Beef Flashcards
How many cattle are there in Australia?
29.3 million as of 2013.
12.8 in Qld, then NSW, Vic, NT, WA, SA and Tas.
Roughly 2.6million grainfed cattle slaughtered annually (30% of adult population).
How much beef and veal does Australia produce?
2.5 million tonnes cwt.
$7.7 billion to the economy.
How many beef cattle properties are there in Aus? How many people are involved in these?
76, 807 properties.
200,000 people involved.
Where do the majority of Australian beef exports go?
25.2% to Japan.
24% to USA - trim cuts (patties) and grass fed premium products.
14.5% to China.
Korea, Middle East, Indo, Taiwan.
Which country has seen massive growth recently in terms of buying of Australian beef?
China.
Wasn’t even shown on pie chart before 2013-14.
Where do the majority of live cattle exports go from Australia?
Indonesia 55.1% Vietnam 11.6% Israel 9.5% China 8.3% Malaysia 4.9% Russia 4.4% Philippines 1.7% Japan 1% Other 3.4%
What are the top 10 beef producing countries?
USA, Brazil, EU, China, India, Argentina, Australia, Mexico, Pakistan, Russia
What are the top 10 world beef exporters?
Brazil, India, Australia, USA, NZ, Uruguay, Paraguay, Canada, EU, Belarus.
Discuss China’s role in the current beef market.
Very large potential market.
Middle class chinese already size of entire US population (300mil.).
Urban beef consumption 6kg, rural is 3kg.
Australia is one of their main exporters.
Discuss Australia’s domestic beef market.
Single largest market.
30% of domestic trades.
30.9kg of beef consumed per person per year.
Discuss the live export trade of Australia.
Unique to northern Australia (>70% of trade, remainder comes from dairy cows in southern states), largest live export market in the world.
Mostly bos indicus.
Describe the differences between northern cattle industries and southern.
Northern is mostly bos indicus compared to southern bos taurus. Different markets. Parasites - internal and external. Summer rainfall compared to winter rainfall and its amount and distribution. Pasture species and quality. Property sizes and number of cattle. Scale. Stocking rates.
What is the major limitation of beef cattle enterprises?
Country type - feedbase.
Affected by nutrition and rainfall.
Can only do so much with supplements and oestrous synchronisation.
Discuss the differences between nutrition in northern and southern systems.
Northern is still mostly shot gun approach. Protein in the dry/winter, P in wet/summer. Add balanced mineral supplement. Feed fertiliser. Good pasture is 12% protein and 60% digestibility.
Southern is higher productivity so specific deficiencies/toxicities are diagnosed (eg. Cu, Co, Se). Apply fertiliser to pastures. Good pasture is 25% protein and 80% digestibility (issues with bloat).
What are the profit drivers in Northern systems?
Low cost producers - focus on good nutrition to increase reproduction and genetics to increase branding rates, numbers of kg turned off/breeders joined and increased growth rates.
What are the profit drivers of southern systems?
Optimal stocking rate.
Low cost of production (
Define feedbase.
All pasture, forages, and crops directly grazed.
All conserved forages and all purchased feed (grain or forage).
Provides all of the energy needed for the production system.
Describe the feed supply curve commonly seen in areas around South West Slopes.
Peaks at 70kg DM/ha/d in October, rapidly decreases to 10-20kg in December. Remains low until march where it increases over April to 30kg before another slight dip and then increase from August up to October.
How can we manipulate the feedbase supply?
Fertiliser and irrigation. Conserve forage. Grow different forages, summer vs winter active. Manage grazing. Purchase fodder, feed supplements.
What is the cheapest form of feed and how does it compare to other forms?
Pasture - $100t DM, 10c/kg
Silage - $120-$200t DM
Grain - $180-$350t DM
Purchased hay - $180-$300t DM
How can we manipulate feed demand?
Change the production system Calving time Weaning time Trading cattle Supply supplements (change demand on pasture).
What is the most limiting factor when it comes to production?
Energy, it is the basis of all production.
Protein isn’t all that important as long as energy is sufficient, same goes for major minerals.
What is the ME requirement of a lactating cow?
@120MJME/day
What is critical mating weight (CMW)?
Average weight of a group of heifers at which about 85% would conceive from a 45 day mating.
60-65% BW, heifers to calve at 2 years.
British breeds 280-300kg
European breeds/bos indicus 300-320kg
How do you calculate CMW?
CMW = 0.6 x expected mature weight
Example; expected mature weight of Angus heifer = 515kg, therefore CMW = 0.6 x 515 = 310kg.
At what weight are heifers and steers usually weaned?
@200kg
What is ADG and how do you calculate it?
Average daily gain.
(Mature weight - weaning weight)/number of days
What are the Key Decision Points (KDP) for heifer growth?
Weaning
Yearling weight (3-4months before joining)
Depends on the system
What are the KDP’s for cow condition?
Calving
Weaning
Joining
Where are cattle marketed?
Weaner sales, feedlots, slaughter, re-stocker (breeding cattle), trade cattle, live cattle.
What are some unique market specifications?
MSA
CAAB (angus), Hereford True - both breed specific markets.
Discuss MSA.
Meat Standards Australia.
Auditable system from farm to consumer. Producers receive accreditation. Carcasses are graded and feedback is provided.
What is the purpose of breeding objectives?
Sets the genetic direction for a breeding herd.
Needs to be SMART - specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, timely.
What should you base your breeding objectives on?
Market specifications and operation limitations - can young cattle grow fast enough, can nutrition support the fertility target?
List 9 steps that can be used to implement a successful breeding program.
- List traits of economic importance.
- List future customers requirements.
- List future herd production targets.
- List herds current performance.
- List breeding goals.
- Choose an appropriate breeding system to achieve your goals.
- List your criteria for selecting replacement bulls.
- Prioritise the selection criteria.
- Apply patience and consistency in implementing your breeding program.
What does selection criteria allow?
Allows specific traits to be identified with objective measurements. eg. Temperament and fertility.
Name some tools that are available to help select animals.
Breedplan - genetic selection Structural assessment Live animal assessment Marker assisted selection Genomics
Discuss Breedplan.
Modern genetic evaluation system for beef cattle.
Uses Best Linear Unbiased Prediction model (BLUP).
Estimated breeding values - weight, fertility/calving, carcass, other.
What are some EBV’s?
Weight - birth, milk, 200d, 400d, 600d, mature.
Fertility/Calving - Gestation length, days to calving, scrotal size, calving ease.
Carcass - Eye muscle area, fat depth, retail beef yield, intramuscular fat, carcass weight, shear force.
Other - docility, net feed intake, structural soundness, flight time.
Discuss the accuracy of EBV’s.
<50% = preliminary, calculated based on very little information, can change substantially with more information.
50-74% - medium accuracy, calculated based on animals own performance and some limited pedigree information.
75-90% - Medium to high accuracy, calculated based on animals own performance coupled with the performance for a small number of the animals progeny.
More than 90% - High accuracy estimate of the animals true breeding value, unlikely that the EBV will change considerably with addition of more progeny data.
What are selection indexes?
Economic weightings of EBVs – eg. $ net profit per cow mated.
True or false, milk as an EBV trait is considered to be genetically independent of all other traits.
True
True or false, correlations exist between calving ease traits and underlying maternal traits for birth weight and gestation length.
True
What is the correlation between birth weight and growth?
Low birth weights can be associated with lower growth, particularly at 200days.
What does a live animal assessment involve?
- Raw data – influenced by environment
- Muscle Score
- Fat score
- Liveweight
- Scrotal circumference
What important factors should you consider when establishing a breeding system?
- What type of system will suit your breeding objectives – understand what the producer is trying to achieve.
- Straight bred/cross bred/composites
What are composite breeds?
- Stabilized cross-breds
* Eg. Santa gertrudis, drought master
Discuss the advantages of breeding straight bred herds?
- Herds can be self replacing
- Simple management
- Even lines of animals
- Cull females can be used in other breeding systems
Discuss the advantages of cross bred herds.
- Do better in feedlots than straight breds – particularly if yard weaned and they often have increased disease resistence.
- Heterosis and hybrid vigour.
- Important for low heritability traits such as fertility.
- 3 breed crosses have the highest heterosis.
- Systems can include 2-breed, back-cross, rotational, terminal.
What are the advantages of composite breed systems?
• More hybrid vigour than simple lines and are simpler to breed than cross breeds as their genetics are stable.
What is an F1 progeny?
Contains equal parts of two breeds.
What is a backcross?
Obtained where all the females from a two breed cross are mated to a purebred bull of either of the original breeds.
Eg. Breed A x Breed B create F1. F1 is then mated to bull of breed A or B to create backcross progeny (75%A, 25%B)
What is a rotational breed?
Can be any number of breeds, starting at 50/50%, the rotation stabilises at 65%/35% or 35%/65%, giving 65% from the last sire line used.
What is a terminal cross?
Three breed cross obtained when all the females from a two breed cross are mated to a bull of a third, unrelated breed. 25%A, 25%B, 50%C
Which of the cross-breeding systems has the greatest economic advantage?
Terminal (3) breed cross. Followed by rotational cross, composite and then 2 breed.
What are the advantages of composite breeds compared to hybrids?
Composites are stabilised.
Provide a simple way to utilise heterosis.
Describe the annual breeding cycle.
Calve, lactating empty and anoestrus for 50d (PPAI), lactating empty and cycling for 35d, lactating and pregnant 125d, wean, dry and pregnant 155d, Calve.
How many days will a cow that conceives immediately and so calves early have before bull joins the herd the next year?
85days
How many days will a cow that conceives late have between calving and bull joining the herd?
22days
Late calving cow could be calving up to 9 weeks later than early calving cows.
What is PPAI?
Post partum anoestus interval.
Increased PPAI means later calves the next year.
Reasons for PPAI; age (primiparous cows have longer), nutrition/BCS, suckling (lactational anoestrus), breed differences (bos indicus have shorter lact anoestrus), retained placenta leading to uterine infection.
Why are older cows usually more fertile?
Because they have met the bench mark in previous years and so haven’t been culled.
Do better BCS cows have shorter PPAI?
Yes
What is the dominant influence on returning to oestrus after calving?
BCS
Management of this begins at weaning of previous calf.
In terms of BCS, what do you need to be more aware of in Autumn calving cows?
Moving into winter with calf at foot so need to be in better BCS to start with.
When is peak milk production for beef cattle?
8.5 weeks post calving
Nutrient requirements follow milk production pattern.
Remember that first calf heifers are still growing as well.
Discuss the management of joining heifers
Optimal strategy; grade heifers at weaning only on gross conformational faults (<5%), drench those retained, weigh and weaning and draft off ones that will reach CMW withough help. Preferentially feed lighter heifers and mate to high fertility ‘heifer’ bull.
Join for 6 weeks only and sell empties or join for 10weeks and sell late calvers (allows greater flexibility in culling decisions).
What do high heifer retention rates lead to?
Increased rate of genetic turnover through increased selection pressure on old cows.
Higher income due to increased value of cull cows over young heifers.
Discuss the length of joining for cow herds
Natural service conception rates should be high (80%).
Two cycles (42d) should give 96% conception rate.
But, some cows calve late; culling empties after two cycles is usually not sustainable as herd numbers will decline, and so joining for 3 cycles is usually the optimum compromise once fertile herd is established.
Describe a highly desirable calving pattern.
Achieve 95% calving in 63d.
Achieve this by joining for 63d or preg-test and sell late calvers.
65% in first 21d, 20% in 42d and 10% in 63d.
Discuss the economics of condensed joining/calving.
Assume weight gain of 1kg/hd/d from birth to weaning.
Weight difference between first and last calf; 6wk joining=42kg, 12wk joining=84kg.
In terms of sale weight, weaner at 10 months could be $80-$160 between calves.
5.9% increase in GM over base system with condensed calving.
Discuss the role of pregnancy diagnosis in beef production.
Allows early ID of NIC - cull these and increase feed utilisation.
Predicts calving pattern
Cull late calving heifers
ID abnormalities
Drought stratey
Assists economic management of production
When should you pregnancy diagnose heifers?
US 22-35d after joining end date.
Manual 35-50d after joining end date.
Sell empties at appropriate time and sell late calvers if over-joined.
When should you pregnancy diagnose cows?
50d after joining end date.
Sell late calvers
At weaning (loose accuracy for aging foetuses)
Sell empties when fat or ASAP
Discuss the economics of pregnancy diagnosis?
Cost of preg test $3-$5/hd. Compare this to the cost of keeping cows.
Eg. 250 cow herd, 90% in calf.
25 empty cows @ 600kg/lwt, sell at $1.38/kg = $20700
Pasture cost if kept; 12kgDM/hd/d @ $50/tDM - opportunity cost of $3150 on pasture - where else could this go?
What is a Bull breeding soundness evaluation?
Scrotal circumference and tone, resilience.
Physical exam - faults in head, legs, joints, feet, sheath, penis.
Semen analysis for motility
Morphology
Mating behaviour/ability.
What are the EBV’s for fertility?
Days to calving
Gestation length
Scrotal circumference
In terms of weaning management, what factors should you consider?
Age - can be from as young as 100d. Availability of feed Condition and age of breeders Type of production Heifer calves CMW
What methods can be used for weaning?
Creep
Over the fence
Abrupt - into paddock
Yard - best - 3-4m2 per calf, solid sides, 5-10d, good hay and plenty of human contact.
Discuss the advantages of yard weaning.
Highest feedlot daily gain and lowest sickness % compared to paddock weaned and yard trained.
What are the effects of pre weaning (<200kg LWT) growth restriction?
Reduced future growth potential
Increased fatness of the finished carcass
Very little compensatory growth during finishing.
Discuss post weaning (backgrounding) growth.
Moderate Growth; 0.6kg/d, increased ADG and FCR in the feedlot, less fat, low marbling, more prone to rapid chilling.
High growth; >1.0kg/d, slower feedlot gains, cost more to feed, higher level of overall fat and marbling, less prone to effects of chilling rate on toughness, less connective tissue toughness.
What are HGP’s?
Hormonal growth promotants.
Daily weight gain can be increased by 10-30%, feed conversion efficiency by 5-15% and carcase leaness by 5-8%.
Economic benefit of $30-$80/hd over untreated animals.
What kinds of hormones are used as HGP’s?
Oestrogen - oestrodial 17beta (one egg contains the same amount of this as 77kg of beef). Zeranol Testosterone Trenbolone acetate (TBA) Progesterone
Discuss the use of HGP’s and their effect on eating quality.
Produce leaner carcase with less marbling.
Can still MSA grade but will be penalised.
Careful use needed when aiming for high eating quality.
What does the sensitivity of a property to drought depend on?
Balance of stock numbers, feed and water.
What should an effective drought management plan consider?
Pasture type - select drought resistant species Water supply Financial reserves Off farm investments Government financial assistance Farm design Critical survival weights Nutritional requirements Alternative sources of feed and chemical residues
What should you do when preparing for the dry?
Practice fodder conservation
Early drought action plan
Plan economic survival
Consider past events
Drought planning requires;
ID main decisions - opportunities such as leasing land, replacing stock with more hardy animals (goats), changing breeds.
Act quickly to reduce risk - sell cull stock in good condition while market is still strong.
Assess postition - stock, finance, feed.
Review progress - time out from feeding to regain control
Make sound livestock decisions
Postitive cash flow
Keep options open
Stay productive - best done by reducing grazing numbers (sale, agistment, culling, lot feeding).
When drought planning what animal factors should be considered?
CS - fertility of cows and subsequent income Early weaning Early sale of fat cattle Cull non-productive cows (preg test) What ages to keep?
When drought planning, what pasture and soil factors should be considered?
Consider erosion control
Resting padddocks
Maintain fertility and pasture composition
Confinement feeding
What are some options for early drought?
Selective and progressive reduction of stock
Dispose of lower producing, less valuable cattle first
Purchase feed early - before prices rise.
Order of sale - Unthrifty, empty, no teeth, cull weaners, pregnant/calving heifers (all cattle difficult to feed on grain), aged cows/steers (limited productive life), reduce breeding cow numbers leaving nucleus of 4-6yo.
Lotfeeding - can maintain cash flow
Agistment/Leasing - consider supervision, distance, disease
Sell all stock - lose production but avoid maintenance costs
DOING NOTHING IS NOT AN OPTION
Consider animal welfare, environmental damage.
Supp feeding - normally plenty of dry feed, supply protein supplement (molasses carrier, meals/grains)
Discuss full drought phase.
Begins when cattle cannot afford to lose any more weight and supplements are insufficient to maintain weight.
Review program - feed budget going forward, resources required (finance, labour, equipment), monthly costings.
Discuss feeding for survival.
Critical minimum weights When body reserves are almost depleted. Must increase feed substantially to prevent further loss. British breeds - medium maturity; Weaners - 150kg Yearlings - 225kg Adult (dry) - 300kg Breeders - 350kg
What needs to be considered when preparing cattle for full hand feeding?
Parasites
Dehorning
Heifers - delay joining? or sell
Preg test cows - monitor closely for metabolic disorders
Calves - special treatment to maintain growth (0.2kg/d), prevents future reductions in fertility and growth.
Vaccination
Troughing - water, feed, weaners need 30cm/hd, yearlings 45cm/hd, adults 60cm/hd.
How should cattle be started on grain?
Day 1-2; feed hay first, then feed 0.5-1.0kg/hd
Day 3-4; feed hay first, increase grain by 0.5kg/hd
Continue decreasing hay and increasing grain until on all grain.
Feeding frequency; every day preferential, 2-3times a week (be alert for grain poisoning).
Grains are low in Ca - add limestone at 1.5kg Ca/100kg grain.
Changing grains - least cost/MJME, increase risk of acidosis (need to change slowly), lactating cows need long fibre to maintain milk yields.
Remove shy feeders
Discuss creep feeding calves?
Feed for growth, they require high protein - expensive
Over 5 months old; add protein meal or grain to standard ration
2-5months old; calf pellets provide balanced diet, lucerne chaff + grain + protein meal + roughage
Under 2 months; wean only if survival of cow at stake, milk replacers.
Discuss the suitability of different feeds.
Grains; most economical, low in Ca, adequate protein, risky (acidosis).
Molasses; carrier for minerals and protein, 70% ME of grains, feed with fibre.
Protein meals; special case feeding (young stock), too expensive to feed in large quantities.
Prepared feed; cattle nuts, ME slightly lower than grain convenient but expensive.
Hay; lucerne/good quality cereal hay are adequate, 3kg = 2kg of grain, can be too fibrous and limit energy intake.
Silage; good for self feeder, lucerne and clover silage have higher CP, most have comparable ME (DM basis), DM varies from 15-50%.
Scrub; similar nutritive value to poor quality hay, adequate protein and ME, deficient in P and S, best for dry stock, spray with molasses to make attractive.
By-products; eg. cotton trash, cotton seed hulls, low in ME and CP, provide some assistance to growth or roughage for feedlot.
BEWARE CHEMICAL RESIDUES and other byproducts - apple pulp, citrus pulp, etc.
What are the DPI recommendations for drought?
Make decisions early and review regularly
Paddocks that have poor water should be grazed first
Remember routine procedures for maintaining animal health - drenching, vaccinating.
Wean calves
Consider changing from hay to grain
Preg test
CS
Mouth older stock
Assess structural soundness
Cull stock not up to scratch
Discuss internal parasites.
6-12months is critical time.
Cause reduced weight gain.
More susceptible under 20months and under stress (nutrition, lactating) or bulls.
Nematodes - cause scouring and weight loss, small brown stomach worm, type 1 (winter/spring) and type 2 (autumn).
Liver fluke - summer, younger cattle (<3yo), can be worse in low rainfall years (stock enter swampy areas).
Discuss external parasites
Lice - rarely economic to treat except in severe stress environments.
Cattle tick - spread tick fever, Nth Aus, treat by dips/vaccine.
What are the forms of clostridial diseases?
Black leg Black disease Tetanus Enterotoxaemia (pulpy kidney) Malignant oedema Botulism
What does leptospirosis cause?
abortion and sickness
Discuss vibriosis.
Caused by Campylobacter fetu
Causes infertility, 46% of beef herds with fertility problem had this disease.
Bulls remain infected, cows can develop immunity.
Treat by vaccinating bulls.
Discuss Pestivirus.
BVDV
Causes; severe reproductive loss, abortion, deformed calves, illthrift, respiratory disease, suppresses immune system.
In preg cows; abortion, PI calves (first 3-4months), PI calves source of infection for rest of herd, after 4months gestation calf can produce antibodies.
Management; test, identify carriers and remove. Vaccination is 80% effective.
Discuss bloat.
Grass or frothy.
Associated with lush legumes, grass resulting in gas build up.
Treat orally, prevention is better.
Manage; identify risky pastures, provide animals with transition feeds (dont put starving straight onto lush pasture, provide hay/dry feed on risky pasture, ensure vaccines are current).
What is grass tetany?
Hypomagnesia
Causes - low blood Mg. From pastures high in K or with mineral imbalances.
Feed high clover pastures and Mg supplements.
Autumn calving herds more susceptible (high milk production in winter).
What is pink eye?
keratoconjunctivitis.
Associated with dust and flies, long grass.
Vaccine or treat with ointment.
Young weaned cattle are at higher risk - spring calves weaned Jan-March (dusty yards, low immunity)
Use sprinklers in yards, provide good nutrition, vaccinate?
Discuss bovine respiratory disease.
Clinical signs; mild-discharge from nose, eyes, fever, coughing, weight loss. Severe-fatal pneumonia, off feed, reluctant to move, difficult breathing.
Increased chance if stressed and compromised immune system - allows infection by virus/bacteria.
Discuss vaccinations.
Calves at marking 5in1, 4-6wks booster.
Breeders 7in1 booster before calving.
Bulls annual vibrio booster (3months before joining)
Pestivirus
Young cattle - steers, 5in1 booster at start of spring (change in feed)
What drives profit?
Cost ($/yr) and Revenue ($/yr)
Revenue is broken into Pricec/kg and Kg sold/yr
What costs are you looking at for beef enterprises?
Pastures Stock Fodder Labour Overheads Personal drawings Capital expenditure Loan/interest Rent Depreciation
What is price driven by?
Buyer
Market Specs.
What is kg sold/yr driven by?
Weight at sale and cattle sold/yr
What kind of pasture drives production?
Low quantity of high quality.
What are some management areas that influence profit?
Cost of production Stocking rate Fertility Herd structure Production system - time of calving Nutrition management Choice of genetics
What are some other profit drivers/indicators?
Stocking rate - many are understocked (risk management).
What factors should be considered when designing an efficient beef system?
Stocking rate drives production - top 20% meet market specs.
Fertility - 96% preg, 1 calf per year, tight calving (9wks max), calve heifers at 2yrs. (higher proportion born earlier = more income)
Herd Structure - older herds have poor average growth rates, higher risk of health problems. Target 4-6yr old cows, use cull cows as source of income.
Production system - match pasture growth to animal requirements.
Age of animals at sale - affects herd structure and interacts with stocking rate. Keeping to heavier weights generally more profitable.
Nutritional management - reduce costs and maximise income; consider sale and replacement stock (CMW), cost of supp feeding, set nutritional/animal condition targets.
Genetics - sets production limits, BUY GOOD BULLS, use EBVs, long term impacts of decisions, cross breeding.
Cost of production - top 20% have low cost of production, spend more on fixed costs, pasture improvement. Economy of scale but increased SR will spread costs.
What effect does calving date have on lifetime production?
Increased kg of beef weaned when calving earlier.
What is MISP?
Meat industry strategic plan.
Economic analysis of risk involved in meat industry.
Key part is animal welfare as there is not a lot of benefit from high animal welfare however there is a massive downside if it isn’t monitored (massive decrease in consumer and community support).
What are some major welfare concerns?
Management practices - castration, dehorning, speying, nutrition. Live export Calf mortality Feedlots Transport Health and wellbeing
Discuss spaying heifers.
Used mostly in extensive systems to avoid unwanted joinings.
Increased chance of survival of heifers as there is no dystocia and decreased nutritional requirements.
Increased marketability.
What is ESCAS?
Exporters supply chain assurance scheme.
Animal welfare - conforms to world organisation for animal health animal welfare recommendations.
Control through supply chain - exporter has control of all supply arrangements.
Traceability through supply chain
Independent audit - supply chain of importing country can by assessed.
