These young cattle are purchased after weaning and raised primarily on cheap forage, grass, or winter wheat to build frame and muscle. The goal is to put on inexpensive weight efficiently before they are sold to a backgrounder or feedyard for final finishing on a high-energy grain diet.
Heard on the job
We bought a hundred head of stockers at the sale barn to run on the winter wheat.
Also heard as
- stocker cattle
Do not mix it up with
- Feeder cattle: Stockers are younger, lighter cattle raised on grass, while feeders are heavier cattle ready to be placed on a grain diet for final finishing.