Beef Flashcards
Which type of cattle are found in temperate regions?
B. t. taurus
Which type of cattle are found in tropical and subtropical areas?
B. t. indicus
Name common tropical beef breeds
Brahman, Santa Gertrudis
Name continental cattle breeds
Charolais Simmental Limousin Belgian blue
Name British hill cattle breeds
Highland Galloway
Name popular native British breeds
Aberdeen angus Hereford
What are the characteristics of british hill cattle?
- Small - Thick, dense, long coats - Slow growing - More hardy - Less tractable temperaments
What are the characteristics of continental breeds?
- Large frame - Later maturing - Lean with less intramuscular fat deposition - Slightly less tender meat - Not as hardy
What are the characteristics of native british breeds?
- Size, inbetween hill and continental - Early maturing - Intermediate growth rate - Meat highly palatable and tender - Relatively good temperaments
Describe the lifecycle of a female beef calf
0-35 days- born, suckles, gradually introduced to solids
From 35 days - develops ability to digest complex CHO
3-9 months - weaned
12-18 months - puberty
14-18 months - bred
2 years - calves
40-90 days post calving - bred
3 years - calves (continues to calve for 3-10yrs)
< 15 years - dead/culled
Describe the lifecycle of a male beef calf
0-35 days - born, suckles, gradually introduced to solids
From 35 days - develops ability to digest complex CHO
3-9 months - weaned
9-18 months - grown and may be fattened
18-36 months - sold for fattening or slaughter
What are 5 important diseases of beef cattle in UK/Europe/USA?
- BVDV
- Johnes disease
- Bovine respiratory disease complex
- Fascioliasis
- Coccidiosis
What are important diseases of beef cattle in Africa?
- Cattle tick infestation
- Babesiosis
- Anaplasmosis
- Erlichosis
- Cowdriosis
- East coast fever
- Theileria
- FMD
- Rift valley fever
- Haemonchosis
- Trypanosomiasis
- Ephemeral fever
What are important disease of beef cattle in S. America?
- Cattle tick infestation
- Babesiosis
- Anaplasmosis
- FMD
What does a beef business model comprise of?
Breeding, store cattle, finishing, trading
Name 4 beef production systems
- Extensive grazing
- Intensive grazing
- Feedlot
- Intensive housed
Describe an extensive grazing production system
- Maximise use of mostly unimproved pasture
- Limited input of fertiliser, irrigation and crops
- Systems based on low value land and low stocking densities
- Limiting factor often water availability
- Suited for breeding operations
- calves removed early, taken to feedlots/ higher quality pasture for finishing
- Seasonal rainfall and pasture abundance determines breeding season
- Common in USA, S. America, Africa, Australia
Describe an intensive grazing production system
- High stocking densities on improved pasture
- Characterised by high fertiliser or water inputs and pasture improvements
- Common in temperate climates, UK
- Within intensive there are different types of systems dependant on diet
Draw a table to illustrate intensive beef production systems
What is the aim of pedigree suckler herds?
To produce high price bulls for breeding
What is the aim of commercial UK suckler beef herds?
Produce store cattle for finishing or fat cattle for slaughter
Describe a cereal/barley beef system
- Normally group housed on straw/slats
- Males are uncastrated (testosterone fueled growth)
- Bullocks should be housed away from cows and heifers on a quiet area of the farm
- Bullocks enter system at 12 weeks, grain diet introduced, eventually fed ad lib with straw
What health considerations come with a cereal beef system?
Bloat, laminitis, white line disease, pneumonia, ring worm, urolithiasis, vitamin and/or mineral deficiencies
Describe a maize beef silage system
- Bullocks or steers
- Finish at 14 months
- Common worldwide, esp. in UK
- Silage high in E but low in P so need P, vit and mineral supplementation
- Fed with/without concentrates
Describe a grass silage production system
- Bullocks, steers and heifers
- Finish at 16 months
- Good E and P content
- Need P, vit and mineral supplementation and concentrates
- Root crops may/may not be fed
- Common in UK
Describe 18 month forage based systems
- Bullocks, steers and heifers
- Combo of fresh and conserved forage
- Flexible system
- Used with autumn born calves (post weaning feed silage and concentrates, spring turn out to grass, 2nd winter silage and concentrates to finish)
What are the typical slaughter ages and weights for maize silage, grass silage and forage based systems?
Describe a lot feeding system
- Found in dry areas close to cereal belts
- Can hold > 30 000 cattle
- Aim - maximise concentrate to fibre ratio in feed to maximise growth rates
- Low margin per head
- Preventative health programmes critical on feed lots
- High risk, many pens lose money
What system is used to classify beef carcasses?
EUROP - split into 2 categories, conformation and fatness
What are the properties of a normal carcasse?
- Muscle contains 1% glycogen at death
- pH = 7.2
- Meat is tough and tasteless
- Anaerobic respiration begins once animal is dead
- Temperature of carcasse rises by 1.5 degrees once aerobic resp. begins
- Rigor mortis occurs
What happens during anaerobic glycolysis in a carcasse?
- Within 1hr will have effected most active tissues (head, heart, neck)
- By 9-12 hrs rigor occurs in most skeletal muscles
- Reaches a maximum level in 20-24hrs
- Influenced by atmospheric prssure, health of animal, muscle acidity pre-death
What chemical processes take place in the carcass?
- Glycogen metabolised to lactic acid
- pH falls to 5.5
- Actin and myosin form an actomyosin bond
- After 24hrs rigor gradually disappears
- Autolytic fermentation occurs and pH rises
How much do cattle contribute to UK and EU agricultural production?
16% of UK, 9% EU
What is the average suckler herd size in Scotland?
50 cows
How much did cattle contribute to the total agricultural production in 2010?
£573M
