting a cow-calf operations business, most of the capital goes to acquiring the land, building infrastructure, and buying the breeding stock. You can get a loan from the bank, or funding from investors, to use as capital to start your beef cattle farming business. If you plan to raise capital from investors and a loan from the bank, you need a good cattle ranching business plan. If you don’t have access to investors and bank loan, you can use your personal savings and start small, and grow your business overtime. Beef cattle farming is profitable, so if you reinvest the profits you get, you can grow over time. Even if you are not planning to get a loan, you should still get a beef cattle farming project plan to guide you in starting and operating the business. It is essential for you to have a beef cattle farming business plan before you venture into the cattle ranching business, so that you know all the costs involved and you make an informed decision.

Market for Beef

The market for beef cattle is very huge and is ever increasing, annual beef global demand exceeds 75 million tonnes. You can sell live cattle or slaughter and sell as beef. The market for cattle/beef includes supplying to butcher shops, abattoirs, auctions, schools, companies, individual households, farmers, restaurants, organisations, supermarkets, events etc. It’s important for the beef cattle farming business plan to include a proper marketing plan to use in your beef farming business.

The export market for beef is also very huge! As you grow your cattle farming business you will be able to export the beef to other countries.  The largest importers of beef are Russia, United States of America, Japan, China, South Korea, European Union, Hong Kong, Egypt, Canada, Chile and Malaysia. Currently, the top producers of beef are United States of America, Brazil, European Union, China, India, Argentina, Australia, Mexico, Pakistan, Turkey and Russia.

Keys To Profitability in Beef Cattle Farming

Profitability is the ultimate goal for those venturing into the world of beef cattle farming, and achieving it involves a multifaceted approach. Efficient resource management stands as a cornerstone, demanding a meticulous allocation of resources like land, water, and feed. Implementing rotational grazing systems can maintain pasture health and maximize forage production, thereby reducing the need for costly supplemental feed. Breeding and genetics play a pivotal role in profitability as well. Selecting cattle breeds that align with market preferences and local environmental conditions is crucial. Furthermore, a focus on breeding programs to enhance genetic traits such as growth rate, meat quality, and disease resistance can significantly impact the bottom line.

Health and disease management cannot be overlooked, as cattle health directly correlates with profitability. Prioritizing preventative measures and proactive disease management not only ensures the well-being of your herd but also reduces costs associated with medical interventions and promotes higher growth rates. Market timing and pricing strategies are equally vital, demanding a vigilant eye on market trends and pricing fluctuations. Utilizing market data to determine optimal pricing strategies ensures that you maximize your returns when selling cattle.

Cost control and budgeting, combined with strategic marketing and branding, enable efficient financial management. Keeping a detailed budget that tracks all expenses and revenue sources is imperative, allowing you to control costs effectively. Building a strong brand identity for your beef products and fostering relationships with local buyers, restaurants, and markets secures consistent sales channels. Finally, a commitment to continuous learning and improvement ensures your profitability endures. Staying updated on industry best practices, emerging technologies, and research in beef cattle farming equips you to adapt to industry changes, enhance productivity, and reduce waste, ultimately driving the success and profitability of your beef cattle farming business.

Why You Need a Cattle Farming Business Plan

Establishing and managing a thriving cattle farming business requires meticulous planning and strategic foresight. A well-structured cattle farming business plan is not merely a formality; it serves as an indispensable tool that can profoundly influence the trajectory of your venture. Financial planning and management is a vital aspect of a comprehensive business plan. It entails detailed financial projections, helping you estimate initial startup costs, ongoing expenses, and potential revenue streams. With insights into your cash flow, you can effectively manage your finances, make informed decisions regarding resource allocation (such as purchasing cattle, feed, and equipment), and maintain financial stability. Furthermore, if you require external financing or investment to initiate or expand your cattle farming business, a well-structured business plan is essential. Lenders and investors will scrutinize your plan to assess the viability and profitability of your venture, making a comprehensive and well-researched plan instrumental in instilling confidence in potential stakeholders.

A well-structured business plan for a beef cattle farming enterprise serves as a vital tool in comprehending the profitability of the business and identifying the key factors that influence it. It provides a detailed financial outlook, allowing you to assess the projected income, expenses, and potential returns on investment. By meticulously examining these financial projections, you gain a deep understanding of the financial health of your cattle farming venture. Additionally, the business plan facilitates an exploration of the factors that impact profitability, including feed costs, market pricing, and operational efficiency. With this insight, you can make informed decisions to optimize profitability, mitigate risks, and ensure the long-term success of your beef cattle farming business.

Pre-Written Beef Cattle Farming Business Plan (PDF, Word And Excel): Comprehensive Version, Short Funding/Bank Loan Version and Automated Financial Statements

For an in-depth analysis of the beef cattle farming business, we encourage you to purchase our well-researched and comprehensive cattle farming business plan. We introduced the business plans after discovering that many were venturing into the beef cattle production business without enough knowledge and understanding of how to run the cattle ranching business, how to keep the calves, lack of understanding of the financial side of the business, lack of understanding of : the industry, the risks involved , costs and profitability of the business; which often leads to disastrous losses.

The StartupBiz Global cow-calf operations business plan will make it easier for you to launch and run your beef cattle farming business successfully, fully knowing what you are going into, and what’s needed to succeed in the business. It will be easier to plan and budget as you will be aware of all the costs involved in setting up and running the cattle ranching business.

Uses of the Beef Cattle Ranching Business Plan (PDF, Word And Excel)

The beef cattle farming business plan can be used for many purposes including:

• Raising capital from investors/friends/relatives
• Applying for a bank loan
• Start-up guide to launch your beef cattle farming business
• As a beef cattle farming business proposal
• Assessing profitability of the beef cattle production business
• Finding a business partner
• Assessing the initial start-up costs so that you know how much to save
• Manual for current business owners to help in business and strategy formulation

Contents of the Beef Cattle Production Business Plan (PDF, Word And Excel)

The beef cattle farming business plan include, but not limited to:

• Marketing Strategy
• Financial Statements (monthly cash flow projections, income statements, cash flow statements, balance sheets, break even analysis, payback period analysis, start-up costs, financial graphs, revenue and expenses, Bank Loan Amortization)
• Risk Analysis
• Industry Analysis
• Market Analysis
• SWOT & PEST Analysis
• Operational Requirements (Including technical aspects of how to keep the cattle, feed requirements etc)
• Operational Strategy
• Why some people in beef cattle farming business fail, so that you can avoid their mistakes
• Ways to raise capital to start your cattle farm business

The Pre-written beef cattle farm business plan package consists of 4 files

• Beef Cattle Farming Business Plan – PDF file (Comprehensive Version – 121 Pages)
• Cattle Farming Business Plan – Editable Word File (Comprehensive Version – 121 Pages)
• Beef Cattle Farming Business Plan Funding/Bank Loan Version- Editable Word File (Short version for applying for a loan/funding – 51 pages)
• Beef Cattle Farming Business Plan Automated Financial Statements – (Editable Excel File)

The business plan can be used in any country and can be easily edited. The financial statements are automated. This implies that you can change eg the number of cattle, selling price of the cattle etc, and all the other financial statements will automatically adjust to reflect the change.

Click below to download the Contents Page of the Beef Cattle Farming Business Plan (PDF)

Testimonial 4

The business plan which I purchased from your website saved me TIME and MONEY! The layout of the business plan was excellent. The financial statements were detailed and easy for me to edit. I will come back to purchase another business plan soon.

Testimonial 1

StartupBiz Global provided a very professional and comprehensive business plan which I used for my business. The business plan was easy to edit, and I was able to get the funding which I wanted. I highly recommend their business plans.

Testimonial 7

I found Startupbiz Global online when I was in desperate need of a business plan. I was overwhelmed by the quality of the business plan, it’s comprehensive and well researched! I did not have to wait to get the business plan, I got it instantly after payment. I highly recommend Startupbiz Global, and would happily use them again in the future.

Testimonial 3

I was extremely lucky to come across StartupBiz Global. Their business plan exceeded my expectations, and most importantly I was able to secure a loan from my bank. Thank you guys, now my dreams are coming true!

Testimonial 6

I purchased a business plan from you, and I’m glad to inform you that I was able to get my loan, and I’m starting my poultry farming business on the 1 st of July. This was made possible because of your business plan. Thank you very much, you made my dream come true.

Testimonial 5

I was able to understand the business side of farming because of your business plan. You did extensive research; the business plan was well prepared and fully detailed.  It made everything clear, and I have somewhere to start now. I am confident that I am going to succeed in my business because of the guidance from your business plan.

Testimonial 8

Just wanted to say I am very happy with the business plan and I will gladly recommend your products, thank you very much and have a great day.

Testimonial 2

Many thanks for your incredibly efficient service and thorough business plan. I am very impressed with the business plan. Before I bought the business plan, I tried to do my own business plan – it was such a nightmare and it turned out badly, also not to mention the stress it caused me. I wish I knew about your website earlier!

Get the Beef Cattle Farming Business Plan (PDF, Word And Excel)

Click Buy Now  below to purchase using Paypal, Credit Card, or Debit Card. After you have purchased, you will immediately see the download link for the business plan package on the screen. You will also immediately get an email with the business plan download link. The Pre-written business plan package (PDF, Word, and Excel) costs $30 only!

If you want to purchase multiple business plans at once then click here: Business Plans Store.

The business plan package is a zipped compressed file containing the PDF, Word and Excel documents. To open the package after downloading it, just right click, and select Extract All. If you have any problems in downloading and opening the files, email us on [email protected] and we will assist you.

We wish you the best in your beef cattle farming business! Check out our collection of business plans  , and more business ideas .

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Cattle Farm Business Plan

Cattle farm business plan presentation, free google slides theme, powerpoint template, and canva presentation template.

Starting a cattle farm is an exciting venture that can provide a great income opportunity. Make your plan a success with this easy-to-follow template from Google Slides and PowerPoint. This template is full of useful graphics and visuals to help you illustrate your business plan. You'll find an organizational chart, tables, different types of infographics, and a unique full of pictures. Download this unique template and get your business started!

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Cattle Ranch Business Plan Template

Download this Cattle Ranch Business Plan Template Design in Word, Google Docs, Apple Pages Format. Easily Editable, Printable, Downloadable.

Running an agricultural business is one of the most important businesses in the market. You get to produce fresh products for the everyday consumer. If you are into agribusiness, one of the most profitable businesses to venture into is a cattle ranch. Get started with our Cattle Ranch Business Plan Template and become a successful cattle rancher. Become more productive with less effort with the well-written suggestive content of this template. Edit and customize it anytime, anywhere on any file format presented. Stop wasting time, and start making the best out of it by downloading this Cattle Ranch Business Plan template now!

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[Pdf Sample] Business Plan For Cattle Farming In South Africa Docx

In recent years, the cattle farming industry in South Africa has experienced significant growth and opportunities. With its favorable climate and vast landscapes, the country provides an ideal environment for cattle farming.

[Pdf Sample] Cattle Farming Business Plan Proposal In South Africa Docx

To write a business plan , here is a breakdown of how it should be structured and what should be in each category. After this instruction, I will provide you with a sample of one I wrote for my farm , let us go:

Executive Summary

Introduction to cattle farming.

In this section, we will delve into the fundamentals of cattle farming . We’ll explore the different cattle breeds suitable for South Africa , land requirements, and the significance of proper infrastructure and equipment. Understanding the basics is essential for running a successful cattle farming business .

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Market Analysis

Farm infrastructure and equipment.

To ensure the well-being of your cattle and streamline operations, you need to invest in appropriate farm infrastructure and equipment . This section will discuss the essential infrastructure requirements, including fencing, housing, and water supply. Additionally, we’ll explore the necessary equipment for feeding, milking, and handling cattle.

Breeding and Livestock Management

Feed and nutrition.

Providing balanced nutrition is vital for the health and productivity of your cattle. This section will delve into the nutritional requirements of different cattle breeds and the availability of feed resources in South Africa . We’ll discuss feeding strategies, forage production, and supplement options to ensure your cattle receive optimal nutrition throughout their lifecycle.

Health and Veterinary Care

Maintaining the health of your cattle is crucial for preventing diseases and ensuring optimal growth. In this section, we’ll cover vaccination schedules , disease prevention measures, and the importance of regular veterinary check-ups. Implementing proper health and veterinary care practices will safeguard the well-being of your cattle and minimize potential losses.

Marketing and Sales Strategies

Effectively marketing and selling your cattle and cattle products is essential for generating revenue. This section will explore various marketing channels, such as direct sales, auctions, and online platforms. We’ll discuss branding, product differentiation, and customer relationship management to help you develop a robust marketing and sales strategy.

Financial Projections

Risk assessment and mitigation.

Identifying potential risks and implementing mitigation strategies is crucial for minimizing the impact of unforeseen events on your cattle farming business . This section will cover common risks in the industry, such as droughts, disease outbreaks, and market fluctuations. By addressing these risks proactively, you can protect your investment and ensure long-term sustainability.

How much land do I need for a cattle farming business in South Africa?

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What are the popular cattle breeds for meat production in South Africa?

Bonsmara: Bonsmara cattle are well-adapted to South African conditions and known for their excellent meat quality, adaptability, and fertility.

Simbra: Simbra is a crossbreed between Simmental and Brahman cattle, combining the meat quality of Simmental with the heat tolerance and disease resistance of Brahman.

How do I market and sell my cattle products effectively?

To effectively market and sell your cattle products, consider the following strategies:

Identify your target market: Determine whether you will be selling directly to consumers, local markets, restaurants, or wholesalers. Understand their preferences and requirements to tailor your marketing efforts accordingly.

Networking and partnerships: Build relationships with local farmers, restaurants, and retailers who may be interested in sourcing locally produced cattle products. Attend agricultural fairs, networking events, and trade shows to expand your professional network.

What are the common diseases that affect cattle in South Africa?

Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD): FMD is a highly contagious viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including cattle. It can lead to significant economic losses due to trade restrictions.

Bovine Respiratory Diseases: Various respiratory diseases, such as Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP) and Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR), can affect cattle in South Africa , leading to respiratory distress and reduced productivity.

How long does it take for cattle to reach market weight?

The time it takes for cattle to reach market weight depends on various factors, including breed, feeding regime, genetics, and management practices. On average, it takes around 18 to 24 months for cattle to reach market weight. However, some cattle breeds or specialized production systems may have shorter or longer production cycles.

In conclusion, starting a cattle farming business in South Africa requires careful planning and execution. By following a well-defined cattle farming business plan , you can navigate the challenges and capitalize on the opportunities in this thriving industry. Remember to adapt your plan as needed and stay abreast of industry trends to remain competitive and successful.

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Author: adewebs, you may also like:, [pdf sample] business plan for pig farming docx, starting a poultry farm with limited resources in ghana: a comprehensive guide for new farmers, how to register agribusiness company in kenya (see full guide), starting a poultry farm with limited resources in nigeria: guide for new farmers, leave a reply cancel reply.