Elk farming is an agricultural industry for the production of

elk The elk (''Cervus canadensis''), also known as the wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. The common ...

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...

or for the sport of

hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

. Elk have a variety of uses. The

velvet antler Velvet antler is the whole cartilaginous antler in a precalcified growth stage of the Cervidae family including the species of deer such as elk, moose, and caribou. Velvet antler is covered in a hairy, velvet-like "skin" known as velvet and its t ...

or, the

antler Antlers are extensions of an animal's skull found in members of the Cervidae (deer) family. Antlers are a single structure composed of bone, cartilage, fibrous tissue, skin, nerves, and blood vessels. They are generally found only on male ...

in the premature stages of growth, is believed by some to have medicinal purposes. Elk are also raised for

venison Venison originally meant the meat of a game animal but now refers primarily to the meat of antlered ungulates such as elk or deer (or antelope in South Africa). Venison can be used to refer to any part of the animal, so long as it is edible, in ...

, their meat. All of these markets are rising in popularity thus causing an increase in the

breeding Breeding is sexual reproduction that produces offspring, usually animals or plants. It can only occur between a male and a female animal or plant. Breeding may refer to: * Animal husbandry, through selected specimens such as dogs, horses, and rab ...

industry. Other species of similar type are farmed in the same way such as

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

moose The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult mal ...

, and red stag.

Livestock

The elk farming market is relatively new to the United States. In its early stages, the

breeding stock Selective breeding (also called artificial selection) is the process by which humans use animal breeding and plant breeding to Selection (biology), selectively develop particular phenotypic traits (characteristics) by choosing which typically ...

has become of high value. The same standard pertains to the production of elk as

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

: the bigger the better. In 1990 the North American Elk Breeders Association (NAEBA) was founde

NAEBA has set up rules and regulations for breed purity and strength, ownership, and marketing. They help the industry to continually increase in production and quality of animal. Elk do not need the close care that it takes to raise cattle. This is because of the strong, hardy nature of the animal. They will eat just about anything they can find, ranging from grass, shrubs, weeds, and even tree bark. The most common feeds are

alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as w ...

and grain. In an area suitable to hold one beef cow, two to three elk may be kept comfortably. Elk may eat 2 to 3 percent of their body weight daily. On average a cow elk, the female, has a live weight of 450 to 650 pounds. The bulls are much larger, weighing from 800 to 1,000 pounds. Elk need an increase of nutrients so that they can produce better products. For example, before and during

, while the antler is growing so they it will produce a larger amount of velvet, and after calving. The facilities that hold elk are very different than those of cattle. The fence is made of high-tensile wire, which provides strength and durability, which should be at least 8 feet high. The area should provide a large grazing area along with a fresh water supply and shelter. It is recommended that a strand of

barbed wire A close-up view of a barbed wire Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire Barbed wire, also known as barb wire, is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strands. Its primary use is t ...

be stretched at ground level to keep

predator Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

s out and in. Electrified wire placed slightly above ground level is another option.

Breeding

Elk breed from early September through November. This period is called the rut. A cow will give birth after a 250-day

gestation Gestation is the period of development during the carrying of an embryo, and later fetus, inside viviparous animals (the embryo develops within the parent). It is typical for mammals, but also occurs for some non-mammals. Mammals during pregna ...

. The calves are carried throughout the winter. Therefore, it is necessary that they are well fed and receive the needed nutrients during this period. If they are well taken care of, the elk will have up to a 95% pregnancy rate. Calves are born from May through July. Cow elk can begin to breed after 18 months, but bulls should wait to mature for two to three years. A cow elk can breed for more than 15 years effectively. The

estrus cycle The estrous cycle (, originally ) is the set of recurring physiological changes that are induced by reproductive hormones in most mammalian therian females. Estrous cycles start after sexual maturity in females and are interrupted by anestrous p ...

is about 21 days. A bull may breed as many as 20 cows in a season. It has become a very common practice amongst elk breeders to use artificial insemination, a method of ensuring male genetic superiority—e.g., a bull with large antlers will pass that trait onto his offspring. For this purpose the semen is bought and the cow is bred artificially with the hope that the young will receive that genetic trait. Through artificial insemination and semen preservation, a sire can continue to produce offspring even after he is dead or his health has declined.

Products

Velvet antler Velvet antler is the whole cartilaginous antler in a precalcified growth stage of the Cervidae family including the species of deer such as elk, moose, and caribou. Velvet antler is covered in a hairy, velvet-like "skin" known as velvet and its t ...

, the antler in the premature growing stages, is the main product derived from mature bull elk. In the second year of a bull elk life the antler begins to grow and continues to do so every year after that. The velvet is harvested while in the late stages of growth, just before it starts to turn into antler. That is when it calcifies and becomes hard like bone. A mature bull will produce 20 pounds or more of velvet annually. The current record is about 50 pounds in North America. Velvet antler is tissue that is living and growing rapidly. It can grow up to one half pound a day. Because it is living, the velvet must be removed surgically. Like in any operation precautionary measures are taken to ensure the humane care and safety of the animal. Once cut, the velvet is then frozen and shipped to the manufacturer where it is then made into a consumable substance. Recent studies have shown that velvet contains large amounts of minerals with natural anti-inflammatory agents.

Venison

There is a growing demand for elk meat around the world. Elk meat is famous for its taste as well as its health benefits, as it is high in

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...

but low in

fat In nutrition science, nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such chemical compound, compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers spec ...

cholesterol Cholesterol is any of a class of certain organic molecules called lipids. It is a sterol (or modified steroid), a type of lipid. Cholesterol is biosynthesized by all animal cells and is an essential structural component of animal cell mem ...

, and

calories The calorie is a unit of energy. For historical reasons, two main definitions of "calorie" are in wide use. The large calorie, food calorie, or kilogram calorie was originally defined as the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of on ...

Sources

*Forrest, R. (2004, November). Grande premium meats. Retrieved February 24, 2008, Web site: https://elkusa.com/elk_farming/ *Westendorf, M.L. (2000). Deer and elk farming. Rutgers Cooperative Extension. 6. *Thorleifson, I.,T.Pearse, & B. Friedel (2000). Elk farming handbook. Canada: {{DEFAULTSORT:Elk Farming Livestock