Aim:
Policies promoting commercial farming and formal market integration often emphasize production scale expansion. However, formal market participation is influenced by factors beyond production scale.

Material and methods:
This study investigates the determinants of formal market participation among cattle producers in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan using a triple-hurdle model. We explore three sequential decisions: whether to commercialize cattle in live-weight, whether to choose formal over informal markets, and how much to sell.

Results:
The major findings indicate that production scale encourages commercialization, but formal market participation follows a non-linear relationship with herd size – small producers prefer informal channels, while medium and large producers are more likely to sell formally. Price dynamics strongly influence sales intensity, and institutional factors – such as credit access, labor availability, and animal health management – significantly shape farmers’ choices. Gender disparities also emerge: female farmers tend to sell more intensively in formal markets, while male farmers dominate informal sales.

Conclusions:
These findings highlight the need for policies that go beyond scale enhancement, targeting barriers such as limited access to infrastructure, labor, and veterinary services.