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 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

– budget feed, minerals,

vet bills, and other

expenses

• Price may be low when

time to sell calves

Feeder Cattle

Advantages• 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 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

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

Frame

C) 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

Muscle

C) Number 3• Thin

D) Number 4• Less than thin but still thrifty

USDA No. 1USDA No. 2

USDA No. 3

USDA 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