Beef Flashcards
greatest variable cost in beef production
feed
5 main nutrients
energy, protein, minerals, vitamin, water
large Canadian factor in feeding cattle
the cold
types of forages (4)
pasture, hay, straw, silage
what affects profitability (4)
feed cost, markets/prices, % calf crop, feed efficiency
background
slow growth prior to finish
stocker
young terminal animal background
5 weight calf
500 lbs calf
country with most beef animals
India
biggest beef exporter
Brazil
beef is a major Canadian export industry (T/F)
true
how many countries does Canada export to
70
largest stomach
rumen
cattle are upcyclers:
upgrade of plants of little nutritional value to high quality protein
Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+)
animals raised in healthy safe manner
segments of production system (4)
cow-calf, backgrounder/stocker, feedlot, packer
5 enterprises in beef industry
cow-calf, backgrounders, replacements, hay, pasture
extensive grazing systems
lower cost of production, reliance on large parcels of land, diets based on forage and crop residues
top 2 beef provinces
Alberta, Sask
average Canadian beef cow herd
69
what tanked the number of beef cows and when
BSE in 2003
backgrounder/stocker operations
manage weaned calves, confined feeding or grass
Purpose: distribute supply of cattle for finishing throughout the year
Finishing operations
feedlots (confined feeding), diets mainly cereal grains
“grassers”
animals raised on grass, very low ADG
province with most feedlots (finishes most cattle)
Alberta
within breed diversity should be __, across breeds diversity is __
low, high
how cattle breeds vary (5)
color, carcass quality, behavior, frame size, feed efficiency
dominant 5 breeds
Angus, Simmental, Hereford, Charolais, Limousin
Angus origin
Scotland
Hereford origin
England
Charolais origin
France
horns or polled
Limousin origin
France
red or black
horned or polled
Simmental origin
Switzerland
milk or meat
Gelbvieh origin
Germany
“yellow”
horned or polled
Dexter origin
Ireland
red or black
dwarfism
Braunvieh origin
Switzerland
aka Brown Swiss
“brown cow”
milk or meat
horned or polled
Galloway origin
Scotland
black
belted cow
beef = belted Galloway
dairy = Dutch Belted
Belgian Blue origin
solid/roan/white
double muscled
white heifer disease - also shorthorn
Pinzgauer origin
Austria
meat, milk, pulling
color sides/lineback
Speckle Park
Canada (Sask)
shorthorn/angus
white park pattern
Fullblood
born to animals that have only “breed” in ancestry
Purebred
Born to registered parents
Percentage animals
composites - graded up to some level
Straightbred
purebred but not registered
All Canadian beef receives a ___
grade
A, B, D & E grades
Youthful - A
No marbling - B
Cows - D
Bulls - E
Prime, AAA, AA, A grades
Prime - [best]
less marbling = lower grade
B1-B4 grade
devoid of marbling
D1-D4 grade
mature
E grade
masculinity
Yield grade (US) determined by: (4)
- amount of external fat
- amount of kidney, pelvic, heart fat
- area of the rib-eye muscle
- carcass weight
(USA) YG 1-5
yield grade 1 = best carcasses
based on % of carcass that is meat
Yield grade (Can) determinates
- rib-eye length
- rib-eye width
- fat depth on the rib-eye
(Can) YG 1-3
Canada 1: >59%
Canada 2: 54-58%
Canada 3: <53%
Camera grading
measures grade and lean meat %
dark cutting beef
2% of carcasses downgraded to B or lower (due to stress or horns)
- drop in glycogen and lactic acid
selling options of weaned calves
- sale barns (sell in groups thru action mart to feedlot)
- internet/video sales (DLMS, lower risk for producer)
- direct to feedlot
- retain ownership in feedlot and receive % price or total price and pay for feed/board (high risk)
Farm gate beef
rancher/farmer custom market for consumer
- consumer pays $/lb to rancher and cents/lb to butcher
grid pricing
packaging plants negotiate this
- premium paid to feedlot if % hits specified grade, if you don’t make % feedlot gets paid __ cents/lbs less
packing plants pay on __ __
live weight
Branded beef
ranchers form cooperative to provide a specific type of beef to market
-ex) lean beef, certified angus
when are heifers bred
14-15 months
two options for bred heifers
raise or buy
CCIA based on three factors
- animal identification
- premise identification
- animal movement
RFID tags code:
individual ID
premise ID
cattle must have if leaving property
cow-calf economics focus on:
cost per pound weaned
Unit cost of production (UCOP)
cost per 100lbs calf weaned
(total cowherd costs) / (total lbs of calf weaned)
fertility traits are __ heritable
lowly
(conception rate, calving interval, fetal survival)
top 3 things to survival of calf till weaning
- colostrum at birth
- mothering ability
- milk quality
methods of preg checking and when (2)
ultrasound -> 30 days
rectal palpation -> 60 days
clean up bull
bulls released with cows 7-10 days after AI
idea scrotal circumference at 12 months
32 cm
Breeding soundness exam does not measure __
libido
bull puberty at
12-15 months
effects of temp on testicles
heat from too much fat: reduces sperm count
freeze ballsack in winter: damages stored sperm
bull : cow ratio
1 bull per 25-30 cows
1 yearling bull per 15-20 cows
less if in rough/large pasture
natural service conception rates
90-98%
AI conception rates
55-65%
heat detection methods (3)
- Gomer bull
- observation of mounting 2x/day
- visual aids (like patches)
breeding soundness exam evaluates: (4)
- physical condition
- reproductive structures
- scrotal circumference
- semen evaluation
adjusted calf weaning weights take into consideration: (4)
- sex
- dam’s age
- age of calf
- twin vs. singleton
performance traits include __, __, & __, and are __ heritable
birth weight, weaning weight, post weaning weight, highly
carcass quality is __ heritable
moderately
problems with heifers vs. old cows
heifers: more problems calving
“old” cows: may abort more
longevity measured by
retention within herd
Bos taurus
all European breeds
Bos indicus
Zebu (Brahma breeds)
where do yak come from
Far East
pasture calving: when and advantages
calve in May, lines up lactation with prime grass nutrients
lowest to highest time of ADG (3)
Lowest: backgrounding
Middle: nursing on dam at pasture
Highest: finishing
how to meet beef demand year round
- different breeds = different finish times
- cattle left on grass longer (grasser operations)
- backgrounding programs
- fall calving
Finishing programs
fast growth before slaughter (last 90-150 days)
grass-finish vs. forage finish fat
grass = yellow
grain = white
risk of feedlot economics
- price margin (diff btwn buying and selling)
- feeding margin (cost of grain…)
types of branding
hot & freeze
Tattoo regulations
purebreds must be tattooed
letter = year of birth [L = 2023]
smooth polled
clean head, often peaked
double polled
both parents polled (trait is dominant so not homozygous)
methods of dehorning (3)
caustic paste, wire saw, heat cauterization
methods of castration (3)
surgical, elastrator ring, burdizzo
type of antibiotic not used in humans
ionophores
where are antibiotics banned vs controlled
Europe vs. Canada
hormones =
anabolic growth promoter
