Most crop land is irrigated. Sheep are grazed on open, unfenced steppe. The steppe will not support rapid weight gains in lambs, thus accounting for the production emphasis on wool. Sheep are sent to mountain pastures for summer grazing. Flocks are watched over by shepherds on horseback, much like they are in the western United States.
Yurts still provide seasonal housing for shepherds and their families.
The consumption of sheep meat is high among the native Kazakh population, and sheep are an integral part of the history and culture of the Kazakh people. Heavy stocking rates, along with inadequate pasture rotation, provide a fruitful multiplying ground for internal parasites. Without the availability of anthelmintics, worms are a major health problem robbing livestock farmers of potential profits. Overgrazing is widespread in South Kazakhstan, but it will be difficult to control unless some type of grazing rights are established and some fences are built. Sheep share the land with goats, cattle, horses and camels.