NAICS 112111

Overview

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the OMB-sponsored standard for classifying business establishments so federal statistical programs can collect, analyze, and publish data on the U.S. economy. NAICS replaced the SIC in 1997 and is jointly maintained with Canada and Mexico. ¹
NAICS 112111 Beef Cattle Ranching and Farming covers establishments primarily engaged in raising cattle, including replacements for dairy herds. Federal statistical programs use this code to distinguish ranching and breeding operations from feedlot finishing and milking operations via explicit cross-references. ²

See also on G2X:

• G2X — NAICS 112111 overview
• G2X — NAICS 112112
• G2X — NAICS 112120

What this NAICS covers

• Raising beef cattle on ranches and farms for sale as live animals. ²
• Breeding and growing cattle herds, including calving and herd maintenance. ²
• Producing dairy herd replacements (e.g., heifers raised to join dairy herds). ²
• Keeping and grazing cattle on range or pasture as part of animal production. ²
• Managing operations where the primary output is live cattle rather than meat or dairy products. ²
• Establishments organized as ranches or farms whose principal activity is raising cattle. ²

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Type	Code	Descriptor
NAICS	112112	Cattle Feedlots
NAICS	112120	Dairy Cattle and Milk Production
PSC	8810	Live Animals, Raised for Food
PSC	8905	Meat, Poultry, and Fish

Boundaries and exclusions

• Feeding cattle for fattening is a distinct activity classified outside this industry; ranching and farming here focus on raising animals prior to feedlot finishing. ²
• Milking dairy cattle is excluded; dairy production is classified separately from beef ranching and farming. ²
• Operating stockyards for transportation (without buying or selling livestock) is excluded and classified under transportation support activities, not ranching/farming. ²
• Slaughtering and meat processing are not agricultural production; they are part of Food Manufacturing (e.g., Animal Slaughtering and Processing). ⁵

Frequently asked questions

• What kinds of establishments fall under this industry?
  Establishments whose primary activity is raising cattle—breeding, growing, and managing herds—are included. This also covers raising replacements for dairy herds, but not milking or feedlot finishing operations. ²

• How does this differ from feedlots or dairy operations?
  Feedlots focus on feeding cattle for fattening, and dairy operations focus on milking. Beef cattle ranching and farming covers raising cattle prior to those stages and excludes milking activity. ²

• Are stockyards or animal transportation hubs included?
  No. Facilities operating stockyards solely for transportation purposes are classified under transportation support activities, not cattle ranching and farming. ²

• Does this industry include slaughtering or meat processing?
  No. Slaughtering, meat processing, and rendering are manufacturing activities in the Animal Slaughtering and Processing subsector, separate from agricultural production. ⁵

• What is the current NAICS vintage in federal statistics?
  Census programs are publishing data based on the 2022 NAICS vintage and are transitioning programs to that basis on a published schedule. ³

Useful resources

• G2X — NAICS 112111
• Census NAICS industry description for 112111 (Beef Cattle Ranching and Farming). ²
• Census: Implementation of the 2022 NAICS (transition timeline and program adoption). ³
• GSA Product and Service Code (PSC) Manual (definitions for Live Animals and Subsistence categories). ⁴

References

1. U.S. Census Bureau. NAICS (overview). https://www.census.gov/naics/
2. U.S. Census Bureau. NAICS 2022 Industry: 112111 Beef Cattle Ranching and Farming. https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=112111&year=2022&details=112111
3. U.S. Census Bureau. The Census Bureau’s Implementation of the 2022 NAICS. https://www.census.gov/library/reference/code-lists/naics/2022/implementation-timeline.html
4. U.S. General Services Administration. Product and Service Code (PSC) Manual, April 2025. https://www.acquisition.gov/sites/default/files/manual/PSC%20Manual%20April%202025.pdf
5. U.S. Census Bureau. NAICS 2022 Industry Group: 3116 Animal Slaughtering and Processing. https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=3116&year=2022&details=3116