Exploring the Beef Industry Terms Cattle feeders Conformation

Exploring the Beef Industry

Terms Cattle feeders Conformation Cow-calf operation Cutability Demand Dual-purpose breed Desirable traits Feeder calves Frame Score Marbling Performance Polled Purebred breeders Supply Yearling feeders

Polled l born naturally without horns Horned l Born naturally with the ability to grow horns…. may never grow though Marbling l desirable presence of fat in the muscle; makes flavor of beef Cutability l amount of available retail cuts from the carcass Dual-purpose breed l traditionally used for both milk and beef production Calving l Process of a cow giving birth

What are the external parts of a beef animal?

External Parts of a Beef Animal

What are the Beef Animal Meat Cuts?

Beef Animal Meat Cuts

Terms Cow – female that has given birth Bull – mature male beef animal Steer – male beef animal that has been castrated; used for meat Heifer – young female that has not given birth Calf – young animal of either sex

How are cows different than other animals? They are…. RUMINANTS…. Any hoofed mammals that chews the cud. l Means they have FOUR stomachs called… l Rumen l Reticulum l Omasum l Abomasum l

How do I know what beef animals are better than others? Desirable traits l traits that are in demand at the market place Conformation l the shape, form, and type of an animal Performance l the ability of an animals to reproduce, wean, gain weight and stay strong Frame score l measurement based on animals being observed and evaluated at 205 days

How do I know what beef animals are better than others? Select based on the frame score l 1 through 7 scale is used for frame score Select based on conformation score l 1 through 17 is used for performance score 9 – 11 below average l 12 -14 average l 15 -17 above average l

How do I know what beef animals are better than others? No one breed is superior in all traits Decide on individual priorities & select breed based on them Commit to good management practices diets nutritious l comfortable living conditions l monitor health concerns l assess breeding stock l

What marketing options do I have with beef cattle? Supply l overall amount of product available at a given time Demand l the amount that could be purchased at a given time for a given price

Types of Beef Cattle Operations Cow-calf operation l l l keeping mature cattle to produce calves cows bred every year calves sold 2 ways Feeder cattle operation l Keep weaned animals under a year old until sold to feedlot and raised to slaughter weight

Cow-Calf Operations Advantages 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 l budget feed, minerals, vet bills, and other expenses Price may be low when time to sell calves

What type of production best suits my needs? Feeder Calf/Yearling Feeders producers that feed beef animals to slaughter weight l buy yearling or calves and finish them quickly l • Purebred breeders – producers that keep herds for breeding stock and replacement bulls or semen for cow-calf operations

Cattle Feeders Advantages production lag is only 4 – 6 months Quick turn-over time for money Disadvantages initial investment is high l l higher feed housing & equipment more labor & trucking fluctuating markets

Purebred breeders Advantages 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