An independent guide for farms facing a loss, not a rendering company
US cattle deaths alone cost producers about $3.87 billion[1] in 2015, yet clear, local disposal information is hard to find. We research it, explain it and help you reach providers who serve your area.
- Independent: we don't own trucks, plants or crematories
- Every figure linked to its source
- Free to ask; we reply by email
The short version
What this site is, and what it isn't
We're an independent information and request service for people dealing with dead livestock: ranchers, dairy and hog producers, poultry growers, sheep and goat keepers, and families whose show animal has died. We explain the options and, when you ask, we look for renderers, compost operators, excavators and crematories that serve your area.
We don't run a rendering plant, own a dead-stock truck, operate an incinerator or employ drivers. When a provider handles your animal, it's their business doing the work, on their terms. We say that plainly because you deserve to know who you're dealing with before a stranger drives into your yard.
We also keep this site separate from our sister guide for pet smallholding animals. A named pygmy goat or backyard hen has different needs from a feedlot or a broiler house, and mixing the two helps neither. If your situation sits in between, like a show steer that was also the family pet, our home page covers both sides, and our article on when a show animal dies is written for the family end of it.
Step by step
How a request works from start to finish
- You send the basics through the form: species, number of animals, rough weight, your county and whether you want ashes back.
- We look for who actually serves you. That means checking which renderers still run routes near you, which crematories can handle large animals, and what your state allows.
- We reply by email with the options we found, typical price ranges and the questions worth asking each one.
- You choose and contact them directly. You're under no obligation to use anyone we mention, and we don't take payment from you.
A few things help us most: whether the animal died of something your vet suspects is contagious, whether it was put down with drugs, and how a truck would reach it. Those details change which providers can take it. If you'd rather see the process first, the contact page explains what to include and what happens to your details. If you're still weighing routes, our services overview describes each one, and what dead livestock removal really costs sets the prices side by side.
Where the numbers come from
How we research rules, costs and death-loss figures
Most of our livestock figures come from USDA surveys, state agriculture departments and university extension programs. USDA's cattle and calf death-loss report, for example, counted 3.88 million[2] cattle and calves dying from all causes in 2015. We link every stat to its source on our research page so you can check it yourself.
We also check numbers that get repeated online. One widely quoted figure says 900,000 US horses need disposal every year. Set against USDA's measured death rate, that would imply an annual mortality of about 13.6%[3], around ten times what the data shows. We'd rather print a smaller, defensible number than a big one we can't stand behind.
Our own maths
What 'our estimate' means when you see it
Some useful numbers aren't published anywhere, so we calculate them from published ones. Cost per pound, the daily death count and the value lost per head are examples. By our estimate, US cattle and calves died at a rate of about 10,630 per day[4] in 2015, a figure you won't find printed in the USDA report itself. Each is labelled as our estimate, with the inputs shown, so you can redo the arithmetic with your own figures.
Estimates are only as good as their inputs. Many large-animal disposal costs come from extension papers written between 2012 and 2019, before recent fuel and labor increases, and they're often based on horses rather than cattle. We say so each time. The livestock mortality planner uses the same inputs, so its ranges are a starting point, not a quote.
Free tool
Livestock mortality planner
Plan disposal capacity and costs for farm losses, from one animal to a herd.
Editorial standards
The rules we hold ourselves to
- No invented reviews, star ratings, customer stories or testimonials.
- No claims about being the biggest, fastest or cheapest, because we have no way to prove them.
- No legal advice. We summarize rules and link to the agency that sets them, but your state veterinarian or department of agriculture has the final word.
- No pretending a crematory is ours, or that a provider is available in your county when we haven't checked.
- Updates when rules change, with the review date shown on each page.
Regulation of animal cremation is patchy. One directory counts only 9 states[6] with licensing or consumer laws aimed at pet crematories, and those rarely cover livestock at all. That's one reason we suggest getting every promise in writing, especially that a cremation is private.
In practice that means pointing you to the agency, not paraphrasing it into something tidier. For England, we send readers to GOV.UK's fallen stock guidance; for US disposal methods, we lean on USDA APHIS's carcass disposal handout and state extension services. Rules by state and country are gathered on our locations pages.
Beyond the articles
Why we run polls and build planning tools
Our reader polls ask practical questions, like whether you still have a renderer or whether you've ever composted a mature cow. They're anonymous, one vote per person and not a scientific survey, but they show how varied real farms are. You can see them on the polls page, and the tallies update as votes arrive on the poll results page.
What kind of operation do you run?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
The tools do arithmetic most people would rather not do in a hurry: how much ash a steer returns, how big a pit or compost pile needs to be, how disposal costs compare per pound. All of them are free and run in your browser; browse them on the tools page.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
Vote anonymously and see how other readers answered. The results are live counts from people who visit this site, so they show real opinions, not a scientific sample.
What kind of operation do you run?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Do you have a written plan for a big loss, like a blizzard, heat wave or disease outbreak?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Did you (or would you) compare more than one provider?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Questions people ask
Are you a rendering company or crematory?
No. We're an independent guide and request service. We explain options and help you find providers that serve your area, but the rendering, composting, burial or cremation is carried out by those providers, who set their own prices and terms.
Does it cost anything to ask?
No. Sending a request is free and puts you under no obligation. Any price you pay is agreed directly between you and the provider you choose. We'll also tell you about options that don't need a provider at all, such as composting on your own land where it's allowed.
Can you tell me what's legal in my state?
We summarize the rules we've researched and link to the agency that sets them, but we're not lawyers or regulators. For a firm answer, especially after a disease death, call your state veterinarian or department of agriculture. Our locations pages show the basics by state.
Why is this separate from your farm animal site?
Production agriculture has different problems: volume, biosecurity, contracts and records. Named hobby-farm animals are mostly about a single goodbye. Show animals from 4-H and FFA sit between the two, so we cover them here with the cremation detail families ask for.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] Death loss in U.S. cattle and calves in 2015 was estimated to cost producers $3.87 billion. USDA APHIS NAHMS - Death Loss in U.S. Cattle and Calves Due to Predator and Nonpredator Causes, 2015 (published Dec 2017), 2015.
- [2] Almost 3.9 million U.S. cattle and calves died from all causes in 2015 (1.736 million adult cattle and 2.144 million calves). USDA APHIS NAHMS - Death Loss in U.S. Cattle and Calves Due to Predator and Nonpredator Causes, 2015 (published Dec 2017), 2015.
- [3] The often-quoted figure of 900,000 horse disposals per year would imply an annual horse death rate of about 13.6%, roughly 10 times the USDA-measured rate of 1.4%. Our estimate: 900,000 / 6,600,000 x 100. How we calculate.
- [4] About 10,630 U.S. cattle and calves died every day in 2015. Our estimate: 3,880,000 / 365. How we calculate.
- [5] The average value lost per dead cow or calf in 2015 was about $997. Our estimate: $3.87 billion / 3.88 million head. How we calculate.
- [6] Nine US states have pet-crematory-specific licensing or consumer statutes: California, New York, Texas, Arizona, Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland and Illinois. FindPetCremations - Pet Cremation Laws & Regulations by State (2026), 2026.
Ask us to look into options for your farm
Tell us what you need and where you are. We'll reply by email with clear options and prices so you can decide in your own time.