ANIMAL HUSBANDRY - The Beef Cattle Industry Flashcards
At how many days old can a female beef calf begin to digest complex carbohydrates including cellulose?
35 days old
What is the most popular breed of beef cattle in the UK?
Limousin
Outline the typical production cycle of beef cattle
- Gestation: 285 days
- Suckling for up to 6 months
-Finishing starts after weaning - Slaughter at 18-20 mos (550-650 kg)
What are the five freedoms?
- Freedom from hunger or thirst
- Freedom from physical discomfort
- Freedom from pain, injury and disease
- Freedom from fear and distress
- Freedom to indulge in normal behaviours
What are the water requirements for beef cattle fed on fresh grass?
Approximately 10 litres/day
What are the water requirements for beef cattle fed on dry feed in hot conditions?
Approximately 100 litres/day
What is the dry matter feed requirement for beef cattle?
Between 1-2% of liveweight should be fed in dry matter
What is the thermoneutral zone for Taurine (B. t. taurus) cattle?
Between -5 and 25°C
At what temperature will Taurine (B. t. taurus) cattle begin to show signs of heat stress?
27°C
In tropical and subtropical areas, what kind of infectious diseases in cattle are the most prevalent?
Tick borne diseases
List six prevalent diseases seen in cattle in the UK/Europe/USA
- Bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV)
- Johne’s disease
- Bovine respiratory disease complex
- Fasciolosis
- Coccidiosis
- Lameness
What are some of the common causes of fear and distress in beef cattle?
- Handling of animals if not accustomed to it
- Inappropriate management strategies
- Misuse of working dogs
- Transportation
- Sale/market environments
- Lairage (a place where cattle are rested before slaughter)
- Slaughter
- Predation
Behaviour limiting management occurs particularly in intensive farming systems. List four examples of practices that prevent cattle from indulging in normal behaviour
- Calf rearing
- Isolation
- Individual pens
- Artificial breeding
Define a ‘business model’
An operations business model is how a business makes money
What are the four main cattle business models?
- Breeding: most income from sale of calves
- Store cattle: cattle bought post weaning and grown out to pre-finishing
- Finishing: most income from sale of fat cattle to abattoir
- Trading: most income from margin on cattle bought and sold- need to buy cheap and either improve condition or move to a stronger market for re-sale
What are some of the less common cattle business models?
- Tourism
- Environmental management
- Education, training, research and industry development
- Subsidy farming
In the beef cattle industry, businesses tend to divide the cost of production into fixed and variable costs? Define ‘fixed costs’
Fixed costs are costs more or less independent of the level of production output
In the beef cattle industry, businesses tend to divide the cost of production into fixed and variable costs? Define ‘variable costs’
Variable costs are costs that increase proportionally as the level of production increases
What are some fixed costs in the beef cattle industry?
- Rent
- Rates
- Electricity
- Finance charges
What are some of the variable costs in the beef cattle industry?
- Concentrates
- Forage
- Bedding
- Haulage
- Commissions
(T/F) Labour costs in a production system can be a fixed or variable cost
TRUE. Labour costs can be fixed or variable depending on the business relationship with production
Why are cattle usually sold on a deadweight basis?
Cattle are usually sold on a deadweight basis (usually about 50% of liveweight) because a business will usually be paid less selling their cattle on a liveweight basis
Which factors affect the deadweight of cattle?
- Breed
- Amount of fat (paid less if lots of fat present)
What is ‘technical performance’?
Technical performance is the quantitative assessment of the non-financial measure of performance. This can be considered as an assessment of biological performance
What is the ideal daily liveweight gain (kg) for cattle?
Approximately 1kg of daily liveweight gain (even 1.5kg per day for cattle in feedlots)
What is the average cow mortality rate within a business?
Approximately 2.5% mortality rate
Why have standard management procedures been implemented into the cattle industry?
- To synchronise breeding
- To prevent breeding
- To improve animal health
List four breeding related standard management procedures
- Weaning before puberty
- Castration
- Spaying
- Segregation of bulls and females outside of breeding season
What is the benefit of weaning calves before puberty?
Weaning earlier allows the female cow to recover her body condition before having her next calf
In extensive and intensive systems, when are male cattle castrated?
- Within a few days in extensive systems
- Within six months in intensive systems
List five non-breeding standard management procedures in the cattle industry
- Vaccinations
- Drenching/dosing
- Dipping/spraying
- Dehorning
- Identification methods
List five methods of identification used in the cattle industry
- Hot branding
- Tattoos in the ears
- Ear tags
- Digital identification (within ear tags, subcutaneous or intraruminal)
- Tail tags
Define a ‘production system’ in the beef industry
Production systems are broadly grouped, highly variable approaches to producing beef
Describe the main beef production systems
- Extensive grazing: maximised use of mostly unimproved pasture with limited use of fertiliser, irrigation and crops
- Intensive grazing: High stocking density on improved pasture with the use of fertiliser and high water inputs
- Feedlot: outdoor, predominately concentrate-fed operations
- Intensive housed: indoor, predominately concentrate-fed operations
List some constraints beef production systems face
- Length of grazing season
- Cereals/concentrates availability or reliable pasture for fattening
What is the role of the dairy industry in beef production systems in the UK?
An increasing proportion of beef in the UK is produced from crossbred Holstein-Friesian cattle
What is the function of a ‘suckler herd’ in the beef industry?
Suckler herds are herds of cattle bred to produce calves
List the five main cattle finishing production systems
- Cereal (bull) beef
- Maize silage beef
- Grass silage beef
- Mixed grass and concentrate
- Forage base finishing
Which cattle finishing production system can produce cattle ready for slaughter at 12 months of age?
Cereal (bull) beef
