Texas

Animal husbandry

About two-thirds of cattle fattened for market are kept in feedlots located in the Texas panhandle and northwestern plains. In 2003, Texas ranked first in number of cattle and calves with an estimated 14 million, valued at $8.4 billion. During 2002, Texas farms had around 930,000 hogs and pigs, valued at $57.7 million. In 2001, Texas's production of sheep and lambs was first in the US at 48 million lb (21.8 million kg), valued at $40.4 million; shorn wool production was an estimated 5.5 million lb (2.5 million kg) in 2002.

About 90% of the dairy industry is located in eastern Texas. In 2001, milk production was around 5.1 billion lb (2.3 billion kg) from 325,000 milk cows. Poultry production included 2.71 billion lb (1.2 billion kg) of broilers, valued at around $1.06 billion, and 4.7 billion eggs were produced, valued at $267 million.

Breeding of Palominos, Arabians, Appaloosas, Thoroughbreds, and quarter horses is a major industry in Texas. The animals are most abundant in the most heavily populated areas, and it is not unusual for residential subdivisions of metropolitan areas to include facilities for keeping and riding horses.