1. Selection and Judging of Beef Cattle
Chapter 14

2. Objectives Describe the different types of beef production systems
Name the parts of a beef animal
Select superior animals

3. Types of Beef Production
Cow-Calf Producers
Keeping a herd of beef cows to produce calves
Sold to feeders who feed to slaughter weight
Performed mainly in Western range states
Requires less labor, large investment of land
Calves are either feeder (under 1 year of age) or yearling calves (aged 1-2 years)

4. Types of Beef Production (cont.)
Purebred Breeders
Provide replacement bulls for cow-calf operations
Responsible for genetic improvements
Knowledge and skill are required
Costs are higher
Takes many years to develop

5. Types of Beef Production (cont.)
Cattle Feeders
Feed animals for slaughter
Use more grain in feeding to provide desired market results
Return on investment in 4 to 6 months
High-risk enterprise due to price fluctuation

6. Selection of Beef Animals
Conformation
Appearance of the live animal
Skeletal structure
Muscling, fat balance
Straightness of animal’s lines
Structural soundness
Proper conformation = more high-value cuts

7. Selection of Beef Animals
Conformation (cont.)

8. Selection of Beef Animals (cont.)
Performance Records
Performance testing: collecting records to select most productive animals
Production testing: measuring brood cow production by evaluating performance of the offspring
Progeny testing: evaluating a bull by the performance of the offspring

9. Selection of Beef Animals (cont.)
Pedigree
Record of animal’s ancestors including names and sometimes, performance data
Recent ancestors most important in selection
Use of bloodlines can become a fad

10. Selection of Beef Animals (cont.)
Other Factors in Selection
Only healthy animals should be brought into the herd
Check animal’s health carefully
Females should test negative for various diseases

11. Selection of Beef Animals (cont.)
Selection of the Herd Bull
One of the most important decisions a cattle breeder makes
Consider
Sire summaries
Maternal breeding value (MBV)
Expected progeny difference (EPD)

12. Judging Beef Animals Comparing animals based on conformation
Usually four animals in class to be judged
Certain procedures should be followed when judging

13. Judging Beef Animals (cont.)

14. Judging Beef Animals (cont.)

15. Judging Beef Animals (cont.)

16. Judging Beef Animals (cont.)

17. Judging Beef Animals (cont.)
Judging Market Classes
The main things to look for are
Type
Muscling
Finish
Carcass merit
Yield

18. Judging Beef Animals (cont.)
Judging Market Classes (cont.)
The main things to look for are
Quality
Balance
Style
Smoothness

19. Judging Beef Animals (cont.)
Breeding Classes
Judged on several traits
Condition
Size
Feet, legs, and bone
Breed character
Sex character

20. Judging Beef Animals (cont.)
Judging Terms
Correct terms should be used when judging
General terms used and listed describe
Breeding and slaughter cattle
Expressions for slaughter cattle
Expressions for breeding cattle

21. Judging Beef Animals (cont.)
Oral Reasons
Provided to explain the difference of animals that influenced placing
Basic guidelines should be followed for:
Completeness
Length
Presentation and delivery

22. Judging Beef Animals (cont.)
Oral Reasons (cont.)
Basic guidelines should be followed for
Accuracy
Terms
Taking notes

23. Judging Beef Animals (cont.)
Oral Reasons (cont.)
An example of note-taking