Beef Flashcards
1
Q
What are some differences between beef and dairy cattle?
A
- different in purpose, genetics, and management
2
Q
What are 3 goals of beef production?
A
- to produce safe and healthy food for human consumption that is high in nutrient value
- to ensure animal health and well being, environmental sustainability, and social responsibility through good animal husbandry
- to have an economically viable industry that enables producers to maintain the farming lifestyle
3
Q
What are the 2 species of beef cattle?
A
- bos taurus
- bos indicus (zebu)
4
Q
Describe Angus cattle.
A
- british breed
- most common
- comes in red or black
- polled
- good moms, high carcass quality
5
Q
What is polled?
A
- genetically do not have horns
6
Q
Describe Simmental cattle.
A
- continental breed
- dual purpose: good muscle and milk
- ‘blaze face’
- have horizontal bands of white across withers, less white on chest, bigger fluffier ears compared to Herefords
7
Q
Describe Hereford cattle.
A
- british breed
- polled or horned lines
- hardy and docile
- prone to cancer eye, pinkeye, and uterine prolapse
8
Q
Describe Charolais cattle.
A
- continental breed
- purebreds are white, cross are tan or grey
- great muscling, excellent terminal cross
9
Q
What are some other common beef breeds in Canada?
A
- Limousin
- Gelbvieh
- Shorthorn
- Speckled Park
- Blonde D’aquitaine
- Maine Anjou
- Salers
10
Q
What is the most common breed of beef cow?
A
- commercial crossbred mammas
- often Angus x Hereford x Simmental
11
Q
What are 3 different colourings of crossbred beef cattle?
A
- black white face (BWF)
- Brockle face
- red white face (RWF)
12
Q
Describe the cycle of cow-calf operations.
A
- calving season
- ‘branding’ or spring processing (vaccs, ID, castration)
- summer pasture
- bulls join herd
- breeding season
- separate bull from herd
- weaning + pre check
- calves leave herd
- overwintering
- move to calving pasture
- REPEAT
13
Q
What is the purpose of pulling the bulls from the herd?
A
- to ensure a finite calving season (usually Jan - June)
14
Q
What is a seedstock cow-calf operation?
A
- sell breeding stock
- usually purebreds
- high genetic merit and registered cattle
- utilize advanced technology
- usually calve Jan-March and keep detailed records to generate EPDs
- sell stock, semen, and embryos through private treaty or annual production sales
15
Q
What is an EPD?
A
estimated progeny difference