Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle Reading App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Apple
Android
Windows Phone
Android
To get the free app, enter your email address or mobile phone number.
Best Books of the Year So Far
Looking for something great to read? Browse our editors' picks for 2015's Best Books of the Year So Far in fiction, nonfiction, mysteries, children's books, and much more.
$21.90
FREE Shipping on orders over $35.
Only 1 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Gift-wrap available.
Frequently Bought Together
{"currencyCode":"USD","itemData":[{"priceBreaksMAP":null,"buyingPrice":21.9,"ASIN":"1580176046","moqNum":1,"isPreorder":0},{"priceBreaksMAP":null,"buyingPrice":19.95,"ASIN":"1603420908","moqNum":1,"isPreorder":0},{"priceBreaksMAP":null,"buyingPrice":12.82,"ASIN":"0470930616","moqNum":1,"isPreorder":0}],"shippingId":"1580176046::icRPdtlUVHdaZINAE7s48xBV9XI%2BW827n0zPNWSJyV82E1JJd7tK9pXCfTpu8FMm9Vjn9Wr7t%2BKnXQCyYZxjpaa%2FaZhrcHcQVlUxxAFhH5ETWobWWE8xlg%3D%3D,1603420908::p2wFTOur9DhhQCwH4oejVVkPHClmxjtyB1XIq3fwXwbsU%2FUVgW5hre9CwpvnjUn%2BTca58s3nPKuvZdR%2Fd4oAxX6fAYYGM6kszMT5NUHnspE%3D,0470930616::m0pIF9Rvf%2FqCH2DBoaMU3sbYoXClOGVDTaGl1EAr8z0cv0ARpp85wLiFjHMIxYhoTh6Z4OxJGbSgqH%2BnR2Pp85Faf2gLDUT3nKuYRCd8%2FsXLliVy%2FvJPUQ%3D%3D","sprites":{"addToWishlist":["wl_one","wl_two","wl_three"],"addToCart":["s_addToCart","s_addBothToCart","s_add3ToCart"],"preorder":["s_preorderThis","s_preorderBoth","s_preorderAll3"]},"shippingDetails":{"xz":"same","xy":"same","yz":"same","xyz":"same"},"tags":["x","y","z","w"],"strings":{"addToWishlist":["Add to Wish List","Add both to Wish List","Add all three to Wish List","Add all four to Wish List"],"addToCart":["Add to Cart","Add both to Cart","Add all three to Cart","Add all four to Cart"],"showDetailsDefault":"Show availability and shipping details","shippingError":"An error occurred, please try again","hideDetailsDefault":"Hide availability and shipping details","priceLabel":["Price:","Price for both:","Price for all three:","Price For All Four:"],"preorder":["Pre-order this item","Pre-order both items","Pre-order all three items","Pre-order all four items"]}}
This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.
“…will help inexperienced farmers select the breed that is best-suited for their goals.”
– Angus Journal
“With the information in this book you can reap the pleasures and rewards of using your land to raise healthy, happy and productive animals.” – American Small Farm
About the Author
Heather Smith Thomas raises cattle and horses on her family ranch in Salmon, Idaho. She is the author of 10 books and thousands of articles on animal health care. Her books include Essential Guide to Calving, Getting Started with Beef & Dairy Cattle, and Storey's Guide to Raising Beef Cattle.
Best Books of the Month
Want to know our Editors' picks for the best books of the month? Browse Best Books of the Month, featuring our favorite new books in more than a dozen categories.
I have a number of Heather Smith Thomas' horse books as well as Storey's Gude to Raising Cattle and I think this is one of Heather's best so far. As is typical of her writing (and Storey books in general), everything is presented in an orderly, interesting, and easily absorbed manner--the great illustrations are icing on the cake! I have only one bovine, a pet steer at that, yet the cattle care information in this volume was as applicable to my one steer as it would be to a herd of farmed beef cattle. This is by far the most useful small-scale cattlekeeping guide I've yet seen. Highly recommended!
Comment
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes No
Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
This book was very informative for my neighbor and myself who bought 3 calves each to raise for beef. Feeding specifications were pretty general, but informative. See your local farmers coop for help picking out a good feed for your animals if you don't know what you are quite doing yet. Our local MFA proved to be very helpful.
The book has and EXCELLENT section on the health and wellness of your cow. I learned more than I would of ever imagined in this section of the book. There is a rather extensive section of book pertaining to dairy cows, which I read anyway and it was very informative.
The suggestions that were given in this book were very handy for an amatuer farmer such as myself. Would recommend for anyone buying/owning their cow!
Comment
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes No
Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Though I haven't read any other cattle books to compare it to, I found Heather Smith Thomas's Getting Started with Beef and Dairy Cattle informative and surprisingly detailed for its size. Noticing the "Getting Started" part of the title, I expected the scope of this book to be considerably limited and read more like a Dummy's how-to guide. It was, in fact, anything but shallow. The detail put into the medical section was particularly impressive; Heather writes about numerous ailments that can afflict your cattle, including which cattle are the most susceptible, how to prevent it, and how to treat it. The book also includes a brief glossary, and concise descriptions and color photos of beef and dairy breeds. Personally, I picked up this book for the dairy information, but actually found information within the beef chapters that applied to cattle management in general. (If you buy this book for the dairy or beef information exclusively, be sure to read the book in its entirety, rather than skip around.) As another customer said, I wish Heather had been more detailed concerning nutrition. She's pretty general, discussing carbs and where they're found, for example, rather than giving you an idea of what cattle's daily diet might look like. This book definitely has something to offer and is well worth looking into!
Comment
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes No
Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
For someone like me who has lived in urban environments all her life and did not ever think about the difference between beef and dairy cattle, this book provides an excellent introduction. Highly readable and even entertaining.
Invaluable reading on how the life of a cattle farmer is full of things that can go wrong with the livestock at any time (bad births, weather challenges, contagious diseases, bad bulls....). I understood for the first time that dairy and beef cows exist because human beings have bred them and guided them for centuries.
Has a nice beginner's photo guide to cattle breeds.
Comment
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes No
Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
I have to laugh at my self for thinking this was such a great read. You should have seen the look on my best friends face, when I was telling her about this great book I was reading, LOL!
I live in the city, have no cows and no land. But loved reading this book, it was easy to read, and I like how the author goes back over a lot of the information throughout the book so it really sinks in.
I think this book was written in terms that a non-farmer or a young student could grasp.
Comment
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes No
Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
I was a bit disappointed, I was expecting (or perhaps hoping for) more info on the different breeds. And more breeds discussed then were in the book. Information like which do better in different enviorments etc. If anyone knows of such a resource let me know.
Comment
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes No
Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
I like this book, because it is written in people language. I wasn't interested in numbers or percentages, but just the day to day stuff on the dairy/beef farm, that's precisely wat you get!!
Comment
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes No
Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more
This item: Getting Started with Beef & Dairy Cattle
