Beef Management, Nutrition, Reproduction Flashcards
(36 cards)
1
Q
Purebred Herd
A
- specialized type of production
- 4% of US beef cattle are registered purebred
- goal: seed stock producers for commercial cow/calf producer and other purebred operators
- good conformation of animals, heavy yearling weight, efficient weight gain, leanness at this age
- bulls: 1st-grade bulls = lot of genetic progress
2
Q
Commercial Herd
A
- crossbreds
- crossbred cow x purebred bull
- goal: beef cow must produce calf each yr and raise it to weaning weight of 450 lbs or more
3
Q
Life Cycle in Commercial Herds
A
- cows can live 10+ yrs, but job is to produce calf ea yr
- calves stay w/ mom until 450 lbs
- then calves go to stocker op until 700 lbs (still on pasture)
- then they go to feedlot until 1300-1400 lbs (4-6 mo)
- rest of their lives, these beef animals are on pasture, regardless of whether grass or corn finished
- ⅔ of life on pasture
4
Q
Crossbred Advantages
A
- live longer
- produce more milk for offspring
- high conception rates
- produce larger calf crop in their lives
5
Q
Crossbred Calves
A
- grow faster
- greater feed efficiency
- greater muscular development
- hybrid vigor
- more than 1/3 of cows are crossbred in CA
6
Q
Calving Seasons
A
- differences in calving practices between NE CA and remainder of state w/ regards to calving season
- most of CA cows calve in fall (late fall/early winter)
- in NE CA, majority of calves are born in spring (late winter/early spring)
7
Q
Fall Calving
A
- mean calving ~ Oct (Sept to Nov)
- central and southern counties
- breeding ~ Jan (Dec to Feb)
- reason: this system allows for maximum use of green grass
- calves are:
- retained as replacements or remain in grazing
- stocker route (retained or sold)
- feedlot route (very few)
- following weaning, brood cows (pregnant) are maintained on dry grassland thru summer
- in fall, may supplement cows
- 50% of calves produced are kept by original owner for 2nd grazing season
- June – weaned calves sold
- most go to pastures out of state; receive high price for calves due to high demand
- some go to CA summer rangelands or irrigated pastures
- some are kept on low-energy feeds like grass hay, byproducts, or dry grass
8
Q
Spring Calving
A
- NE counties (North coastal counties and intermountain region)
- mean calving ~ March (Feb to Apr)
- counties of Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, and Siskiyou
breeding ~ May (Apr to Jun) - spring calving bcs:
- more severe winters and greater summer forage supplies in high mountains
- most intermountain ops raise forage ea summer, which is stored for winter feeding
- weaning in fall (Sept)
- as in fall calving system:
- retained as replacements or remain in grazing
- stocker route (retained or sold)
- feedlot route (very few)
- Sept – weaned calves:
Sold out-of-state (50%) - held over for another grazing season (50%) or as replacements
9
Q
Disadvantages of Cow/Calf Systems
A
- fall or spring calving determined by climate –> forage ability –> spring or fall
- need good management (forage needs, when land runs out of forage)
- need more labor (calving interventions)
- higher death loss of calves (predation)
- higher animal losses due to culling, etc.
10
Q
Advantages of Cow/Calf System
A
- cow/calf system done on the side
- need land, but animals just roam around and manage land for you
- farmer not supporting their families on this money
- less speculative; less risk of large monetary loss due to rapid market changes
- can just wait to sell
fits well into other ops
11
Q
Disadvantages of Cow/Calf Op
A
- need good management (forage needs, land running out of forage)
- need more labor (aid in calving if needed)
- higher death loss of calves (predation)
- higher animal losses due to culling
12
Q
Replacement Heifers
A
- nearly 50% must be retained to maintain herd w/ avg culling rate of 20%
- selected on gain, size, and structure
- calve at 2-3 yrs of age (30-36 mo typical)
- then calve every year
- cows leave ranch after 10-12 yrs, usually bcs teeth go bad and animal can’t eat
- older cow might also have reproductive issues
13
Q
Culling of Brood Cows
A
- reproductive failure (51%)
- calf death loss (12%)
- dystocia (11%)
- other: age, teeth, bad eyes, bad legs, udder probs, etc.
- ranchers who do pregnancy checks at weaning cull all non-pregnant cows
- normally 15-20% reduction in cow numbers at the start of dry grazing
14
Q
Calving Time
A
- calve in clean pasture where they can be watched
- usually calve unassisted, but labor on hand in case of dystocia
- calving in highly concentrated areas incr incidence of disease and death loss
- from few weeks to 4 mo old = main handling
- branding, vaccinations, castration – usually all on same day
15
Q
Stocker Program
A
- pasture (cattle on pasture for 2/3 of their life)
- 300-500 lb calves –> 600-700 lbs to be sold to feedlots
- about 10 mo old when they leave stocker
- purpose: frame and muscle of animals
- goal: grow young animals
- includes: replacement heifers (will go back to cow/calf op), steers and heifers for feedlots, steers and heifers to be fattened for market by owner
- fed roughage mainly
- 50% of state’s rangelands used for stockers
- stockers normally purchased seasonally or annually to fit particular feed condition
16
Q
Owner Finishing
A
- rancher finishes animals themselves rather than sell to feedlot
- stockers are price-takers; feedlots = price-makers
- if they sell to feedlot, can’t negotiate prices
- also can’t wait on selling; have to sell animals at the time that they’re ready
- rancher might buy DDG and corn and finish animals themselves to avoid having to sell at low price
- in CA, weaners or light yearlings will be purchased in late fall for use in annual range
- stockers purchased from S and Midwest of US and CA spring crop
- in fall and early winter, stockers graze dry grass/grain stubble or are fed hay (alfalfa), then put on green grass as rains start
- ADG over period of ownership: 1-1.5 lb/day
- sold in June as feeders –> feedlot
- heavy feeders (700+ lbs) to Midwest feedlots
- light feeders to Oregon and Idaho feedlots
17
Q
Advantages of Stockers
A
- flexible: feed supplies and labor
- period of efficient gain
- low labor reqs
- use roughage and salvage feeds
- low investment in buildings and equipment
- lower death loss (they’re old enough, less susceptible to predation and disease)
18
Q
Disadvantages of Stockers
A
- high risk: price fluctuations of feeder cattle
- reqs high buying and selling skills
- transportation costs
19
Q
Price Fluctuations and 2050 Problem
A
- fluctuations directly related to price of feed and consumer demand
- beef is luxury item
- plant-based alternatives = 0.3% of total protein sales (99.7% animal-sourced)
- demand for animal-sourced foods is incr
- US: slight incr
- Europe: plateau
- S America: incr
- Asia and Africa: skyrocketing
- by 2050, demand for animal-sourced foods will incr by 70%
- need to satisfy incr demands w/out depleting natural resources –> incr efficiency, animal welfare, taking advantage of all grazing resources
20
Q
Feedlot Program Management
A
- 130 ft^2 space allowance
- feed bunks fed 2-3 times a day
- 80-90% diet is concentrates (DDG, corn) and 10-220% roughages
- also fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) and macro and micro minerals
- all males castrated; females kept from cycling
- growth hormone implants
- ADG of 3-3.5 lbs
- 7 lbs DM of high grain rations for 1 lb gain
- older calves and yearlings carrying some finish placed on high energy diets until slaughter weight (1350-1400 lbs)
- 4 mo in feedlot (from 700 to 1400 lbs)
- no cows and bulls in feedlot in US
21
Q
Weaners
A
- fast-growing and large animals shortly after weaning
- gains made by weaners require long feed period of concentrate: need to gain about 600 lbs
22
Q
Yearling Steers
A
- have grazed thru their first winter and summer after weaning and could only weigh 700-800 lbs
- would only require concentrate feeding to gain 250-400 lbs to reach slaughter weight of approx 1350-1400 lbs
23
Q
USDA
A
- each carcass inspected by USDA inspector in order to be sold
- if not inspected, can slaughter animal on your premises and give it to your families and workers to eat
24
Q
Feedlots in Imperial Valley, CA
A
- Imperial Valley is basically a desert
- feedlots started here to feed Pacific Fleet soldiers w/ local meat close to harbors
- feeds mainly dairy cattle (Holsteins)
- dairy bull calves are taken to calf ranches and stay there for 4 months, then go to Imp Valley feedlots
- these cattle have never been on pasture
- grade almost as good as beef breeds
25
Feedlots in San Joaquin Valley and Central and Southern Coastal Regions
- number one beef ranch is Harris Ranch
- one-time capacity of Harris Ranch is 100-120 thousand --> 300,000 cattle over 1 yr
- largely feed beef breeds (Angus, Black Baldies) and crossbreds
26
One-Time Capacity
- at any one given time, how many cattle an operation has
27
Sources of Feeder Cattle
- primarily AZ, NV, TX, SW US
- medium to heavy feeders from CA
- surplus dairy calves (male calves)
- currently a shortage of beef cattle in CA -- why prices are high
28
Imperial Valley
- light cattle feeding preferred
- out-of-state (TX and SE US)
- weighing 275 lbs (150-500 lbs) when they come off calf ranch
- stay until 1400 lbs
- every feedlot in Imperial Valley has shade
- 100 animals/pen
29
San Joaquin and Coastal Areas
- feed heavier CA-born calves and stockers
- dairy steers fed in both areas, 40,000-60,000 Holstein steer calves are fed
- $3-$4/cwt deduction in price at slaughter
- $5-$10/cwt deduction in price at feeder value
30
Dry Weather
- assoc w/ greater dust production and less odor (less odorous gas-producing microbes that thrive in moisture)
31
Nutrition for Brood Cow
- inadequate nutrition --> reduction of calf crop
- ~50% of fetal weight gains are made in last 1/3 of pregnancy
- underfeeding during this time results in:
- nutrient stores w/in her body mobilized to support dev of fetus → could decr her ability to rebreed
- if she takes Ca and P from her bones, her bones become brittle and break easily
- cows w/ reduced body reserves will produce less milk during lactation → will decr calf performance
32
Forage Deficiencies
- whatever is not in the forage is a result of it not being in the soil
- if they’re deficient in iron and selenium, soil is deficient
- rancher needs to know about soil deficiencies, then supplement diet w/ giant salt-licks (blocks that are salty and rich in whatever mineral lacking on that ranch)
- other than that, nutrition pretty easy bcs they’re on pasture
33
Overfeeding Brood Cow
- incr dystocia
- decr milk production
- decr rebreeding ability
34
Nutrition Program During Dry Period
- dry pregnant cow in avg body condition should gain weight sufficient to account for fetus growth (60-90 lbs)
- and also needs to have enough reserves to carry body weight thru suckling period
- total gain should be ~100-150 lbs during gestation or rate of ½ lb per day
35
Growing Calf
- beef calves usually weaned 7-8 mo old
- calves use grass and mothers’ milk until weaning
- on summer range (usually starting in July)
- calves and yearlings (replacement heifers) should be supplemented (creep or licks)
- allows growth of 1-2 lbs/day
- after weaning, ADG is expected to be 0.75 to 1.75 lb/day depending on breed
- replacement heifers need to be managed
- don’t want them too fat or too thin
36
Growing Heifer Goals
- after breeding, heifers should continue to gain weight (are still growing)
- replacement heifers weigh 50-60% of their mature weight at breeding, and weigh 70-80% of their mature weight at first calving
- many producers separate first-calf heifers from cow herd bcs they can’t compete w/ older cows for feed
- older cows more mature, more dominant, get more of the feed
