Using Statistical Analysis to Optimize Farm Business: A Case Study of a Family Farm

In China, family livestock farming remains vital, supplying much of the meat while supporting rural income and jobs. Yet, high costs, market volatility, and limited scale drive its transition toward larger, intensive, and data-driven operations. This study takes a family cattle farm as the research object. The farm has experienced policy and market changes, including national support for breeding, relocation due to the ban on breeding within 50km of the Yellow River to prevent pollution, and fluctuations in domestic oil prices , while maintaining a breeding scale of 200500 cattle. Using the literature review method, this paper explores the development of traditional family cattle farming in China. The study finds that small family farms mainly focus on calf breeding with free-range and forage-feeding modes; medium-sized farms need to time calf procurement and adult cattle sales based on oil price fluctuations; large farms can achieve full-cycle operation iteration and have stronger market risk resistance.