How old can a cow live up to be? Beef cattle usually will live up to about 15 years, however, when used for meat purposes they will live to about 1-2 years old. Dairy producing cattle will live for about 7-10… years depending on the longevity of the animal. Dairy bulls will live for about 14-15 years. Veal calves will live until they are about 2-5 months old.