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The most distinctive characteristic of mixed crop and livestock farming is the integration of crops and livestock. Most of the crops are fed to animals rather than consumed by humans. In turn,  the livestock supply manure to improve soil fertility to grow more crops. A typical mixed crop and livestock farm devotes nearly all land area to growing crops, but derives more than three fourths of its income from the sale of animal products.

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In the US, pigs are often bred directly on the farms, whereas cattle may be brought in to be fattened on corn. Mixing crops and livestock permits farmers to distribute the workload more evenly through the year. In the US, corn is the crop most frequently planted in the mixed crop and livestock region because it generates higher yields per area.

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Fields require less attention in the winter than in the spring, when crops are planted, and in the fall when they are harvested. Meanwhile, live stock require year long attention. A mix of crops and livestock also reduces seasonal variations in income; most income from crops comes during harvest season, but livestock photos are sold through the year.

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Mixed strategy farming helps beat climate change | Farmer ...

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Mixed crop and livestock farming typically involves crop rotation. The farm is divided into a number fields, and each field is planted on a planned cycle, often of several years. The crop planted changes from one year to the next, typically going through a cycle of two or more crops, and perhaps a year of fallow before the cycle is repeated. Crop rotation helps maintain the fertility of a field because various crops deplete the soil of certain nutrients but restore others.

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One of the largest disadvantages of mixed farming operations is that they tend to be limited in capacity. An operator must spread his resources, such as time, money, labor and land over two different ventures. For example; a farmer who plants crops and raises beef cattle cannot plant as much corn as the farmer who only grows crops. Therefore, he cannot take advantage of the economies of scale that are inherent to large setups, such as reduced costs and increased efficiency. Mixed farming generally requires more resources, another clear disadvantage.