Transcript Beef Cattle Management and the Beef Industry

Beef Cattle Management and
the Beef Industry
Chapter 9
Objectives
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Describe the physical characteristics of major beef breeds
Explain the relationship between the seasons and beef production
Develop feeding programs for beef cattle
Make a chart of common parasites and diseases that infest and
infect beef cattle
Discuss the housing requirements for beef cattle
List three factors that affect the cost of feeder cattle
Give an overview of the beef industry in the US
List four production segments of the beef industry
Discuss issues facing the beef industry
List careers in the beef industry
List organizations that support the beef industry
Vocabulary
Backgrounding
Dystocia
Eared cattle
Polled
Baldies
Feeder calf
Brood cow
Finisher
Replacement
heifer
Commercial
cattle
Finishing
cattle
Settle
Grower
Continental
breed
Cow-calf
Lactating
Weaning
Dressing
percentage
Beef Cattle in the US
• Cattle production ranks 1st
• Accounts for:
– 21% of total farm income
– 43% of all animal sales receipts
• In South Carolina:
– 400,000 head of cows and calves
– Ranked 38th in the US
• In Saluda County:
– 22,000 head of cows and calves
SC Ag Watch Manual
• -cow/calf state –calves born and raised for months
before fattening and slaughter
• 2007 – 401,000 cattle and calves and 10,000 beef
farms
• Beef demand increasing, 64 pounds per person
• 6 cattle markets/auctions and 23 other (selling cattle
and other animals)
• Many different breeds, mostly crossbreds, popular
(Angus, Belted Galloway, Limousin, Simmental
• Beef Check Off – producers pay $1 per head
• Anderson, Laurens, Newberry, Saluda
Breeds
Texas
Longhorn
Shorthorn
Hereford
Polled
Hereford
Angus
Brahman
Charolais
Gelbvieh
Limousin
Simmental
Santa
Gertrudis
Beefmaster
With partner, create a powerpoint on your assigned breed. Include
physical characteristics, history of breed, registration numbers, pictures,
etc.
*Make sure information from book in included in presentations…pages
136-143.
Angus
• Originated in
Scotland
• Solid black in color
• Naturally polled
• Consumer
preference led to
Certified Angus Beef
Hereford
• Originated in
Hereford, England
• Red with white head,
legs, and underline
• Horned
• Early maturing
• “Mothering” breed
Polled Hereford
• Developed in Iowa
by Warren Gammon
• Naturally hornless
• Red with white face,
legs and underline
Shorthorn
• Originated in England
• Red; red & white or
roan in color
• Originally used as a
dual purpose breed
for meat and milk
• Sometimes called the
Durham breed
Simmental
• Originated in Switzerland
• Oldest breed of cattle in
the world
• Large, powerful breed
• Brought to the United
States in 1971
• Orange/Yellow and white
to black in color
Gelbvieh
• Originated in
Germany
• Red in color
• Noted for superior
fertility and mothering
ability
• Tend to be extra
fleshy under the
throat
Charolais
• Originated in
France
• Traditionally white
in color
• Long bodied, large
cattle
• Heavily muscled
• Coarse looking
Brahman
• Originated in India
• Able to survive on very
little, poor feed
• Insect & heat resistant
• Excess skin and large
hump on back
• White to gray, red to
black
• Sweat glands
Santa Gertrudis
• Developed on the
King Ranch in Texas
• All Santa Gertrudis
are descendants of
the bull, Monkey
• They were created by
crossing shorthorn
cows and Brahman
bulls
Texas Longhorn
• Developed entirely by
nature in North
America
• Known for its long
horns
• High fertility
• Were near extinction
in 1927
Beef Production by Seasons
• Year-long affair
• Cycle begins at calving time
– Begins just before grass turns green in spring
• Southern states: January
• Northern states: March/April
• Wean calves in fall
• Breeding season: 60-75 days after calving
• Some wait for fall calving = higher priced
feeder calf market in spring b/c of shortage
Calving
• Management is crucial
• Live calves are the only product beef
producers have to sell
• Should occur in clean pastures with
enough room for the cow to get away from
herd
• Producers watch for dystocia
– Top 3 reasons?
Calving cont’d
• Calves should be standing
and nursing within 1-2 hours
of birth
• Lactating cows need large
amounts of high-quality
forage
– Peak lactation occurs 2-3
months after calving
• Spring growth is best grass
Breeding Season
• Begin 60-75 days after calving
• Should last 60 days
• Breed heifers 30 days before mature cows
– Why? Heifers need more attention at calving
time and gives them an extra month to settle
Gestation
• Gestation length = 280 days
• Calves should be born at approximately same
time each year.
Gestation + prebreeding + avg. time before breeding= 370 days
280 days
60 days
30 days
Management
• Restrict calving season by introducing and
removing bulls in a timely manner
• Calving season of 60 days accomplished
by leaving the bull for 60 days
• Pregnancy check 50-60 days after
removing bulls
• Sell open cows
• 60-day calving season helps keep groups
of calves uniform in size, helps with farm
labor
Weaning
• Takes place in fall when grass production
ceases.
• Calves should be 205 days
• Bulls not castrated, should be at weaning
• Horned calves dehorned
• Implant those not kept for
breeding stock
• Options:
Weaned calves
– Heifers retained for replacements
– Steers or heifers placed in feedlot to prepare
for slaughter (fed high-energy diets)
– Placed on low-energy, high-forage,
economical diet for 1st winter, then placed in
feedlot next spring…backgrounding
Feeding Programs
• Cattle depend on nutrients from forages
• Need a nutritious diet when their demands
are highest (late gestation, lactation)
• 2 types of forages:
– Pasture or range grasses
– Stored forages (hay, silage)
Pasture Management
• Management varies throughout US
• In East producers use:
– Intensive rotational grazing system: moving
from pasture to pasture over short periods of
time
– 1-1.5 acres can support cow/calf pr. for an
entire year
Stored Forage
• Normally fed to dry, pregnant cows in
Winter when grasses are dormant
• Fed free-choice
• Pregnant cows will consume 25-30 lbs of
hay per day
Maintaining Body Condition
• Bulls:
– Fed stored forages when not breeding
– May supplement with grain before, during and
after breeding season to maintain body
condition
• Heifers:
– Fed a grain ration in addition to stored forage
• 5-7 lbs of grain per day
• See chart 9-20 page 148
Finishing Cattle
• Also called feedlot cattle
• Fed a high-grain, high-energy diet
containing very little forage
• Rapid gain and increases carcass quality
are desirable
• When first arriving at feedlot, fed low
amount of grain, gradually increased until
diet is 80-90% grain
Finishing Cattle continued
• Feed additives to increase weight gain and
improve feed efficiency:
– Monensin
– Lasalocid
• Frame size affects how finishing cattle
should be fed
• See chart page 148
Parasites, Diseases,
and Prevention
• Flies
– Most common parasite
– Face flies
• irritate cattle by circling the eyes and feeding from
discharge
– Horn flies
• Feed on blood and cause irritation by congregating
on belly, back, and sides
– Any irritation reduces the amount of time
cattle spend on feeding which reduces gain
Flies continued
• Both face and horn flies lay their eggs in
fresh manure
• How to control:
– Face oilers
– Dust bags containing fly repellant
– Ear tags impregnated with
insecticide
Anaplasmosis
• Caused by parasite that infects the red
blood cells of cattle
• Causes lethargy and reduced body
condition
• To prevent: vaccinate
• To treat: isolate infected animals; treat
with antibiotics
Coccidiosis
• Caused by tiny parasites that infest the
lining of the intestine
• Causes diarrhea
• To prevent: keep area clean
Ringworm
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Fungal infection of the skin
Causes round, raised, bald areas
Most common in Winter
Treatment: apply effective solution
YES, Humans can catch
it from animals!!!
Mange mites
• Infect hides of cattle
• Treatment: pour-on products or complete
immersion
• Ivermectin is effective treatment
Stomach Worms
• Worm eggs reside on bottom of grass
plants
• Overgrazing increases chances of
infestation
• Pasture rotation will interrupt the life cycle
• Treatment: oral wormers, ivermectin
Diseases
• 3 categories
– Respiratory
– Reproductive
– Gastrointestinal
Shipping Fever
• Also called: bovine respiratory disease
complex (BRDC)
• Three separate diseases:
– Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR)
• Reduced appetite, nasal discharge, difficulty in
breathing
– Bovine viral diarrhea (BVD)
• Similar to IBR, with high temp and severe diarrhea
– Parainfluenza 3 (PI3)
• Flu-like viral disease, similar to BVD and IBR
Shipping Fever
• Treatment: Antibiotics
• Prevention: vaccination
– Initial doses should be given 2-4 weeks apart
with annual boosters
Brucellosis
• Characterized by late-term abortions
• Some states are free through vaccination
programs, testing and removal of infected
animals
• Infectious to humans (undulent fever)
• To prevent: Vaccinate
Leptospirosis “Lepto”
• Causes abortions during any stage of
pregnancy
• To prevent: Vaccinate
Trichomoniasis
• Parasitic disease that causes early-term
abortions and temporary sterility
• Spread by infected bulls
• Controlled through use of AI and
uninfected bulls
Scours
• First gastrointestinal disease to infect
newborn calves
• Can be caused by bacteria or a virus
• Calves may dehydrate, which may be fatal
• Prevention: provide clean place to calve
• Treatment: electrolyte solution to replace
lost fluids
• Colostrum is important
Johne’s disease
• Most difficult to control
• Organism slowly thickens the intestine,
preventing absorption of nutrients
• Infected animals lose condition while exhibiting
watery diarrhea.
• NO treatment
• Transmission occurs from the feces of infected
animals
• Infection occurs shortly after birth, but symptoms
may not occur for several years
• Prevention involves removing calves from dams
and raising at different site
Tuberculosis (TB)
• Wasting disease, similar to Johne’s
• May be present without no outward signs
• Infected through contaminated water
Blackleg
• is highly infectious, noncontagious disease of
cattle.
– A major symptom is inflammation of the muscles.
– Animals can come into contact with the bacteria
through spores from contaminated pastures.
– The bacteria may live in the soil and be present for
years.
– Prevention is very important.
– Calves should be vaccinated at two and six months of
age.
Housing
• Mature Cattle
– No elaborate housing needed
– Can be wintered in areas without buildings,
but thick trees or brush can provide shelter
– Keep mud to a minimum
• Finishing Cattle
– Usually kept in small groups indoor or
outdoors
Marketing
• Most cattle are marketed as calves or finished
cattle for slaughter
• Calves can be sold at:
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The farm
Feeder calf sales
Teleauctions
Internet auctions
• Sold to the highest bidder
• Uniformity of size, good condition, and health
are important
Why?
• Uniformity: So that cattle “finish” at the
same time
• Condition: want calves slightly thin
– Compensatory gain: profitable weight gain
by thin cattle
• Health: sick calves are not efficient
Timing Finished Cattle
• Well marbled, but with little external fat
• Genetics and feeding programs play
biggest role in desirable fat condition
Weight of Finished Cattle
• Live weights: 1,100-1,350 lbs.
• Frame size and feeding control finish
weight
• Dressing percentage: carcass percent of
live weight
Industry Overview
• Cattle generate more $$ than any other
agricultural enterprise
• Of farm income, 21% comes from beef cattle
industry
• Number of Mother Cows:
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Texas
Missouri
Oklahoma
Nebraska
South Dakota
These states account for 40% of all beef cows
Numbers
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814,000 producers in the US
Average 552 acres of land
450 million acres used for pasture
In middle of expansion period
– Inventory peaked in 1996, dropped in 2000,
began rebuilding, next peak 2005
• The top 5 beef-producing nations are: (1)
United States, (2) Brazil, (3) European
Union, (4) China, (5) Argentina
• The top 5 world exporters of beef are: (1)
Brazil, (2) Australia, (3) India, (4) New
Zealand, (5) Canada
The leading nations to which the United
States exports are: (1) Mexico, (2) Canada,
(3) Japan, (4) Taiwan, (5) Hong Kong.
• Although the United States is the largest
producer of beef in the
world, it is also a large
importer of beef.
• The top nations from which the United
States imports beef are Australia, Canada,
and New Zealand.
– The beef from Australia and New Zealand is
mostly used for ground-beef products.
• The United States also imports
beef from Argentina and Brazil.
– Cooked beef products are the main
beef products imported from these
two countries.
Industry Organization
• 4 types of operations
– Seedstock
– Cow-calf
– Grower
– Finisher
Seedstock
• Provide breeding animals for cow-calf producers
(replacement heifers and bulls)
• Develop purebred or planned crosses to
improve genetics
– Initial start-up cost is high b/c genetically superior
animals are more expensive than average animals
– Another large investment is the time to develop highquality animals
– A knowledgeable manager is needed
Cow-Calf
• Maintain brood cows for annual calf crops
• Wean calves 400-600 lbs. at 6-8 months of age
• Done during weaning process: vaccinated,
castrated, implanted, dehorned
– Cows bred to have a calf every year,
usually in late winter or early spring.
– Located primarily in the Plains, Corn Belt, and
southeastern states.
Cow-Calf, continued
– Cows and calves graze in herds on large
pastures.
– Creep feeding is used to allow the calf to gain
more weight while nursing.
– This type operation is mainly family
owned and operated.
Grower
• Grow calves from weaning until approx. 900 lbs.
• Also called stocker or background operations
• Goal: to grow animals until they are more mature
for finishing – add to frame w/o fattening
• Used if calves are too small/light or feedlots are
full
• May winter or background cattle
Grower, continued
– A backgrounder will usually grow the calves in a dry
lot and feed them a high roughage ration.
– Silage, hay and grain, or forage plus grain byproducts
are used
– Normal average daily gains will be less than 2.5
pounds per day.
– Typically family-owned ranches and farms.
– Moved onto feedlot operation at approximately 12 to
18 months of age.
Finisher
• Also called Feedlot
• Cattle fed high-grain diet
• Marketed at 14-24 months of age, weighing
1100-1300 pounds
• Size of feedlot varies from 100 head to 100,000
head
– Cattle are fed in fenced areas
where harvested grains/feed
are delivered to them
– Some are sent to pasture
Finisher, continued
– Once animals arrive at the feedlot separated into herds of 100 and housed in
pens (125 to 150 square feet of room per
animal)
– Cattle typically spend 4 - 6 months in a feedlot
– Fed a ration 70 - 90 % grain, and constant
water access
– Owned by an individual, partnership, or
corporation
Finisher, continued
• Cattle are carefully unloaded at the feedlot and
directed through a processing barn
– Tagged and vaccinated
– Entered into record-keeping system
– Receive a growth promotant and grouped
into pens by age or size.
– Growth promotant is a small pellet that is positioned
under the skin behind the ear (releases micro
amounts of a growth hormone like estrogen)
– ***Approved by the FDA and help cattle build more
muscle, producing a leaner beef product
Industry Issues
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E.coli poisoning from undercooked meat
Mad cow diesease
FOOD SAFETY is leading issue
Country of origin labeling
Mandatory identification
Customer demand for product quality and
consistency
Industry Issues, continued
• Illegal to feed animal products to cattle
that may transmit the organism for Mad
Cow Disease
• Cook burgers until what??? Juices run clear &
center is gray
• Clean utensils and do not cross
contaminate!
Careers
• Large farms and ranches employ a variety
of people
– Managers/supervisors
– Record keepers
– Farm laborers
– Livestock buyers/sellers
– Feed/equipment sellers
– Vets, education consultants
– Packing and inspection
Supporting Organizations
• Beef Checkoff-$1
• National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
(in Colorado, Chicago, Washington DC)
• State councils
• US Beef Breeds Council
• US Meat Export Organization