beef production
DESCRIPTION
Beef Production. Terms to Know. Polled born naturally without horns Horned Born naturally with the ability to grow horns….may never grow though Marbling desirable presence of fat in the muscle; makes flavor of beef . Terms to Know. Cutability - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Beef Production
Terms to Know• Polled
– born naturally without horns
• Horned– Born naturally with the ability to grow
horns….may never grow though
• Marbling– desirable presence of fat in the muscle;
makes flavor of beef
Terms to Know• Cutability
– amount of available retail cuts from the carcass
• Dual-purpose breed– traditionally used for both milk and beef
production
• Calving– Process of a cow giving birth
What are the external parts of a beef animal?
External Parts of a Beef Animal
How are cows different than other animals?
• They are….RUMINANTS….– any hoofed mammals that chews the cud.
Means they have a FOUR compartment-stomach …
–Rumen–Reticulum –Omasum –Abomasum
Types of Beef Cattle Operations
• Cow-calf operation• keeping mature cattle to produce calves
• cows bred every year
• calves sold 2 ways• Feeder cattle operation
• Keep weaned animals under a year old until sold to feedlot and raised to slaughter weight
Types of Beef Cattle Operations
• Feeder Calf/Yearling Feeders– producers that feed beef animals to slaughter
weight
– buy yearling or calves and finish them quickly
• Purebred Breeders– producers that keep herds for breeding stock
and replacement bulls or semen for cow-calf operations
Cow-Calf OperationsAdvantages
• utilizes pastures
• less labor intense
• low investment costs
• require little equipment & facilities
• easy to increase herd size
Disadvantages• Large initial land
investment
• long time in between paychecks
– budget feed, minerals, vet bills, and other expenses
• Price may be low when time to sell calves
Feeder CattleAdvantages
• production lag is only 4 – 6 months
• Quick turn-over time for money
Disadvantages• initial investment is high
– higher feed
– housing & equipment
• more labor & trucking
• fluctuating markets
Purebred BreedersAdvantages
• provides genetic improvements to herds
• Receive higher values for animals sold
Disadvantages• initial start-up cost
higher for genetically superior animals
• time consuming
• record-keeping
How do I know what beef animals are better than others?
• Conformation– the shape, form, and type of an animal
• Performance– the ability of an animals to reproduce, wean, gain weight
and stay strong
• Frame Score– measurement based on animals being observed and
evaluated at 205 days
BCS: Body Condition Scores• Use:
– Gives you the relative fatness or body composition of an animal
– helps to determine the breeding quality of an animal
– Best to do before breeding system to determine culls
BCS: Body Condition Scores• Areas to Look @:
– Shoulder, Ribs, Hooks, Pins, Tailhead, Back Bone, Brisket.
BCS: Body Condition Scores• Score 2:
BCS: Body Condition Scores• Score 3:
BCS: Body Condition Scores• Score 4:
BCS: Body Condition Scores• Score 5:
BCS: Body Condition Scores• Score 6:
BCS: Body Condition Scores• Score 7:
Why is Body Condition So Important?
Why is Body Condition So Important?
Feeder Cattle Grading
Purpose of the SystemA) Used as a communication tool to project
the optimal slaughter weight of cattle
B) Two factors-
1) Frame 2) Muscle
Small, medium, and large frame steers.To yield high and grade choice, each size must be fed to a different weight.
FrameA) Large Steers- 1250 + lbs Heifers- 1150 + lbs
B) Medium Steers- 1100-1250 lbs Heifers 1000-1150 lbs
FrameC) Small Steers < 1100 lbs Heifers < 1000 lbs
MuscleA) Number 1
• Cattle with beef breeding in them
• Moderately thick
B) Number 2
• Cattle that could have dairy influence
• Slightly thick
MuscleC) Number 3• Thin
D) Number 4• Less than thin but still thrifty
USDA No. 1 USDA No. 2
USDA No. 3USDA No. 4
Inferior Grade
A) Conditions• 1) Sick calves- They can’t be put in
feedlot and perform normally
• 2) Double Muscled calves Won’t marble & reproductive
problems
Beef Selection
4 Areas to Evaluate1. Muscle- top and rear
2. Length- side
3. Balance- how the animal looks
4. Structure- shoulder, hip, feet and legs
Light muscled vs. Heavy Muscled
Can hair can give a false shape?
Which prospect would you choose?
Beef Cattle Reproduction
Reproduction Terms• Pregnancy -- carrying a fetus
• Fertilization -- the union of the EGG and SPERM nuclei
• Conception - occurrence of fertilization
• Ovulation - release of an ovule from the female.
• Gestation - the time from fertilization or conception of a female until she gives birth
Reproduction Terms• Ovaries - FEMALE reproductive gland in
which eggs are formed and hormones are produced.– Egg or Ovule- Female Reproductive
Cell
• Testes - MALE reproductive gland that produces sperm and testosterone.– Sperm- Male Reproductive Cell– Semen- Fluid that carries sperm
Female Reproductive Organs
Function of Female Reproductive Organs
• Vulva -opening of reproductive tract
• Vagina - channel for birth and copulation
• Cervix - divides vagina and uterus
• Uterus - provides nourishment for fetus
• Horns of Uterus - where fetus grows
• Fallopian Tube - where fertilization occurs
• Ovaries - produces eggs and hormones
Male Reproductive Organs
Function of Male Reproductive Organs
• Testes - produce sperm and testosterone
• Epididymis - collects and stores sperm
• Vas deferens - transports sperm
• Penis - places sperm in female• Cowper's Gland• Prostate Gland produce semen• Seminal Vesicle• Scrotum - protects testes & maintains
temp.• Sheath - opening of reproductive tract
EPD’s: Expected Progeny Difference
Why Do We Use Them?– Best way for producers to predict the
relative performance of future progeny(offspring) for a set of traits.
– Selection tool that is very easy to use.
– Can determine quality of offspring without actually viewing the bull.
Common EPD’sGrowth Traits:
– BW: the weight of a bull’s calf at birth
– WW: measured in pounds of weaning weight and predicts the weight of a bull’s calf at weaning
– YW: in pounds of yearling weight and predicts the weight of a bull’s progeny at one year of age
– CED: a measure of the ease at which a bull’s calves will be born.
Common EPD’sCarcass Traits:
– CW: the expected carcass weight, in pounds, of a bull’s progeny when it is slaughtered at a constant age
– REA
– Fat Thickness
– Marbling