stockyard

A stockyard is a secured outdoor or indoor facility in which livestock are kept, sorted, and prepared for sale or transfer to processing facilities. Commonly used for cattle, hogs, sheep, and other farm animals, stockyards may function as auction markets, temporary holding yards, or transfer points connected to rail or road transport.

Facilities within stockyards typically include pens or lots, loading ramps, chutes, scales, sorting alleys, watering points, and often veterinary or quarantine areas. Management activities include feed and water provision, branding or tagging for identification, vaccination, medicating, and sorting by weight, age, or destination. Auctions or negotiated sales are conducted in the yard or via ring-side facilities; buyers bid on lots, and animals are delivered directly to trucks or railcars after sale.

Historically, stockyards became central to large-scale livestock trading in the 19th and early 20th centuries, especially in cities with major meatpacking industries and railroad networks. The Chicago Union Stock Yards, among others, played a prominent role in the U.S. meat trade; many yards have since been replaced or downsized by integrated processing facilities, private auctions, and electronic trading platforms.

Today, stockyards are regulated by veterinary and agricultural authorities to ensure animal welfare, disease control, and food safety. They face ongoing concerns about welfare standards, biosecurity, waste management, and local environmental impact, prompting reforms in facility design and operating practices. They continue to serve as intermediaries between farmers and processors, supporting the movement and segregation of livestock prior to slaughter or further finishing.