American Ranchers Raise And Process Millions Of Horses This Way - Farming Documentary

on the Green Pastures of Rural America  farmers are ready for a new day of work they stuck with their horses crossing the  vast grasslands follow the footsteps of American farmers to explore the Journey of  raising and processing millions of [Music] horses the first horses are believed  to have appeared in America around 1493 by the 1920s the number of horses in the United  States is believed to have peaked at about 25. 3 million horses the image of American  Cowboys and horses has become a symbol of the Wild West according to the latest USDA  statistics as of June 2022 the current number of horses in the country is approximately  9. 2 million the number of licensed horses on farms is about 450,000 with many different  sizes it is estimated that 21,000 FES are born on American Farms each year Texas is the state with  the largest horse population in the country with 930,000 horses next on the list is California with  650,000 horses and Florida with 500,000 horses horses usually breed in the spring from February  to May when the weather is warm and horse food is abundant which creates favorable conditions  for the embryos and development of the horses in their mother's womb a horse's estris period  lasts about 21 days of which about 47 days is the time they are capable of conceiving  the average newborn fo weighs about 110 lb and they can stand almost immediately after being  born this is a healthy Instinct of those who are accustomed to roaming the step after giving birth  the mother horse will lick the F to clean it and help it stand up about 2 to 3 weeks from birth f  are usually placed in separate stalls to avoid the risk of injury and infection for complete warmth  during development the ideal temperature should be between 60 and 70° F A fo needs to drink 25 to 35  lb of milk per day which is equivalent to 30% of its body weight after this period the mother horse  and fo can be taken Outdoors to get used to the natural environment fos usually live with their  mothers for about 6 to 8 months to learn how to eat grass and take care of themselves this process  is closely monitored by Farmers because there have been many cases of FS being trampled to death by a  herd of other horses when the mother horse was not healthy enough to protect her Offspring caring for  horses requires a deep understanding of nutrition because they eat a variety of grasses herbs and  concentrates to ensure energy balance fiber and protein are important especially on hot days in  addition to preserving quality to breed horses American farmers regularly buy additional fos  in addition they also provide them with a large and Lush field if pastures cannot produce  enough grass year round farmers will have to pay between 400 USD and 500 USD per month to  feed a horse like many other livestock species building stables for horses also has many  important effects in raising and managing the farm besides Stables Farmers regularly  groom them and keep them clean or provide them with Medical Care Health is a condition  to ensure that grazing activities take place smoothly farmers are practicing branding  on their horses this activity helps them easily control the horses and is also necessary to  register with the local horse breeding management [Music] organization this is a herd of horses in  Nevada that every morning they will be released to pasture by the Rancher their horses  will roam freely all the ponies will come along as training they are prepared for trips on the step  currently in Nevada there are about 78,000 horses raised on more than 3,000 Farms of varying sizes  in addition Nevada is also famous for having the largest number of wild horses in the country  with about 42,000 wild horses in California approximately 2.

5 million acres of land are used  for horse grazing every day these horses will move to rivers and lakes to drink water an adult horse  will drink about 7 to 10 gallons of water per day this is the process of moving a large herd of  horses in California at the end of April every year farmers will move about, 1500 horses to  other pastures to feed every day an adult horse needs to be fed the equivalent of 2% of their body  weight besides grazing on pasture the rest rest of the H's diet is a mixture of corn and soybeans in  addition Farmers also regularly prepare dry straw and hay in reserve in case the weather is bad and  they cannot go out to graze in the late afternoon farmers will drive their horses into a fenced area  to rest and avoid attacks from some predators at night training is an extremely important activity  for any horse the Training Method begins with the smallest gentle horses they are trained to accept  leashes and get used to human commands in the past when Machinery had not yet developed in some rural  areas horses were an important source of traction in agricultural activities big and strong horses  are selected the trailer's hitch is attached to their body from here horses can accompany farmers  in the fields horses will assist farming families in transporting agricultural products they replace  machines to cut grass teal soil plant and whole wood when horses are trained to be obedient they  are ready to serve for sport riding activities and recreational hunting areas The Carriage is  specifically equipped for transportation to the auction site the horse auction process usually  takes place on Saturday or Sunday starting early in the morning and Lasting until evening creating  favorable conditions for buyers and sellers the price of each horse at auction usually ranges  from 750 USD to 10,000 USD depending on their quality and value in addition they will also  be trained by Farmers to graze lifestock stock horses are considered fully mature  when they reach 5 years of age a number of horses from the farm will be sold to horse meat  processors however horse slaughter is not common in America processing horse meat is a complex  process and has many specific steps all are to ensure food quality and safety the first step  in the process is to clean the horse workers perform expertly to ensure horses faint quickly  and effectively the next step is to peel the skin and parts such as bones and internal organs are  removed this ensures that quality horse meat is portioned to suit the consumer's needs hundreds  of thousands of tons of horse meat are consumed annually in countries around the World Farmers  earn billions of dollars from the horse industry's contribution to the economy according to the food  and agriculture organization of the United Nations F the total World production of horse meat is  about 150,000 tons per year of these Argentina is the largest producer accounting for about 70%  of the world's horse meat production horse meat consumption also varies between countries in some  countries such as the United States and Canada horse meat is not popular but it is a popular  dish in countries like Argentina France and Italy the soul of the farmer is connected to  the pasture and the horses their passion and dedication is demonstrated not not only through  the daily care of their horses but also through the production of highquality horse meat that  meets market demand here the story of The Magic of the American Prairie and the farmer's boundless  love for horses ends black ash cheese humo fog and yogurt with 11 live probiotics these are all world  famous American goat milk products creamy and easy to digest goat milk has long been made into  many Specialties of this country and although goat meat is twice as expensive as beef demand  for goat meat in the US has nearly tripled in just two decades this is simply because it's  delicious but super lowfat compared to other meats in the typical American diet though the US  is the largest importer of goats making a profit from goat farming here isn't easy many livestock  were killed by Coyotes in the past and today their range is expanding at twice the rate of other  carnivores in North America so how do American farmers solve this problem and how do they raise  more than 2. 5 million goats to meet this booming Market if you've ever visited a goat Farm  you might be impressed by how friendly they are like little dogs but not all goats are like  that male goats or bucks are rather aggressive and domineering so farmers usually separate them  from the herd except in the fall from late August to early January the goat breeding season female  goats or Nannies are pregnant for about 5 months when they pelvic ligaments loosen up Farmers  know they are about to go into active labor with the farmer's dedicated care the newborn  baby goats and Mama goat can finally relax goats have a high twinning rate but according  to studies the average mortality rate for kids is 10 to 18% an antibody Rich colostrum which  Nanny secretes only in the first 36 hours after birth is an essential nutrient to reduce this  rate the risk of death for nannies is also High a few hours after giving birth Farmers must  ensure that the placenta has been delivered completely otherwise it can cause septicemia  meaning blood poisoning and even death after about 8 weeks of bottle feeding the kids are  castrated to prevent inbreeding now they G at least about 0. 3 lb per day but breast milk  can no longer provide enough essential nutrients for this growth rate so farmers have to take  them out to pasture so that nannies can wean them unlike in the past modern Dairy goat  breeds are cross spread to produce more milk so their diet also requires more grains  to provide enough energy protein and calcium just like other dairy animals their milk flavor  is what they eat that's why Redwood Hill Farm in California the first US goat dairy to be Humane  certified grows its own feed for over 300 Dairy goats this has helped them preserve the delicious  milk flavor which is free from antibiotics and harmful hormones for the past 56 years California  has the most goat farms in the United States and so besides Redwood Hill Farm there is also Cypress  Grove Dairy with a herd of up to 1,400 Dairy goats traditional hand milking is impossible with this  large number of goats so they have switched to a modern milking system called pit parlor the  first thing other Farms usually do is disinfect the goats uters with iodine but at this Farm they  play jazz music they've tried different types of music but this is the only type that the goats  enjoy and don't startle when they're milked this soft milking tube gently squeezes and releases  similar to how baby goats suckle the milking process only takes a few minutes while they are  nibbling on food and may not even realize they are being milked each year this Farm harvests about  6,000 gallons of goat milk the freshly harvested milk is then cooled and transported to Cypress  Groves renowned Creamery facility over the past four decades tons of cheese have been produced  here and shipped across the country but humbal fog stands out in the international cheese  market as America's first soft ripen cheese goats were first domesticated in the Fertile  Crescent about 11,000 years ago but it wasn't until the 17th century that they were brought to  America by Spanish and English explorers they are very good at adapting to different terrains and  climates with their browsing habit this means they prefer to eat tall plants over short ones unlike  other livestock therefore traditional American farmers often apply this multi-species grazing  model to both save feed costs and improve the quality of the pasture today it is still practiced  by many large and long-standing Farms such as white oak pasture in Georgia with a large herd  like this farmers have to rotate pastures every 3 days because they eat so quickly this also  helps reduce the risk of worm infestation in goats but this Freedom also comes with a  major risk coyotes you know goats have very good eyesight so they can go outside at night on  their own but this is also when coyotes go hunting they often Target kids or even lone adult goats  separated from the herd hence adequate fencing is always the first thing us Farmers carefully  install when raising goats but as the number of goats killed by Coyotes decreases the goats  themselves become the troublemakers they are intelligent animals and constantly learn how to  break fences and escape from pens to stop them many US Farmers have started using electric  fencing this will give the goats a mild shock only from 4 5 to 9 volts which serves more as a  psychological deterrent than physical harm while this may increase the electricity bill solar  panels have helped reduce costs on large Farms aiming for sustainability besides daily work  Farmers also have to do many other jobs on the farm to ensure the best development of the goat  herd such as building shelters from the rain and cold so they don't get sick trim their Hoops  regularly so they don't get sore feet or hoof rot but that's not all us goat Farmers still  have to do a rather controversial job which is hunting coyotes and more than 67 coyotes can be  found in one night on this Farm in 2015 83,000 goats died under the sharp teeth and lightning  fast reflexes of coyotes this number accounts for a whopping 65% of the total goats that died  that year according to National Geographic the US kills over 476,000 coyotes each year but  still can't control their numbers this animal is thriving in 49 out of 50 states and also  gradually heading toward the Western us so in addition to hunting guard dogs such as Anatolian  Shepherds or great purries are also professionally trained by Farmers to protect the farm they do  this job very well many farms also keep donkeys and Lamas because they are naturally alert know  how to defend themselves when in danger and are loyal to the goat herd these protective measures  have ensured that these meat goats grow up healthy when they are about 8 to 9 months old and weigh 60  to 80 lb they will be sent to a Humane slaughter house here they are stunned and quickly bled to  minimize stress some processing plants may use scolding and dehairing methods to improve carcass  hygiene after removing organs and cleaning the carcasses are graded and inspected based on  fat and muscle content then they are chilled to prevent bacterial growth finally they can be  cut into pieces packaged and distributed to the market and consumers in 2022 the US exported  $1.