It is unknown when humans started to cultivate soil, but experts believe that the first farmer existed thousands of years ago. Near a mountain in Anatolia, Turkey, some experts believe that humans cultivated the first grains, an ancient form of wheat to be more precise.

Over the centuries, agriculture has become one of the main occupations of humans, because it allowed them to produce food throughout the year and other resources to create specific items used on daily basis. This development naturally led to the concept of farming. People quickly realized that farms allowed them to cultivate the soil in an organized manner, or to raise animals for food and resources easier.

Today, modern farms are nothing like they used to be, because the industrial progresses made and technological developments have influenced farming processes. Therefore, it’s no surprise that some large farms have become mega – structures, following the struggle of people to produce as much as possible while using less resources.

The biggest farms in the world are found in China and Australia. China has the largest population in the world, of almost 1,4 billion people, which means that the country needs a lot of resources to ensure food for all its inhabitants. On the other hand, Australia is a major agricultural producer and exporter, due to the vast agricultural terrains available, which allowed the development of some of the biggest farms in the world.

Mudanjiang City Mega Farm

Location : Heilongjiang, China

: Heilongjiang, China Area : 22,500,000 acres

: 22,500,000 acres Type : Dairy farm

: Dairy farm Head of cattle : 100,000

: 100,000 Produces : 800 m litres milk/year

: 800 m litres milk/year Owners: Zhongding Dairy Farming and Severny Bur

This dairy farm currently holds the title of the biggest farm in the world. Approximately 100,000 cows supply the farm with milk for dairy products. The expansion of this dairy farm happened in 2015, when Russia banned milk products from the EU, as a response to the Ukraine crisis. China stepped in to supply the demand for dairy products on the Russian market.

Modern Dairy

Location : Anhui, China

: Anhui, China Area: 11,000,000 acres

11,000,000 acres Type : Dairy farm

: Dairy farm Head of cattle: 40,000

40,000 Produces: 600 tons milk/day

600 tons milk/day Owner : China Modern Dairy Holdings Ltd.

: China Modern Dairy Holdings Ltd. Official website: moderndairyir.com

This farm was the largest in the world when it was first opened, in 2011. It started with 40,000 cows, but it suffered important market losses because accusations were made that the farm had sold cows positive with bovine tuberculosis.

Anna Creek Station

Location : South Australia, Australia

: South Australia, Australia Area : 6,000,000 acres

: 6,000,000 acres Type : Cattle farm

: Cattle farm Head of cattle : 16,500 (tops)

: 16,500 (tops) Owner: Williams Cattle Company

This is the largest cattle farm in the world, due to the size of the land; however, the farm has some rough years at the beginning of the 2000s decade, because of the drought that hit Australian territories hard.

Anna Creek farm is able to carry up to 16,500 head of cattle during a good season. The farms is known for it Santa Gertrudis cattle specimens, as they are more resistant to hot and dry climates. The new owners restocked the farm other cattle breeds as well, and the new focus of the farm will be on the southern Australian market and on domestic markets, according to the new owner, Tony Williams.

On the Anna Creek farm, there are 22 major cattle pens. To observe the herds of cattle in pens, there are masts placed in a kind of observatory, called “crows nest”.

All cattle on the farm is monitored through implanted microchips. Daily, the farm manager checks the herd and centralizes the data collected which is submitted to the company’s headquarters.

Clifton Hills

Location : South Australia, Australia

: South Australia, Australia Area : 4,200,000 acres

: 4,200,000 acres Type : Cattle farm

: Cattle farm Head of cattle: 14,000

14,000 Owner: G and E. A. Brooks

Established in 1876, with only 1,000 cattle heads, this has become the second largest cattle station in Australia and in the world. It was one of the first farms to use road transport as a means to deliver cattle, asides from the rail transport.

Alexandria

Location : Northern Territory, Australia

: Northern Territory, Australia Area : 4,000,000 acres

: 4,000,000 acres Type : Cattle farm

: Cattle farm Head of cattle : 55,000

: 55,000 Owner : North Australian Pastoral Company

: North Australian Pastoral Company Official website: napco.com.au

This cattle farm is able to accommodate approximately 55,000 cattle. Over 10,000 bales of fodder are harvested annually on the plains of the farm. The station is managed by only 50 employees, who live on the station, close to the Playford River. The farm has herds of Brahman, Belmont and Charbray cattle breeds.

Davenport Downs

Location : Queensland, Australia

: Queensland, Australia Area : 3,700,000 acres

: 3,700,000 acres Type : Cattle farm

: Cattle farm Head of cattle: 29,000

29,000 Owner: Paraway Pastoral Company

Davenport Downs is the largest cattle farm in the Queensland area and the forth largest in Australia. The staff often of the farm often competes in regional camp-drafts and rodeos.

Home Valley

Location : Western Australia, Australia

: Western Australia, Australia Area : 3,500,000 acres

: 3,500,000 acres Type : Cattle farm

: Cattle farm Owner : Indigenous Land Corporation

: Indigenous Land Corporation Official website: hvstation.com.au

This farm is the main cattle station in Western Australia. It operates starting from 1957, it’s the home of a popular holiday resort since 2006 and it has an airstrip. Part of the station was also featured in the film Australia, starring native Aussie Nicole Kidman.

Innamincka

Location : South Australia, Australia

: South Australia, Australia Area : 3,340,000 acres

: 3,340,000 acres Type : Cattle farm

: Cattle farm Head of cattle : 13,000

: 13,000 Owner : S. Kidman & Co

: S. Kidman & Co Official website: kidman.com.au

This large cattle station has been operating since 1872 in the area, hence the unusual name, which is a combination of two aboriginal words that mean “your shelter and your home”.

Wave Hill

Location : Northern Territory, Australia

: Northern Territory, Australia Area : 3,330,000 acres

: 3,330,000 acres Type : Cattle farm

: Cattle farm Head of cattle: 50,000

50,000 Owner: Western Grazing

Western Grazing Official website: westerngrazing.com.au

Gurindji peoples, who have lived in the respective area for approximately 60,000 years, traditionally exploited the land. Nathaniel Buchanan established the Wave Hill station in 1883, and it originally had 1,000 cattle.

Marion Downs

Location : Queensland, Australia

: Queensland, Australia Area : 3,070,000 acres

: 3,070,000 acres Type : Cattle farm

: Cattle farm Head of cattle : 15,000

: 15,000 Owner : North Australian Pastoral Company

: North Australian Pastoral Company Official website: napco.com.au

Marion Downs can hold up to 15,000 cattle; however, despite being one of the biggest farms in the world, it can be managed with the help of only 15 employees.

Interestingly enough, the biggest farms in the world are not only all specialized in cattle breeding, but they also come from opposite sides of the spectrum. While traditional Australian farms have plenty of land, but manage fewer head of cattle because of the harsh environmental conditions, the Chinese modern farms use modern technologies to obtain as much profit as possible while using less resources? Who knows what the future may bring, considering that, other large farms in North America and Latin America are strong competitors.