BEEF CATTLE OPERTATIONS

Objectives  Students should be able to :  Plan a feeding program for a cow calf herd  List and describe approved practices for managing a cow-calf herd

Feeds  Cattle feeding programs are based on roughages and the location within the U.S.  Feed composition tables give the analysis of feeds that can be used  Typical roughages:  Pasture  Hay  Silage  Straw  Corncobs  Other crop residue

Alternative Roughages  Cottonseed hulls  Peanut hulls  Oat hulls  Rice hulls

Grasses  Used for pasture and hay:  Fescue  Orchard grass  Reed Canary grass  Smooth bromegrass  Kentucky Bluegrass  Ryegrass  Timothy  Bahia  Legumes used:  Red clover  Alsike  Lespedeza  Peanut hay  Cowpeas  Soybean hay

Roughages  Provide the cheapest source of energy  High quality roughages meets all demands and little to no supplements are needed.  Poor quality = higher amounts of other feeds and supplements

Managing Feed Sources  Pasture and Hay Land  Rotational Grazing The division of a field by the use of temporary fencing The herd is only allowed on apart of the field.  Round Bales  Can cut labor requirements up to 60%  20% loss of dry matter, energy and protein compared to square bales

Creep Feeders

Types of Beef Cattle Operations  Cow-Calf Producers  A herd of cows are bred each year to produce calves.  These calves are often sold sometimes after weaning (6 months to 1 year old animals)

Growing Replacement Heifers  Puberty- the age at which a heifer comes into heat  At least 15% of cows are lost each year due to death, breeding failure, and aging.

Branding and Marking  Hot irons, cold irons and freeze branding are the three ways to brand cattle.  Tattooing is very popular way to identify cattle  Ear tagging is the most common way to identify cattle

Dehorning Calves  Calves should be dehorned when they are young.  Electric dehorning  Hot irons  Metal scoop  Tube dehorner  Hand saws 

Types of Beef Cattle Production  Seedstock  Purebred Breeders  Keeps herd of purebred breeding animals and provides replacement bulls for cow-calf operations.  These operations focus more specifically on genetic improvement within a given breed.

Types of Beef Cattle Production  Cattle Feeders  Stocker Operations  Feedlots

Types of Beef Cattle Production  Stocker Operations Purchase calves from a cow-calf producer and care for them for approximately 5 months (12 months to 17 months of age)  Feedlot Raises large animals in a more confined area Animals are to be fed to a “finished” market weight and then sent to be processed between months of age Feedlot animals are purchased from stockers or cow-calf producers through one of the various types of livestock markets.

Processing Beef Products  Feedlots sell animals to packing plants (slaughter houses)  Most packing facilities process animals into primal cuts and subprimal cuts. These products are sold to retailers and foodservice companies.  Some packing facilities sell subprimals to meat processors who create value-added products such as pre-cooked items, sandwich meat, etc.

Types of Feeding Operations  Commercial feeders  1000 cattle or more  The feed is usually purchased  Fed n the Plains states and Texas  Farm-Feeders  Marketing farm-raised beef  Great demand for steers to weigh  Heifers to weigh

Types of Finishing  Full Finishing  Fed a full feed of grain and less roughage  Steers fed about 275 days and heifers fed about 230  Deferred Finishing  More roughages and less grain  Bought in the fall put on roughage for the winter and then fed small amounts of grain  In the summer the calves are put on a feedlot

Cattle to Feed  Sex  More steers than heifers  Age and Weight  Calves- less than a year  Yearlings- between 1 and 2 yrs lbs  Older Feeders – over 2 yrs old lbs

Calculating Feed Needs  Starting Weight- 600  Length of Feeding- 210 Days  Average Daily Gain- 2.4 lb  Ending Weight- 1104lb  Ration  Corn lb  Protein- 1.5 lb  Mixed Hay- 5 lbs  Feed Consumption- 2.5% of average body weight  Start Weight+ End Weight x (Feed Consumption as Percent) x Days on feed 2

Types of Breeding Systems  Straightbreeding  Mating animals of the same breed  Three Types  Purebred Breeding  Inbreeding  Grading up

Purebred Breeding  Mating registered purebred male and female of the same breed  Animals are eligible for registry with a purebred association  Example : Angus X Angus

Inbreeding  Mating closely related animals  Increased the genetic purity of the stock produced, but is not used as often by the typical producer  Two types of Inbreeding  Close-breeding  Line-breeding

Close Breeding  Mating animals that are very closely related  Examples  Son X Mother  Brother X Sister  Father X Daughter

Line Breeding  Mating animals more distantly related than close- breeding  Example  Cousin x Cousin

Grading Up  Mating purebred males (sires) to grade or unregistered or crossbred females (dams) to improve the herd  Examples  Yorkshire Boar x Yorkshire/Hampshire Sow

Crossbreeding System  Mating a male and female of different breeds  Usually results in improved traits of the offspring Also known as Hybrid Vigor  Includes  Terminal Sire- Replacement females are berd to a sire and all offspring are sold  Rotational – Uses a two, three, or four breeds to rotate between sires and females.  This system requires more intensive management.

Cross Breeding Example Angus X Charolais