Leaving Certificate Agricultural Science Beef Principles Practices Produced
Leaving Certificate Agricultural Science Beef Principles & Practices Produced for IASTA by Humphrey Jones, St. Columba’s College
Introduction • The beef industry in Ireland is the largest sector of the Irish Agricultural Economy • There are 4. 5 million beef animals in the country, producing 0. 5 million tonnes of beef per year, of which 80% is exported. • The main export countries are the UK, Germany, Egypt & Iran. • In Irish farms, many beef animals originate from the dairy herd. • These animals originate mainly from Munster and are relocated around the country. • Beef farming, however, has the lowest income per hectare in Irish farms in comparison to other types of farming. • It relies on the use of good spring grass and good silage.
Comparing Beef & Dairy Breeds Beef Breeds Dairy Breeds Bottom line and Underline Parallel Shoulders & hindquarters wide and meaty Top Line and Underline converge at point. Head short and wide Back level and well fleshed Legs are long, wide and Shoulders narrow, hindquarters narrow. Head long & narrow Back level but thin Legs are long, wide
Common Beef Breeds - Charolais • Introduced to Ireland in the 1960’s due to the demand for continental style beef, this highly built, large muscled animal is now the most popular continental sire. • They are usually white, but this is incompletely dominant and other variations do arise. • They are frequently calving difficulties and a Charolais should not be served to any cow that has not had two calves at least. • However, Charolais bulls in Artificial Insemination stations are known for easy calving.
Common Beef Breeds - Charolais
Common Beef Breeds - Hereford n The Hereford are a typical British breed, bred in Ireland for over 200 years. n They are distinguished by their white heads, white stripe on the back of their necks and white underbelly, throat and legs (with a predominant brown / red body) n As well as providing beef, the Hereford is useful as a sire. n The Hereford, when crossed with the Friesian produces the Black White-head, a popular breed for the British market. n There are two strains, a large frame and a small frame. n The small frame is used for breeding with heifers, as this will make calving easier.
Common Beef Breeds - Hereford
Common Beef Breeds – Angus n The Angus is smaller than Herefords and are considered the best example of a British breed. n They have the typical barrelled shaped body, small head, short leg and highly developed hind quarters. n They are black in colour and are hornless. These are dominant characteristics when crossed with other breeds. n The meat quality is extremely good, but tend to be quite fat when young. n This affects their selling quality in the continental market. n Friesian heifers are often services with an Angus.
Common Beef Breeds – Angus
Common Beef Breeds – Limousin n This breed is increasing in popularity as a sire for dairy herds, as there is infrequent calving problems. n The Limousin also is known as having an excellent carcase quality, and the ability to put on masses of lean meat quickly. n The Limousin / Friesian offspring are ideal suckler dams. n The red colour of the Limousin is recessive to black colours of Friesians so little red appears in the offspring of such a cross.
Common Beef Breeds – Limousin
Common Beef Breeds - Simmental n The Simmental is an example of a triple purpose animal (Beef, Dairy and Working) but is most noted in Ireland as a beef breed. n It is often used in Europe as a dairy animal and has yields similar to that of the Friesian and milk quality is often better. n The Simmental is a native of Switzerland, and may be yellow with white or red in colour, also with a dominant white head. n Simmentals have a very high growing rate (over 10% more than Friesians, Hereford crosses or Angus crosses) n Simmental bulls should never be used as sires for heifers.
Common Beef Breeds - Simmental
Animal Growth & Development Growth Rates n Two varying growth patterns n Constantly fed at a high level of nutrition n Over winter store animals n The most common in Ireland are the store animals. n These animals exhibit compensatory growth after each store period, which can be higher if fed constantly on a high plane of nutrition. n This system keeps down winter feed costs and can be very profitable.
Puberty
Animal Growth & Development - 2 Tissue Development and Composition n The levels of body tissue vary throughout the cows life. n The most significant development is the sharp increase in body fat after 2 years old. n Therefore if the farmer notices excess fat in the abdominal area, he / she should not continue to feed the animal on such a high plane of nutrition. n The time at which this fat deposition occurs varies amongst different breeds.
Animal Growth & Development - 3 Conformation n Conformation refers to the shape of the animal, and particularly the distribution of muscle in the body. n A good conformation refers to a lot of muscle in the areas that are worth the most. n These areas are the hindquarters (round steak and roasting beef) and the back (Sirloin, rib - roasts and T-bone steaks) n The type of breed determines the conformation of the animal in most cases.
Animal Growth & Development - 4 Conformation (Best to Worst) Continental breeds (Charolais etc. ) British Breeds (Hereford etc) Dual Purpose (Friesian) Dairy Breeds (Jersey)
Grading Carcase Quality • Carcase quality is assessed at slaughter and depends on two factors: • Fatness & Conformation • The price paid for the carcase depends on the grade obtained. • Carcase is graded using the following: • E (Best), U, R, O, P (Worst) • Fatness is graded from 1 to 5, 1 being the leanest and 5 the fattiest.
Grading Carcase Quality - 2 E 1 2 U R O PA B 3 4 L 4 H 5 P A PB PC
Grading Carcase Quality - 3 • Most Irish Beef falls into the category of A. • This is moderate quality beef that can be exported to less sensitive markets for a low price. • Beef in category B is excellent quality and can be exported to markets like Germany and France. • Use of continental breeds and early slaughtering can help improve the grade of the carcase.
Animal Growth & Development - 5 Influence of Sex Status on growth n Bulls, castrated males (Steers and Bullocks) and heifers are the most common used in beef production in Ireland. n Bulls have the fastest growth rates but can be violent. n They may also try to serve cows and disrupt the farmers breeding plans. n Steers do not produce testosterone, the male sex hormone, which inhibits their growth.
Animal Growth & Development - 6 • Almost all males used in the Irish beef industry are castrated, as they are much tamer. • Heifers have lower growth rates than bulls and steers. • Weight at Slaughter: – Bull – 750 Kg – Steer – 550 Kg – Heifer – 450 Kg
Beef Production Systems • In Ireland, there are two main types of Beef Production, producing beef animals from the Dairy Herd (Calf to Beef) and producing beef animals from the Suckler Herd. • Production from the Calf to Beef is more common in Ireland as Friesen calves are suitable for the continental market. • Suckler herd animals account for 35 – 40% of the beef production in Ireland.
Beef Principles & Practice Beef from the Dairy Herd
Calf Rearing • Calf rearing is the same for animals destined for the Beef market as those for Dairy (outlined at the end of the section). • Nearly all Dairy farmers sell on their calves (those not needed as replacements heifers) to specialised farmers who “finish off” the animal. • These calves are usually bought at the mart, and precautions must be taken when buying from a farmer you don’t know. • Care must also be taken when changing the calf onto their new diet after purchase.
Purchasing Calves • Points to look for when purchasing calves at the mart: • Conformation: – Shoulders wide – Wide Hind Quarters – Deep Barrel • Health: – – – Eyes Bright and Clear (no discharge) Ears Pricked Up Nose Clear (no discharge) Naval clean, no swelling Anus should show no sign of scour. Generally lively and alert.
Care of Calves After Purchasing • Care should be taken not to stress the calve during transport. • Calves should only be fed water and glucose for the first 24 hours. • This is done to clear the contents of the stomach. • After 6 days the calve should be on full strength Milk Replacer. • The calf will subsequently weaned onto Hay and Concentrates and later grass when available!
Days After Purchase Glucose (grams) 1 Milk Replacer Water (litres) (grams) 100 - 2 100 50 70 2 2 - 70 125 2 2 2 AM PM 3 AM PM 4 AM PM - 125 200 5 AM PM - 200 265 2 2 6 AM PM - 265 2 2
Housing & Feeding Year 1 • By November 1 st of the first year, calves should weight 200 Kg. • They are now fully reared and are called WEANLINGS. • Weanlings should be housed in open sheds bedded with straw or in slatted units. • It is important that houses are very well ventilated but draught free. • Silage is the most important winter feed and it should have a DMD of at least 73%. • If the DMD is lower then concentrates should be provided. • Live-weight gain (LWG) of 0. 6 kg for a Hereford – Friesian Cross. • By the end of winter, the calf should weight 280 Kg.
Grazing Management of Yearlings • Yearlings should be grazed on good grass during their second grazing season. • They should be dosed for lice, stomach worms and hoose. • In wet areas of land, dosing for Liver Fluke is advisable. • Any disease will slow down the development of the animal. • Yearlings should have a Live-weight Gain (LWG) of 0. 8 Kg per day at this stage. • When housed for the second year on Nov 1 st, the yearling should weight 480 kg.
Housing & Feeding Year 2 • Housing is the same for the second year but the animal, being bigger, needs more floor space. • Feeding is again silage but supplemented by concentrates to get a LWG of 1 kg per day. • This rate of growth will have a Hereford / Friesian cross at 550 kg by February 1 st, ready for slaughter. • Final weight depends on breed.
Summary • The principles of a successful beef production system are: – Purchasing good quality calves – Rearing them well. – Feeding them well (with good grass, silage and meals) – Controlling diseases. – Maintaining target weights. • The target weights for a Hereford – Friesian crosses are shown on the next slide.
Target Weights Age Target Weight LWG per day Feb 1 0, 0 40 kg 0. 5 kg May 1 0, 3 90 kg 0. 55 Nov 1 0, 9 200 kg 0. 6 Mar 15 1, 2 280 kg 0. 8 Nov 1 1, 9 460 kg 0. 9 Feb 1 2, 0 550 kg 1. 0 Date Yr 1 Yr 2 Diet Diseases to Prevent Milk Replacer, Hay, Meals, Rotational Grass Scour, Pneumonia, Lice, Worms Good Silage, Meals Lice Rotational Grass, Silage, Meals Stomach Worms, Lungworms
Beef Principles & Practice Beef from the Suckler Herd
Introduction • There approx 1. 7 million suckler cows in Ireland. • This kind of farming is low maintenance, yields low incomes and is often done on a part-time basis, where the farmer may have another job outside the farm. • The suckler herd accounts for approx 35 -40% of the beef produced in Ireland. • Beef animals are not commercially milked and calves are allowed to suckle their mother, hence the name! • Prices vary throughout the year, and producing beef off peak can get better prices, but overall costs are higher because of the use of concentrates.
Breeding Management • Most suckler herds employ a spring calving system. • This is to get the best use of summer grass. • Most incomes from the sale of the calves so it is essential that each cow produce at least one reared calf per year. • Reproductive efficiency refers to the number of calves weaned per 100 cows served. • Good farms would have a Reproductive Efficiency of at least 90 – 100. • The most important factor for achieving productivity is diet.
Breeding Management - 2 • Animals should be in good condition, but not fat, before mating. • They should have a condition score of 2. 5 or greater (more to come on condition scoring) • Calving interval also needs to be considered. • It is best to have a calving interval of 12 months to get the most of the spring grass. • Accurate heat detection is essential to ensuring the cows become pregnant. • In large farms, where a bull is feasible, the bull is able to detect heat very efficiently.
Heat Detection & AI • Cows will come into heat 3 – 8 weeks after calving and every 21 days after. • The cow should be serviced by a bull or AI at each heat period or else essential time will be missed. • Detecting heat can be quite difficult, so the herd should be observed at least four times daily • Cows will attempt to mount other cows during this time so tail painting is a good method (Similar to raddling in sheep) • Most servicing of cows is done by Artificial Insemination. • As soon as the cow is detected as being in heat, the AI station should be informed
Suckling Period – The Cow’s Diet • In Suckler Herds, calves suckle their mother from birth (in Jan / Feb) until weaning in Oct / Nov. • Feeding the cows is the most expensive part of the suckler herd. • The cow’s diet should in increased before mating (to improve condition scoring), for good milk production in early lactation and increased further in the suckling period. • 4 – 5 months after calving the diet can be reduced and just fed for maintenance until the following year (just before mating) • Good summer grass can provide all the cow’s needs if managed correctly, otherwise concentrates need to be used.
Suckling Period – The Calves' Diet • The growth of the calve is influence more by milk intake in the first 4 – 5 months of it’s life. • After this, grazing becomes more important. (this is why the cow’s diet reduces 4 -5 months after calving). • Creep feeding is important from July onwards during the first year. • This allows the calves get access to the best grass but still be able to suckle their mother. • Calves are weaned off their mother and housed in November. • The target weights vary according to breed. • Feed while housed is good silage supplemented by meals.
Target Weights at Weaning Breed / Cross Daily LWG Weight at Weaning Continental Breeds 1. 5 kg 400 kg Continental / Friesian 1. 25 340 kg Hereford / Friesen 0. 8 – 0. 9 280 kg
Management in Year 2 • Management of weaned suckler calves for the remainder of their lives is similar to calves reared from the Dairy herd. • It relies on winter – feeding and housing, good grassland management in spring and summer, and prevention of disease. • With proper management, the weight gains of calves reared on the suckler herd are maintained until slaughter. • They also reach slaughter weight earlier. • Weight at slaughter is 100 kg more than if reared artificially.
Diseases of Beef Animals n Diseases of Beef animals include: n. Tuberculosis (TB) n. Stomach and Intestinal Worms. n. Lungworms n. Blackleg n. Grass Tetany n. Lice n. Red Water Fever
Diseases of Beef Animals - 2 Tuberculosis (TB) n It affects all types of cattle, of all ages. n Caused by Mycobacterium bovus n Highly infectious n Humans can also get this disease (A Zoonose) Symptoms n Failure to Thrive n Sweating n Bad appearance
Diseases of Beef Animals - 3 Advanced symptoms: • Emaciation • Coughing • Fever and Death Prevention • None really • Don’t buy in stock • Good farm hygiene • No drinking from streams Treatment • Slow veterinary assistance for TB • All affected animals are culled
Diseases of Beef Animals - 4 • • Stomach Worms Cause: A nematode in the cow’s digestive tract. Older cows get a resistance to stomach worms. Symptoms: Diarrhoea, failure to thrive, growth restriction. Prevention: Proper grazing management, leader follower system, dosing. Treatment: Dosed with a suitable nematicide.
Diseases of Beef Animals - 5 Lung Worms (Hoose) n Cause: Nematode in the lungs. n Symptoms: Hoarse, husky cough, failure to thrive. n Prevention: Proper grazing management, leader follower system, hoose vaccine. n Treatment: Dosed with a suitable nematicide, under veterinary supervision.
Diseases of Beef Animals - 6 Blackleg n Cause: Bacteria called Clostridium chanvoei. Bacteria produce spores which can travel to muscle tissue. Animal can die within 24 hours of showing symptoms. n Symptoms: Lameness, swollen legs with black discolouration, high fever. n Prevention: Vaccine available, every six months. n Treatment: None.
Buildings used in Beef Production • Slatted Units are used for winter housing of beef animals. • These consist of separate slatted compartments sharing a central feeding area. • Dung and Urine drop through the slats and are collected in an underground tank. • The tank should have enough capacity of the whole winter. • Ventilation is important as methane gas is produced to the fermenting waste.
Floor & Feeding Space Required Floor Space Feeding Space Weanlings 1. 4 m 2 0. 3 m Fattening cattle 2. 0 m 2 0. 4 m
Rearing Calves
1. Feeding Colostrum • There are many differences between colostrum and normal milk and they are summarised below: • Colostrum is a more concentrated material and contains large amounts of highly digestible materials. • Most importantly however is the higher levels of protein in colostrum, much of which is made up with immunoglobulins. • These substances are known as antibodies, which give the calf protection against certain diseases.
Feeding Colostrum - 2 • Unlike the human baby, the calf is not born with these antibodies in their system, so it is vitally important that the young calf get colostrum as quickly as possible. • The calf can absorb antibodies more quickly in the first 12 hours of its life, and the calf should ideally consumed 2 – 3 kg of colostrum in this period. • It should be hand fed if the calf is too weak to suckle the mother. • Colostrum should be fed to the calf for as long as it is available, usually 3 – 4 days. • Excess colostrum can be used to feed other calves.
Feeding Colostrum - 3 n It is exceptionally important for the calf to get colostrum in the first 12 hours of its life. n Research has shown that the majority of deaths, illnesses and failure to grow properly in the first three months, are down to the improper intake of colostrum. n If the cow dies during birth, colostrum from another cow may be used. n Also it is important to freeze excess colostrum for this purpose. n If none is available, a replacement can be produced from milk, eggs, cod liver oil and castor oil.
2. Feeding Milk and Milk Replacer n Milk is the food ideally suited to the digestive system of the calf. n It is however app. 160% the cost of milk replacer and 300% the cost of concentrate ration. n The calf however cannot digest concentrate ration at an early age, as its rumen (stomach) has not developed fully. n The normal procedure, therefore, is to feed the calf using the following sequence of feeds: 1. Colostrum 2. Milk 3. Milk Replacer 4. Concentrate ration.
Feeding Milk and Milk Replacer - 2 n The quicker the calf can be weaned onto ration the better, as this means less cost. n However, this may not happen until the calf is 5 - 6 weeks old. n The digestive system of the calf is very sensitive and is easily upset. n It is only in recent years has the use of milk replacer been perfected by most farmers in the rearing of calves. n Milk replacer is prepared by mixing 125 g milk replacer powder to every 1 litre of water.
Feeding Milk and Milk Replacer - 3 • It must be fed gradually as the calf may react to it. This is usually done over a period of 4 – 5 days. • Bucket fed calves are given 2 litres if milk replacer twice daily at body temperature. • They may also be fed using an automatic feeder, where the calf can have as much as they wish. • However this is only used with large amounts of calves, as the cost is much higher.
3. Weaning onto Hay and Concentrates • Hay, concentrates and water should be available to calves as soon as they stop drinking Colostrum. • At first the level of hay and concentrates they consume will be very low, but this will increase as the calf gets older. • Both foods not only provide essential materials for the calf’s growth, but also contain microorganisms, which help develop the calf’s rumen flora and enable it digest fibrous material.
Weaning on to Hay and Concentrates - 2 n By the time the calf is four weeks old, he / she should be eating 300 -400 g of concentrates daily. n When the calf is weaned from milk replacer, he / she should be eating 500 g a day. n At this time the calf is allowed onto grass, but is still fed concentrates, hay and water.
4. The Calf on Grass • Calves should be allowed onto grass until the weather is warm. • The change from warm housing to cold outdoor conditions can cause a shock and can disturb the calf’s growth. • Meals should be fed for 2 – 3 weeks after being put onto grass, to help the calf adjust to the new diet. • Calves are selective grazers, and should always be kept on fresh, palatable grass and certainly should not be left graze pastures bare.
The Calf on Grass - 2 • They should graze under a leader – follower system. • They should always graze in advance of older cows. • This also inhibits the spread of stomach and lungworms. • When grass is scarce at the end of the summer, concentrates should be fed. • When calves are housed for the winter, they should weigh 200 kg.
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