1. Beef Cattle Opertations

2. 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

3. 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

4. Alternative Roughages
Cottonseed hulls
Peanut hulls
Oat hulls
Rice hulls

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

7. 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

8. Managing Feed Sources Pasture and Hay Land Round Bales
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% (advantage)
20% loss of dry matter, energy and protein compared to square bales (disadvantage)

9. Creep Feeders

10. Beef Cattle Operations
Most beef cattle industry is centered in the southern and western states.

11. 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) with a weight of pounds

13. 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.

14. 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

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

17. 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.

19. Types of Beef Cattle Production
Cattle Feeders
Stocker Operations
Feedlots

20. 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.

23. 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.

25. 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

26. Types of Finishing Full Finishing Deferred 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

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

28. 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

29. Types of Breeding Systems
Straightbreeding
Mating animals of the same breed
Three Types
Purebred Breeding
Inbreeding
Grading up

30. 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

31. 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

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

33. Line Breeding
Mating animals more distantly related than close- breeding
Example
Cousin x Cousin

34. 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

35. 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.

36. Cross Breeding Example
Angus X Charolais