Beef Flashcards
What is a bail head?
Structure in a crush to restrain the neck of the animal and prevent forward and back movement
How can the tail be used to identify if a cow is ‘empty’ what is this called?
Bang/bob tail - cutting the switch of the tail at right angles. Can also be for other means of identification.
What is a ‘Barren’
Heifer cow - empty/unable to become pregnant
How heavy must a bobby calf be in Victoria prior to slaughter?
20kg with dry umbilical cord
What is ‘bulling’
Activity of cow/heifer when in heat. Standing still to be mounted.
What is a bullock?
castrated male > 30mths old
What does CALM stand for?
Computer Aided Livestock Marketing
How long is the gestation period for cows?
280 days roughly
What is a calving interval?
The time between calves - want as close as possible to 365 days (one calf/year)
What are Bos indicus also known as?
‘camel’ or ‘yak’
What do a ‘chopper’, ‘canner’, ‘tinner’ and ‘boner’ all have in common?
Cow culled for age - regardless of condition score - meat used for manufacturing purposes
Where is the fat cover measured to condition score a steer or heifer? What is the range?
At the 12-13th rib.
0-15mm+
What is a cryptorchid? And a rig?
Cryptorchid: if one/both testes retained in abdomen, inguinal canal
Rig: one teste removed, other left behind
What is a dam?
The mother cow
What is a dry block used for?
land away from irrigated farm - heifer calves reared there
When does drying off commence? How long does this last for?
after 300 days of lactation - lasts for approx. 50 days
What are some breeds with dual purpose?
Dairy Shorthorn, Red Poll, Brown Swiss, Braunvieh
What term is used to describe calving difficulties?
Dystocia
When does a female become a cow?
After it has had its second calf. First-calf heifer after first calf.
What is a ‘free martin’?
female calf of male and female twins. Likely to be sterile.
What is a grazier?
land owner with grazing animals - especially sheep and beef (farmer = dairy cattle producer and wheat/grain)
When does a female become a heifer? And when a barren heifer?
Heifer: at 6mths old
Barren Heifer: if she hasn’t calved until 2.5-3yo
What is the difference between a Herringbone and Rotary Dairy?
Heringbone: cows walk in angled, rears towards central pit
What is HGP and is it allowed for export?
Hormone Growth Promotent - not allowed in the EU - identified with pink ear tags
What is marking and when does it usually happen?
Castration, ear tag, branding - between 1-3 mths. often with dehorning and vaccination. Up to 6mths of age.
What is the approx. mating age for heifers and bulls?
Heifers: 275kg liveweight, 15mths
Bulls: @15mths with limited cows (15) then more with two years etc
How is oestrus observed externally?
Time where cow will stand still for bull
What is an example of a polled breed of cattle?
Angus
What is a rig?
Bull not castrated correctly with both/one retained test
What is scours?
diarrhoea (seen spec. in calves)
What is a springer?
A female in late pregnancy - forward/backward used to classify nearness to calving
What is the difference between a steer and a bullock?
Steer: castrated male >1 yo
Bullock: castrated male >30 months
What is the term used to describe the removal of all milk from a cows udder?
Stripping out
What is a vealer?
6-10mth old, sold for slaughter at 100-160kg good condition
What is the definition for a yearling?
Weaning - 1st joining age: 10-15 mths
Wha are the main uses for beef cattle?
- meat
- hide
- draught power
- heat (dung)
- sport
- religion
What is 100Ha? and 1 Ha
100Ha = 1 km^2
1 Ha = 100m^2
Is Australia larger in import or export? Where is beef mainly produced?
3rd/4th largest export country of beef (after india and brazil)
Where do culled dairy cows and NT beef get exported to?
US - leaner, get used for Hamburgers to get right consistency, mixed with their feedlot beef.
Where does most of our ‘cold’ beef get exported to?
Japan, USA, Korea
It has become more varied in the last 10 years
Where does Australia live export to?
Mainly Indonesia (has reduced slightly), Israel, China
How much of our beef is consumed domestically?
Roughly 1/3
How do meat prices compare across chicken, beef, lamb and pork?
chicken < pork < lamb < beef
What kind of research does MLA do regarding animal proteins?
How to market? What the consumer preference is - what they look for.
How does the carcass weiht, fat scores and live weight compare in different markets?
local trade; CW: 150kg, LW: 200-300kg
FS: 2-12mm
Increases for supermarket, again for hotels and restaurants and the WU
Japan, Korea - high quality: CW: 350-400kg, LW: 650-700 kg, FS: 22-32mm
What is used to size the animal?
Frame size and height of shoulder
Is the beef from the supermarket slaughtered directly after it leaves the farm? Why/Why not
No - brought to a feedlot for 60 days - increase BW, 1kg/day.
This allows for consistent meat quality - meet expectations and is not seasonal
What influences the production of beef?
- rainfall
- temp
- soil type
- topography (v steep hills - more goat/sheep)
- preference in other meats
- disease
When did the beef population in Australia reach its peak and how could we increase it to this number?
In 1976 with nearly 30 million
Through increasing pasture quality - fertilisers (superphosphate) and sub-clover
What is the tropical cattle breed known as and the temperate breed? where are they found in Australia?
Tropical: Bos indicus. In North western Australia
Temperate: Bos taurus
In south eastern Australia and around Perth region
Both and crosses of the two can be found in eastern australia
What makes the Bos Indicus better adapted to the tropics?
Resistant to ticks and fleas, more heat resistant - often light coloured
better grazing ability - can walk further away from water
What does the average rainfall correlate with?
The stocking density
How does the number of cattle and types of farm vary across northern and southern australia?
In North: less farms with most value in very large farms
In South: more farms with lesser cattle
How long is a cow usually kept for in a beef system?
Approx. 8 years, can stay longer but increase problems - parasites, management
How does a beef cow differ to a dairy cow?
At the rear end
dairy: concave, low muscle score
beef: convex, muscle score higher
How do the dairy and beef system mix?
With mop-up bull. Dairy cows normally only AI, if not pregnant - mop-up bull - those calves (females) can go into beef industry.
What % does one aim for to be in calf by 9 wks joining?
96% - doable if no diseases, milk fever, tetany, calving problems
How many seasons is a bull used for? How many can he service?
3 seasons
120 cows - gets 105 pregnant
How much is one AI straw and for how many cows is this straw used?
Approx; $40
usually one per cow
What condition score do you want the cow to be in in order to get back into calf? How long after calving should this occur?
CS 3+
30-90 days - want her to be in calf as soon as possible so the calving period is not extended the following year
Why is AI becoming more popular in the beef industry?
The high prices allow for more improvement into genetics to be made
What are beef cattle selected on?
coat colour polled/horned wt gain ease of calving carcass
What is the average birth wt for a calf?
25-50kg - nutrition and gestation length play role
How often does a cow get into oestrus?
every 21 days
List five methods to remove horns
- caustic paste
- cut
- gouge
- burn
- tip
What do you have to watch out for when cutting the horn?
That the knife gets all surrounding tissue of the hornbud - it can regrow in weird way
What are some common bovine vaccines available in Australia?
5 in 1 7 in 1 (dairy) botulism BVD E coli, samonella tick fever herpesvirus (feedlot) M. bovis (pink eye) anthrax ephemeral fever
Where would you not give a vaccine and does a vet have to give all vaccines?
Don’t give into rump (used for meat quality assessment) - neck, behind ear
No farmer can give vaccines, some regulated though (i.e. anthrax)
Why does a farmer often have more bulls than required for a 1:30 bull cow ratio?
As 20-30% often not fit for joining due to injury etc
What are some methods of castration?
- knife - cuts need to be large so all blood can drain out
- ring
- emasculator (one side crushing blood vessel/artery)
- elastic ring - 2-4 wks until drops off
- burdizzo - crushing blood vessels = atrophy
- large ring
- sedation/analgesia if older
How are beef cattle identified?
branding; fire in NT as freeze needs ntirogen gas - difficult access
ear tags: visual (plastic, metal), NLIS (electronic), ruminal bolus (can’t go under skin as will migrate - don’t want in meat)
Tatto ear (permanent)
Coat colour/pattern
nose rings
DNA
Nose print
Neck bands - but less common in beef as don’t see often = caught on fence and die
What is normally included in the brand?
Stud
Animals number and year it was born
What are anthelmintics?
Drugs against internal parasites used in drenches
What are the main external parasite concerns? How are they managed
Ticks (and lice - min wt loss or damage to coat but fence rubbing)
managed through pour-on, spray on or dip
What are endectocidal compounds?
internal and external parasite control
When is a beef calf weaned?
Between 4-10mths onto high protein and energy feed
Why is good feed required for a pregnant heifer, more so than a pregnant cow?
She is still growing just got new teeth, at 15mths of age - only 250/300kg
At her 4th/5th calf she is more resilient
How if beef sold? How does this vary across northern and southern australia?
auction
over the hooks (abattoir gives price)
paddock
In northern australia - more sold via over the hook and paddock as more cattle sold at once
List some breeds in the Bos taurus/temperate category.
Angus Hereford Shorthorn Murray Grey Charolais Simmental Limousin Belgian Blue Wygu Lowline
Give 5 types of Bos Indicus
Brahman Droughtmaster Santa Gertrudis Brangus Belmont Red
What are the benefits of mixing the beef and dairy industry?
Angus x Friesian
then cross offspring with Limousin
= Get fast growth with high muscle
What do farmers try to maximise on their farm?
kg of live weight per ha with rainfall
Does the average farm profit compare with the top 20%
No there is a huge difference - the top 20% earn more per DSE, have lower cost of production and higher stocking rate = key for beef production
How much of the live weight is the carcass weight?
55-60%
Describe the characteristics of a Simmental.
from switzerland, gold,red to brown colour, beef (but also milk), rapid growth rate, white face and legs
Describe the characteristics of a Limousin
from France, now polled, black/orange, high muscling, bulls short next, flattened forehead
Describe a belgian blue
Double muscling, white to black, high carcass weight as double muscling, often need cesarians
Describe a Wagyu
japanese breed - highly marbled beef, black or red, horns white at base black tips
Describe a charolais
White, horned, rapid growth, often used as a terminal sire (all progeny to slaughter)
Describe the angus
naturally polled, black or red, adaptable to climate and good nature. used to crossbreed - dominant dehorner and good meat, mothering
Describe a hereford
from the UK, dark red with white face - dominant in crossbreeding with angus, short thick horns
Describe a shorthorn
red, white, roan in colour used for crosses with other breeds
Describe the Murray grey
dark grey, light silver, angus ancestors - resistant to light. naturally polled, good for japanese market - marble well, good beef
Describe the Lowline
from the angus breed
low growth rate and smaller
good for hobby farms
Describe Brahman cattle
from US, heat and tick resistant - can sweat, large hump over shoulder, loose skin, variety of colours, horned
Describe a droughtmaster
tan, red colour, low birthweight, loose skin,
Describe a Santa Gertrudis
blend of bos indices and bos taurus, (from brahman and shorthorn), some horned
Describe a Brangus
similar to Santa Gertudis but Angus with Brahman, black or red, polled, very versatile, good nature
Describe a Belmont Red
Mix of Bos indicus and taurus, smooth red coat, docile, fertile,
