Transcript Slide 1

Beef Cattle
Uintah High School
Agricultural Sciences
Mr. Wilson
In your notebooks…
Make a list of ten benefits of beef
cattle!
Make a list of as many breeds of beef
cattle that you can.
List all the people you can think of that
raise beef cattle.
Beef Cattle
 Science term for cattle is
what?
 Bovine
 Just like Canine is a dog
 and feline is a cat.
Beef production is big business in
the U.S. ...
Largest single portion of U.S.
agricultural economy
$40+ billion in direct sales
18% of total agricultural sales
Evolution of Beef Industry
 Early civilization- cattle used for milk
and some meat production,
 Meat was much leaner than today's beef
 Grass fed
 Smaller framed
 Less muscle
 As farming practices evolved and corn
belt was formed the beef industry
changed.
Evolution of Beef Industry
 Railroad also contributed to the
centralization of large cattle feedlots
in the center of the country
 Started “segmentation”
Beef Industry Segmentation
 “Segmented" -- several producers
own a single animal between birth and
slaughter.
Cow/calf producers - calves born in spring
Stocker cattle - buy weaned calves in fall
Feedlots - buy calves at about 1 year
Packers - buy finished calves for slaughter
Purebred producers
With segmented ownership
The cow/calf producer usually doesn't
know
Ultimate productivity
Carcass quality
NRCS photo by Lynn Betts.
Shift to retained ownership
Since the 1990s, a gradual shift has
taken place.
Packers began buying based on
carcass.
Cow-calf producers investing in
breeding stock more likely to maintain
ownership through slaughter.
Geography plays a part
Cow/calf producers
Most in Deep South, Great Plains
and Mountain West
Usually full-time operations
Routinely over 200 cows
Requires land for forage
How much land is needed for
each cow/calf pair?
Arid Western regions may need 60
acres
Wetter Eastern regions may need 2
acres
Land is more productive
Use of intensive rotational grazing
Southern climates
Pastures grow for more months
Less stored feed needed
Stocker feeders
Concentrated in the Great Plains
May graze winter wheat through the
winter
Once stockers are sold, wheat
produced for harvest
Large-scale feedlots
Most near packing plants
Texas, Nebraska, Kansas and
Colorado
Typically hold
tens of
thousands
of cattle
Eastern production
Herds less than 30
Feedlots less than 1,000
Majority are culled dairy animals and
dairy steers
Secondary income
Carcass quality
Many packers buy based on
carcass quality and/or
lean:fat ratio
Bonuses for high quality
and lean carcass
Discounts for low quality
and fat carcass
Typical dressing percentage of a beef
animal is 55-60%. That means a 1000
steer would yield a carcass weight of
around 600lbs.
Photo courtesy Dr. Robert E. Mikesell.
Environmental issues ...
Overgrazing can lead to erosion
Increased grazing fees for Bureau of
Land Management public grazing land
Manure management and water
pollution
Environmentally Friendly
Animal Welfare Issues
Advantages to Beef Compared
to other animals





Forage is cheaper than feed.
Less labor requirements.
Low death loss.
Adapt well.
Good demand for producers,
especially
small producers, because
inexpensive.
Disadvantages
 Through droughts, cost increases,
due to no grass and feeding feed
 Don’t convert grass as good as feed.
 Fewer offspring per year, compared
to other species.
 High cost to start operation;
 Land is expensive
 Animals expensive $800cow vs. $90 ewe
What is a Breed?
 a group of animals that have certain
traits in common





color
size
body structure
place of origin
horned or polled
What is a Purebred?
 animals of known ancestry where all
parents etc. are of the same breed
 Breed associations register purebred
animals, develop markets for those
animals, and organize breed shows
What is Crossbreeding?
 mating animals of the same species,
but different breeds
 Angus mated to Hereford
 crossbreed to achieve desired animal
traits
Breeds to take note on in your
notebooks!














Angus
Simmental
Gelbvieh
Limousine
Hereford
Polled Hereford
Charolias
Brahman
Texas Longhorn
Beefalo
Short Horn
Santa Gertrudis
Salers
Maine Anjou
What are the English Beef
Breeds?
• Hereford - Red & white, horned or polled
–
most popular in the U.S.
• Angus - bred to compete with Hereford
–
–
–
–
smaller cows and calves
excellent conformation (body type)
mature lighter
resistant to pinkeye & cancer eye (due to black)
• Shorthorn - dual purpose breed (meat/milk)
Hereford
 Origin- County of Hereford in England
 Breeders selected for high yield and
economical production
 Henry Clay of Kentucky imported the first
Herefords
 Herefords are registered by American
Hereford Association
 More Herefords have been registered
than cattle of any other breed.
Polled Hereford
 Origin- Iowa in 1901
 Warren Gammon, an Iowa breeder
contacted all Hereford association
members.
 Located 4 Bulls and 10 Cows
Angus
 Origin- Scotland in the shires of
Aberdeen and Angus.
 Earliest records of Angus date to the
early 1700’s.
 George Grant of Victoria, KS
imported four bulls in 1873.
 American Angus Association
organized in 1883.
Brahman
 Origin- from France
 Hot & humid climates
 Disease resistant
Charolais
 Origin- Charolles in Central France.
 King Ranch in Texas imported first
bulls into the United States.
 - large & long body, fast growth
 used to increase size of English breeds
 increasing in popularity due to low
marbling
Santa Gertrudis
 Origin- King Ranch.
 - 3/8 Brahman & 5/8 shorthorn.
 1920 a bull named “Monkey” was
born.
 Monkey sired over a 150 useful sons.
 All present day Santa Gertrudis
cattle are descendents of Monkey the
bull.
 popular in southern U.S.
 A sire is a father. Sired means to father.
Texas Longhorn
 Origin- Spanish Andalusian Cattle
 Brought by Columbus on his 2nd voyage
 1860 estimated 4 million running wild
in Texas
 Almost became extinct by 1900
 Horns spread to 4 feet or more
 Slow maturing and have high fertility
 Resistant to disease and parasites
Shorthorn
 Origin- Around 1600, Tees River
Valley of Northern England.
 Originally called Durhams.
 Coates Herdbook was est. in 1822 to
record Shorthorns.
 Was first cattle Herdbook and served
as a model for other herdbooks that
followed.
 Originally Dual Purpose
Brangus
 Origin- USDA experiment station,
Louisiana
 3/8 Brahman & 5/8 Angus
 Adaptable to different climates
 Good mothering ability
 Produce desirable carcasses
What are Exotics?
 animals not common to U.S.
 used for increasing calf weights
 importation laws restrict bringing
exotics into the U.S.
Beefalo
 Origin- Canadian ministry of
agriculture
 Good mothering characteristics
 Excellent foraging ability
Beefmaster
 Origin- Texas
 Crossing was from three breeds
under range conditions.
 Shorthorn
 Hereford
 Brahman
Belgian Blue
Belted Galloway
Blonde d’Aquintaine
Chianina






Origin- Italy
One of the oldest breeds of cattle
Tallest breed of beef cattle
Short hair that is white to steel gray
Terminal breed
Low milk production
Devon
Dexter
Galloway
Gelbvieh
Gelbvieh
 Originated in Germany
 Red sometimes black in color
 Noted for superior fertility and
mothering ability
 Tend to be extra fleshy under the
throat
Highland
Limousin
Maine Anjou
 Originated in France
 Dark red with white markings or
black
 Developed by crossing the Mancelle
breed with the Shorthorn breed
Murray Grey
Piedmontese
Pinzgaur
Salers
Salers
 Origin- France
 Fastest growing breed in the United
States
 Mahogany red to black in color
 One of the last breeds to be
imported into the United States
Simmental





Originated in Switzerland
Oldest breed of cattle in the world
Large, powerful breed
Brought to the United States in 1971
Orange/Yellow and white to black in
color
South Devon
Tarentaise
Beef Production
 Cow-Calf Production: own cows,
sell weaner calves
 Stocker: buy weaner calves, sell
yearlings
 Feedlot Finishing: buy calves,
fatten, sell to slaughter house
Beef Production
 Cow-Calf: most common
- need range land – fed lots of
roughages!
- calve in spring, sell calves in fall
- feed 2# roughages per 100# of
cow weight in winter (extra for
cold weather)
 Supplement with needed proteins,
minerals, vitamins.
 Feed best hay to those that need
it the most (pregnant, lactating,
heifers)
 Lots of clean water & free choice
salt
Cow-Calf Operations
 How does it work?
 What type of cattle are used?
 When is the calving season?
What’s the Bull’s Job?
 How many cows can one bull breed
each season?
 How many bulls would you need if
owned 200 cows?
 What is another way to breed your
cows?
Heifers: What are these
creatures?
 When are heifers able to start
breeding?
 Gestation period of ~283 days (9
months)
 Can a cow ever have twins?
Moo-cows get hungry too!
 What do we feed beef cattle?
 Mainly forages- grasses and legumes.
 Grasses
 Bermuda, Fescue
 Legumes
 Clovers, Alfalfa
 Pasture free of weeds. Why?
 It takes on average 6-9 lbs of
feed to produce one pound of
beef!
Supplements
 Minerals
 Fed free choice
 Creep feeding
 What is it?
Where are we at in the
process?
 Calf is born.
 Calf is weaned.
 Where does it go next?
Backgrounding system
 Cattle is fed high quality forages and
maybe some grain for about a 4-6
month period.
 This is done to increase size of your
cattle, as cheaply as possible.
Because again grass is cheaper than
feed.
Feedlot Finishing
 Place calves in feedlot 500700#
 Feed high concentrates (grain)
2-4 months
 Slaughter at 1000-1200#
Finishing system
 Cattle is fed to slaughter weight here.
-start at about 800lbs
-finished at 1100-1400lbs
-fed for about 150-175 days
 Commercial feedlots
 MidWestern and Southwestern U.S.
 Fed feed concentrates
-high energy- corn, milo, oats
Nowhere to go but,…
 Slaughter House
 Finally, beef is sent to grociers to be
consumed by us.
Review of Process
 Cow calf operator- conception to
weaning, 15 months.
 Backgrounder- raises weaned calves
until they are ready to go to feedlot.
4-6 months
 Feedlot- fattens cattle to slaughter
weight, usually 5-6 months.
 Slaughter House to Grocery store to
Table.
Process Review Cont.
 Total time require to get beef to the
consumer.
 From the first thought of the next calf
crop to the table, right at or just over 2
years.
 From the birth of a calf to the table, right
at 16-17 months.
Review
 What is a cow-calf operation?
 What do we feed?
 Where are the beef cattle finished
off?
Beef Terminology
 A mature male is called a:
Bull
 A mature female is called a:
Cow
 The act of giving birth is
called: Calving
 Gestation: 283 Days
 Castrated male is called a:
There are eight wholesale
cuts that are then used to
make retail cuts.
Beef, it’s what’s for dinner.