It is unknown when humans started to cultivate soil, but experts believe that the first farmer existed thousands of years ago. Near a mountain in Anatolia, Turkey, some experts believe that humans cultivated the first grains, an ancient form of wheat to be more precise.
Over the centuries, agriculture has become one of the main occupations of humans, because it allowed them to produce food throughout the year and other resources to create specific items used on daily basis. This development naturally led to the concept of farming. People quickly realized that farms allowed them to cultivate the soil in an organized manner, or to raise animals for food and resources easier.
Today, modern farms are nothing like they used to be, because the industrial progresses made and technological developments have influenced farming processes. Therefore, it’s no surprise that some large farms have become mega – structures, following the struggle of people to produce as much as possible while using less resources.
The biggest farms in the world are found in China and Australia. China has the largest population in the world, of almost 1,4 billion people, which means that the country needs a lot of resources to ensure food for all its inhabitants. On the other hand, Australia is a major agricultural producer and exporter, due to the vast agricultural terrains available, which allows for the development of some of the biggest farms in the world.
Mudanjiang City Mega Farm
Location: Heilongjiang, China
Area: 22,500,000 acres
Type: Dairy farm
Herd of cattle: 100,000
Produces: 800 m litres milk/year
Owners: Zhongding Dairy Farming and Severny Bur
This dairy farm currently holds the title of the biggest farm in the world. Approximately 100,000 cows supply the farm with milk for dairy products. The expansion of this dairy farm happened in 2015, when Russia banned milk products from the EU, as a response to the Ukraine crisis. China stepped in to supply the demand for dairy products on the Russian market.
Modern Dairy
Location: Anhui, China
Area: 11,000,000 acres
Type: Dairy farm
Herd of cattle: 40,000
Produces: 600 tons milk/day
Owner: China Modern Dairy Holdings Ltd.
Official website: moderndairyir.com
This farm was the largest in the world when it was first opened, in 2011. It started with 40,000 cows, but it suffered important market losses because accusations were made that the farm had sold cows positive with bovine tuberculosis.
Anna Creek Station
Location: South Australia, Australia
Area: 6,000,000 acres
Type: Cattle farm
Head of cattle: 16,500 (tops)
Owner: Williams Cattle Company
This used to be the largest cattle farm in the world, due to the size of the land; however, the farm had some rough years at the beginning of the 2000s decade, because of the drought that hit Australian territories hard.
Anna Creek farm is able to carry up to 16,500 herd of cattle during a good season. The farms is known for it Santa Gertrudis cattle specimens, as they are more resistant to hot and dry climates. The new owners restocked the farm other cattle breeds as well, and the new focus of the farm will be on the southern Australian market and on domestic markets, according to the new owner, Tony Williams.
On the Anna Creek farm, there are 22 major cattle pens. To observe the herds of cattle in pens, there are masts placed in a kind of observatory, called “crows nest”.
All cattle on the farm is monitored through implanted microchips. Daily, the farm manager checks the herd and centralizes the data collected which is submitted to the company’s headquarters.
Clifton Hills
Location: South Australia, Australia
Area: 4,200,000 acres
Type: Cattle farm
Herd of cattle: 14,000
Owner: G and E. A. Brooks
Established in 1876, with only 1,000 cattle herds, this has become the second largest cattle station in Australia and in the world. It was one of the first farms to use road transport as a means to deliver cattle, asides from the rail transport.
Alexandria
Location: Northern Territory, Australia
Area: 4,000,000 acres
Type: Cattle farm
Herd of cattle: 55,000
Owner: North Australian Pastoral Company
Official website: napco.com.au
This cattle farm is able to accommodate approximately 55,000 cattle. Over 10,000 bales of fodder are harvested annually on the plains of the farm. The station is managed by only 50 employees, who live on the station, close to the Playford River. The farm has herds of Brahman, Belmont and Charbray cattle breeds.
Davenport Downs
Location: Queensland, Australia
Area: 3,700,000 acres
Type: Cattle farm
Herd of cattle: 29,000
Owner: Paraway Pastoral Company
Davenport Downs is the largest cattle farm in the Queensland area and the forth largest in Australia. The staff often of the farm often competes in regional camp-drafts and rodeos.
Home Valley
Location: Western Australia, Australia
Area: 3,500,000 acres
Type: Cattle farm
Owner: Indigenous Land Corporation
Official website: hvstation.com.au
This farm is the main cattle station in Western Australia. It operates starting from 1957, it’s the home of a popular holiday resort since 2006 and it has an airstrip. Part of the station was also featured in the film Australia, starring native Aussie Nicole Kidman.
Innamincka
Location: South Australia, Australia
Area: 3,340,000 acres
Type: Cattle farm
Head of cattle: 13,000
Owner: S. Kidman & Co
Official website: kidman.com.au
This large cattle station has been operating since 1872 in the area, hence the unusual name, which is a combination of two aboriginal words that mean “your shelter and your home”.
Wave Hill
Location: Northern Territory, Australia
Area: 3,330,000 acres
Type: Cattle farm
Herd of cattle: 50,000
Owner: Western Grazing
Official website: westerngrazing.com.au
Gurindji peoples, who have lived in the respective area for approximately 60,000 years, traditionally exploited the land. Nathaniel Buchanan established the Wave Hill station in 1883, and it originally had 1,000 cattle.
Marion Downs
Location: Queensland, Australia
Area: 3,070,000 acres
Type: Cattle farm
Herd of cattle: 15,000
Owner: North Australian Pastoral Company
Official website: napco.com.au
Marion Downs can hold up to 15,000 cattle; however, despite being one of the biggest farms in the world, it can be managed with the help of only 15 employees.
Interestingly enough, the biggest farms in the world are not only all specialized in cattle breeding, but they also come from opposite sides of the spectrum. While traditional Australian farms have plenty of land, but manage fewer herd of cattle because of the harsh environmental conditions, the Chinese modern farms use modern technologies to obtain as much profit as possible while using less resources? Who knows what the future may bring, considering that, other large farms in North America and Latin America are strong competitors.
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