State Rank for US Production (1996):
19th in nation
Percent Total US Production (1996):
Dollar Value of Production (1,000s):
Cattle ranching came to Idaho early because range cattle were able to travel long distances to the mines and other markets. Cattle could roam over thousands of acres of grasslands and were relatively easy to drive from Oregon, Washington, and Idaho across the Camas Prairie to Cheyenne for shipment by railroads to the eastern states.
Today the majority of Idaho beef cattle (the major livestock raised in the state) graze on public rangelands across the state.
Dairy cattle are more typically raised in the southern regions, usually on private ranches.
Idaho Department of