Cattle are found all over Cal Poly Land due to Cal Poly's extensive agricultural lands and due to one of Cal Poly's most dominant majors—animal science.

Three major types of cattle are housed on Cal Poly's ranches: purebred cattle, commercial cattle and stocker cattle. The purebred cattle are comprised of four breeds— Angus, Shorthorn, Hereford and Limousin. The stocker cattle are housed primarily at Swanton Pacific Ranch, which can maintain up to 450 head of cattle.

On Cal Poly's campus, cattle are housed at four major locations: the Beef Unit, the Feedlot, the Bull Barn, and Parker Barn.

• The Beef Unit
  • Constructed in 1927
  • Primary function is to house show cattle
• The Feedlot
  • Constructed in 1952
  • Can hold a capacity of 200 head of cattle year-round
• The Bull Barn
  • Constructed in 1963
  • Houses the bulls
    • However, the bulls usually have free roam in pastured areas
• Parker Barn
  • Probably the oldest remaining unit in the beef cattle division
  • Used in the fall as a calving complext for first calf heifers from the beef cattle herd

   

   

  

  The Bull Test Pen

   

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