1. Introduction to Beef Cattle INTRODUCTION TO ANIMAL SCIENCE AG. 140

2. History Cattle are date back to 6500 B.C. in Turkey and the middle east. Remains and cave paintings link cattle back to early times they are referred to in the early works of Julius Ceasar (44 B.C) Cattle were domesticated after goats, sheep, and dogs.

3. Cattle served several purposes for humans ◦Meat ◦Milk ◦Labor

4. Aurochs Modern domestic cattle are descendent of the Aurochs. Aurochs were massive, wild cattle that roamed Europe, Asia, and North Africa Aurochs survived in Europe until 1627

5. Aurochs 2,200 lbs. 6.6 ft tall at the shoulder Were often hunted because they provided great sport

6. Heck Cattle Developed by German biologists in an attempt to reproduce Aurochs ◦How would they “recreate” a species? 5’3” at the shoulder, 1200 to 2000 lbs.

7. Terminology of Cattle Bovine ◦A member of the taxonomic family bovidae ◦Includes cows and oxen

8. Cow A female bovine who has had a calf

9. Bull A male bovine.

10. calf A baby bovine

11. heifer A female bovine who has not had a calf

12. Springer or bred heifer A heifer who has not had a calf, but is pregnant

13. steer A male bovine that has been castrated ◦Castrated means that the testicles have been removed

14. Free martin Twin calves that are male and female The female is sterile and called a free martin

15. polled Naturally without horns

16. Question? The general term for ewes, rams and lambs is sheep. The general term for boars, sows, and piglets is pigs. The general term for stallions, mares and foals is horses. What is the general term for Bulls, cows, and calves?

17. Breeds and Classifications of Beef Cattle

18. There are two subspecies of cattle. Bos taurus taurus cattle of Europe, north-eastern Asia, and parts of Africa

19. Bos indicus Cattle originally from South Asia/India Called Zebu

20. Definition of a breed. Animals that, through selection and breeding, have come to resemble one another and pass those traits uniformly to their offspring.

21. Categories of Beef Cattle Breeds British Exotics (European) from continental Europe Zebu Cross breeds or Composites

22. British Breeds were developed in the British Isles and were brought to the United States in the late 1700s through the late 1800s. Angus (Black and Red), Hereford (Horned and Polled), and Shorthorn are the primary British breeds.

23. Exotics include Charolais, Chianina, Gelbvieh, Limousin, Maine Anjou, Salers, and Simmental. majority of these breeds are relatively new to the U.S., being imported in the late 1960's and early 1970's primarily to improve the growth rate and leanness of existing breeds

24. British vs. Exotics BritishExotics 1)Smaller at maturity 1)larger at maturity 2)Mature earlier 2)mature later 3)Higher fertility 3)leaner meat 4)Calving ease 4)more yield 5)Yield less 5)less quality 6)better quality 6)calving difficulty when crossed with British breeds

25. English Breeds: Aberdeen Angus Originated in Aberdeen, Scotland Polled Black

26. First came to the U.S. when George Grant brought five bulls to the Kansas prairie in 1873 When crossed with Texas Longhorns, hornless black calves that wintered better were the result.

27. “Old Jock” is #1 in the Angus Registry “Old Granny” was killed by lightning when just past 35 years of age; produced 29 calves.

28. Red Angus Same origins as black Angus Banned from registry in U.S. in 1917; Red Angus registry established in 1954 Original “red” gene dates back to a dun cow from Norse invaders

29. Hereford Originated in Herefordshire England in 1742 Were bred for economical feed utilization horned

30. Herefords were first brought to the U.S. in 1817, to Kentucky, by Henry Clay “The Great Improver” – when crossed with longhorns, it greatly improved the carcass.

31. Polled Hereford Same as a Hereford, but polled or naturally hornless. Developed in the U.S. in the late 1800’s.

32. Shorthorn Developed in England in the late 1800’s Used as a dual-purpose breed May be red or roan

33. Two different types were developed in the 1900’s ◦Milking Shorthorns ◦Beef Shorthorns

34. Texas Longhorn

36. First set foot on north American soil 500 years ago Descendents of Spanish-Andalusian cattle brought to Mexico by the Spaniards Hearty, lean cattle that dominated the Great Plains of the U.S. Great foraging ability; able to withstand poor climate

37. Crossbreeding with Angus and Hereford breeds nearly caused the extinction of true Texas Longhorns by the early 1900’s. Natural range was decimated by fencing and the ploughing of natural pasture land.

38. Quiz Identify the following breeds of cattle.

39. 1.

40. 2.

41. 3.

42. 4.

43. 5.

44. 6.

45. Review What breed is the predecessor to modern domestic cattle? What are the three categories of cattle breeds? How do those three categories differ?

46. Exotics include Charolais, Chianina, Gelbvieh, Limousin, Maine Anjou, Salers, and Simmental. majority of these breeds are relatively new to the U.S., being imported in the late 1960's and early 1970's primarily to improve the growth rate and leanness of existing breeds

47. Charolais First imported into the U.S. by the King Ranch in Texas, in 1936 (bought from Mexico) Originated in France Large framed breed of cattle with bulls reaching 2,000lb to 2500 lbs. Cows weigh from 1200 to 2000 lbs.

49. white or creamy white in color, but the skin carries appreciable pigmentation naturally horned beef animal Currently, polled Charolais have been developed

51. graze aggressively in warm weather, withstand reasonable cold, and raise heavy calves

52. Chianina Originated in Italy First importation was Chianina semen in 1971; producing an Angus/Chianina cross Import of animals was not allowed from countries where Hoof in Mouth disease had occurred

54. Fullblood Chianina have short hair that varies from white to steel gray in color. Bulls are often a darker gray around their front ends.

55. Both sexes have black pigmented skin, points and mucosa. The short horns curve forward and are usually black in the younger animals but become lighter, beginning at the base, as the animals mature.

57. The most noticeable characteristic of the breed is the extensive and well- defined muscling. The shoulders, back and rear quarters are especially well formed. The legs are longer than most breeds and the bodies are not proportionally as long as some breeds that have shorter legs. The faces are rather long and straight.

59. The breed is often referred to as a "terminal" breed by cattlemen. This infers that the primary use of the breed is as the sire to animals which will all be marketed. The herds they are used in are frequently crossbred and the Chianina bulls provide an outstanding growth rate in the offspring of these crossbred females.

60. Gelbvieh Gelbvieh originated in Bavaria, in southern Germany originally selected for meat, milk and work. introduced into the United States through the importations of semen from Germany, starting in July of 1971

63. breed is red in color, with strong skin pigmentation, and horned. Polled cattle have developed in the United States from the use of naturally hornless foundation females. Proponents of the breed claim the breed has superior fertility, calving ease, mothering ability, and growth rate of the calves.

64. Limousin The first Limousin bulls imported permanently into the United States did not arrive until the fall of 1971 from Canada golden-red cattle with wheat colored undermarkings deep chest, a strong top-line, well-placed tailhead and strongly-muscled hindquarter

66. the Canadian government had not permitted any Limousin bulls to leave the country except for short periods for exhibition purposes, and then only if the owners posted a large bond that was refunded when the animal returned to Canada.

68. The first U.S. import, Kansas Colonel, was born and raised in Canada and was imported by Bob Haag of Topeka, Kansas, for a group of Kansas Limousin breeders.

69. Maine-Anjou Originated in Northwest France Semen first imported to the U.S. in 1969

71. mature bulls weigh from 2200 to 3100 pounds on the average. Mature cows will range from 1500 to 1900 pounds.

73. The coloring is a very dark red with white markings on the head, belly, rear legs and tail. White on other parts of the body is also common.

74. Salers Originated in France First imported in semen form from Canada First bull imported to the U.S. in 1975

76. Salers cattle are typically horned and dark mahogany red in color, however a growing number of polled and black Salers are available. The availability of polled genetics in addition to both red and blackgives Salers the advantage of breeding program flexibility.

78. Miscellaneous Cows The following slides are breeds that need to be noted before looking at composites.

79. Double Muscled Cattle Belgian Blue Parthenais Piedmontese

80. Belgian Blue

81. Have double muscling (double in size, not two sets) Originated in Belgium Double muscling is due to a gene that supresses the production of myostatin (hormone that inhibits muscle growth and differentiation)

82. Parthenais Originated in France

83. Piedmontese Believed to be descendents of crosses between Aurochs and Zebu cattle Originated in Italy Born fawn colored, mature to gray/white color

85. Brahman Originated in India Breed is adapted to inadequate food supplies, insect pests, parasites, diseases and the weather extremes of tropical India Large ears contribute to blood cooling All Brahmans are Bos indicus, but not all Bos indicus are Brahmans.

87. ◦Hair Coat. The short, thick, glossy hair coat reflects much of the sun's rays ◦Skin Pigmentation - black pigmented skin keeps out the intense rays of the sun. ◦Loose Skin - loose skin on the Brahman is contributes to its ability to withstand warm weather by increasing the body surface area exposed to cooling. ◦Sweating Ability. Brahmans have sweat glands and the ability to sweat freely through the pores of the skin ◦Internal Body Heat -they produce less internal body heat in warm weather than do cattle of European breeds.

89. Crossbreeds or Composites Crossbreeds are produced using characteristics of two to three different breeds Beefmaster, Santa Gertrudis, Braford, Brangus and Charbray are only a few. Black Baldies are composites that are not a breed

90. Beefmaster

91. Developed at the Lasater Ranch in Texas ¼ Hereford, ¼ Shorthorn, and ½ brahman Stress was put on beef production No specific horns, hide, or color

92. Santa Gertrudis Developed on the King Ranch in Texas 5/8 shorthorn, 3/8 Brahman Deep cherry red in color Heat and tick resistant

94. Good mothering and milking ability with ease of calving Steers have high weight gains on both pastures and in feedlots

95. Braford 3/8 Brahman, 5/8 Hereford Developed in Florida in 1947 Herefords were not adapted to the climate, so crosses were made with Brahmans Characteristics include early puberty, fertility, calving ease, optimum milking and maternal ability

97. Charbray 5/8 Charolais and 3/8 Brahman Well adapted to regions of high humidity, heat and insects Rapid growth and outstanding feed conversion Reach slaughter weight at 12 to 15 months

100. Brangus 3/8 Brahman, 5/8 Angus Desireable animal having the carcass quality of an angus with the heartiness of a Brahman

102. Black Baldy Cross between Black Angus and Herefords Combines the qualities of both animals

103. Other breeds Belted Galloway – Scotland

104. Murray Grey - Australia

105. British White - Britain

106. Dwarf Panda Cow Zappery wants one!!!