ranching

Raising livestock commercially

Ranching is the business of raising livestock—especially cattle, sheep, or horses—on large tracts of land called ranches.

The work involves breeding, grazing, and managing herds for meat, wool, or other products.

His family has been ranching in Montana for four generations.

Cattle ranching transformed the American West.

cowboy

wrangler

Livestock handler on ranches

lassoLooped rope for catching
chapsProtective riding legwear
saddleMounted rider's seat

rodeo · spurs · Stetson · bandana · corral · buckaroo · cattleman · roundup · cowpoke · bronco

cattle

cattle

Domesticated bovines kept commercially

herdGrazing animals together
steerDirect movement or castrated bull
calfJuvenile cow or leg part

heifer · bull · cow · yearling · maverick · branding · calving · feedlot · beef · dairy

livestock

herding

Managing animal groups

sheepWoolly farm animal
goatsHorned farm ruminants
grazingFeeding on pasture

flock · breeding · shearing · lambing · stockyard · livestock auction · herdsman · veterinary · animal husbandry · dipping

heritage

frontier

Edge of settlement

pioneersFirst to explore territory
settlersThose who establish homes
Old WestAmerican cowboy era

tradition · legacy · generations · homesteading · land grants · vaquero · gaucho · cattle baron · heritage breeds · cowboy culture

land

pastureland

Land for grazing animals

acreageAmount of land owned
homesteadFamily farm and dwelling
rangelandLand for grazing animals

open range · grazing land · property · estate · fencing · water rights · landholding · terrain · prairie · grasslands

sustainability

regenerative

Able to renew itself

soil healthGround's biological vitality
water managementControlling aquatic resource distribution
conservationPreventing waste or loss

prescribed burns · overgrazing · drought management · native grasses · carbon sequestration · grass-fed · pasture-raised · land stewardship

Categories

American frontierfrontier, westward expansion, pioneers, homesteading, homesteads
farm traditionsbarn raising, barn dances, harvest festival, county fairs, farmers markets
farming typesfarming, dairy farming, organic farming, subsistence farming, commercial farming
farmworkharvesting, farmworkers, planting, farm labor, crop farming
Texas recreationrodeo, bass fishing, deer hunting, river tubing, horseback riding
livestock sciencecattle breeding, livestock feed, dairy cattle, beef cattle, dairy farming

Opposites

agricultural production type

ranchingcrop farming

Growing plants for harvest

grain farming · cultivation · horticulture · viticulture · orcharding

land use intensity

ranchingurbanization

Population shift toward cities

urban development · industrialization · city living · suburbanization · factory farming

human-animal relationship

ranchingwildlife conservation

Protecting animals and ecosystems

wildlife preservation · rewilding · animal liberation

Phrases

cattle ranchingRaising bovines commercially
sheep ranchingRaising flocks for wool/meat
livestock ranchingRaising farm animals commercially
ranching landProperty for raising livestock
ranching cultureTraditions of livestock farming
ranching familiesHouseholds raising livestock professionally

Family

rancher, ranch, ranches, ranched, ranchers, ranchero, rancheros, ranchland, ranchlands

Familiarity: Top 100,000
Profile: Known to kids · Mostly American · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G