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Introduction to Animal Science > Beef Cattle > Flashcards

Beef Cattle Flashcards

1
Q

Parturition of cattle?

A

calving

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2
Q

Intact male cattle?

A

Bull

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3
Q

Castrated male cattle?

A

steer

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4
Q

Mature female cattle?

A

cow

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5
Q

Young male cattle?

A

bull calf/bullock

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6
Q

Young female cattle?

A

heifer

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7
Q

All young cattle?

A

calves

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8
Q

Are cattle native to the US?

A

no

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9
Q

Who is the “father of Animal breeding”?

A

Robert Bakewell

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10
Q

What did Robert Bakewell do?

A

pushed the principle of selective breeding (in cattle, sheep, and horses); doesn’t believe you need to mix breeds, believes in purebreds

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11
Q

What resulted from the Civil War?

A

movement of cattle

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12
Q

Why were there cattle importations?

A

if they were thought to increase production, they were brought in

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13
Q

What are composites?

A

crossbreeds

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14
Q

What is the purpose of synthetics (composites)?

A

features are fixed and can be used for different functions

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15
Q

What was the first cattle introduced to the US? How?

A

Corriente; are hardy animals as they had to survive travel and were well adapted to the new land

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16
Q

Where were Corrientes introduced?

A

West Indies, South Florida, and South America

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17
Q

What was the order of beef cattle introductions?

A

Corriente, Shorthorn, Hereford, Angus, Synthetics

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18
Q

What are the 4 types of US breeds?

A

British, Continental (European/exotics), Zebu, Synthetic

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19
Q

What is the scientific name for British breeds?

A

Bos taurus

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20
Q

What is the scientific name for Continental breeds?

A

Bos taurus

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21
Q

What is the scientific name for Zebu?

A

Bos indicus

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22
Q

What is the scientific name for Synthetics?

A

yes?

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23
Q

What was the Trail Driving Era?

A

move cattle from Texas to Louisiana, could be moved for many miles (15) a day, but couldn’t move them too long or they could lose weight

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24
Q

What breeds replaced the Shorthorn?

A

Angus and Hereford

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25
Q

What are British breeds?

A

Hereford, Shorthorn, Angus

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26
Q

What are Continental breeds?

A

Charolais, Simmental, Chianina, Limousin

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27
Q

What makes Zebu cattle different than British?

A

extended dewlap, hump on back

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28
Q

What is purebred?

A

defined set of characteristics passed from parent to offspring

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29
Q

How many cattle breeds are recognized?

A

250

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30
Q

How many variations and types of cattle exist that aren’t given “names”?

A

> 300

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31
Q

What products do continental breeds provide?

A

Dual purpose- milk, meat, and draft

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32
Q

What are Zebu cattle good in?

A

More heat tolerant and tolerant to diseases

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33
Q

What is a composite?

A

Breeds created from cross breeding other breeds

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34
Q

What is another name for composites?

A

Synthetics

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35
Q

What are examples of composites?

A

Santa Gertrudis, Brangus, Beefalo, Barazona, (and more look at slides)

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36
Q

What are Santa Gertrudis made of? What method used?

A

5/8 Shorthorn and 3/8 Brahman; back cross female 50/50 with full Shorthorn

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37
Q

What are Brangus made of?

A

3/8 Brahman and 5/8 Angus

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38
Q

Does breeding a Bos taurus and Bos indicus increase or decrease heterosis?

A

Increase

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39
Q

What is a Beefalo made of?

A

5/8 cattle and 3/8 bison

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40
Q

What is the scientific name of American Bison?

A

Bison bison

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41
Q

What are Barazona made of?

A

Afrikander x Hereford, Shorthorn x Angus, then do Afrikander Hereford c Shorthorn Angus

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42
Q

Why was the Barazona bred?

A

Survive in desert, increased reproduction rate, increase hardiness

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43
Q

How has cattle inventory changed over time in the US?

A

Number went up in the 70’s but now is in a decline

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44
Q

What affects cattle numbers?

A

People moving away from eating red meat, increase in vegans and vegetarians

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45
Q

What are the leading states in beef cattle?

A

Texas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, California

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46
Q

What is the order of the beef supply chain?

A

Draw it and look at notes

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47
Q

What is the purpose of custom genetics?

A

Determine what breeds are available if needed

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48
Q

What is the purpose of cow/calf ranches?

A

Produce at least 1 calf a year

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49
Q

What is a feedlot?

A

When animals are fed a lot of grain and conditioned

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50
Q

What is the function of seedstock?

A

Provide the genetic material to beef supply chain

51
Q

What genetic material is provided to the beef supply chain from seedstock?

A

Breeding animals, semen (<10% of all beef cattle AI), embryos (<3%)

52
Q

What is seedstock?

A

Specialized cow-calf producers

53
Q

What is another name for specialized cow-calf producers?

A

Purebred breeders or registered breeders

54
Q

What is wanted to be used when doing embryo transfer?

A

A super male and female

55
Q

What are examples of purebreds?

A

Longhorn, Scottish Highlander, Miniature Cattle

56
Q

What is the function of commercial cow-calf?

A

maintain cow herds and raise calves from birth to weaning

57
Q

How many calves and how often is ideal for commercial cow-calf?

A

each cow produce 1 calf a year

58
Q

When do most cows calve? Why?

A

February, March, and April; moving toward spring, warmer, pasture

59
Q

When do some cows calve in the south?

A

year round

60
Q

What are most cows maintained on?

A

forages with stored forages (hay) or crop residue fed when forage is not available

61
Q

When are calves weaned?

A

between 5-7 months of age (400-600 lbs)

62
Q

Are commercial cow-calf more crossbred or purebred?

A

high level of crossbreeding

63
Q

What percent of beef cows are purebred?

A

20%

64
Q

What percent of beef cows are 2 breed cross?

A

> 60%

65
Q

What percent of beef cows are 3 or more breeds?

A

20%

66
Q

What breed type of beef cows is supperior?

A

3 or more breed

67
Q

What makes up half of 2 breed cross cattle?

A

black/white face

68
Q

What is heterosis?

A

average of the crossbred offspring is superior to the average of the parental breeds for a particular trait

69
Q

What is complementarity?

A

combining the desirable characteristics (traits) from two or more breeds

70
Q

Are all cattle complementary to each other? example?

A

no, some are more complementary than the other (Afrikaners x Hereford is more complementary than Afrikaners x Shorthorn)

71
Q

Be able to do a crossbreeding rotation (at least 5 years)

A

-

72
Q

What is a problem with breed rotations?

A

differing ages of the females

73
Q

What do stockers do?

A

when cows calve out of season, Stockers buy the calves because farmer is low on feed

74
Q

What other stage of production might use stockers?

A

commercial cow-calf

75
Q

What do stockers do once cow is maintained?

A

natural maturation and add weight to weaned calves prior to entering feedlot

76
Q

What do stockers primarily use for weight gain in calves?

A

forages

77
Q

What results from natural maturation?

A

increase in frame size and increase muscle development

78
Q

At what age and weight are calves weaned?

A

400-600 lbs and 5-7 months

79
Q

At what weight and age do calves enter feedlot?

A

800-900 lbs and 9-11 months

80
Q

What forage do stockers feed calves?

A

pasture and crop residue

81
Q

What is a feedlot?

A

confined feeding operations where cattle are fed a finishing (high energy) diet

82
Q

What is the feedlot process?

A

90d-150d, Roughages + energy concentrate

83
Q

What is the objective of a feedlot?

A

increase intramuscular fat, influence taste of fat, influence color of fat

84
Q

What color fat is preferred?

A

white

85
Q

Are there cows who don’t eat grass?

A

no, the uninformed public is taken advantage of and make them think there are cows who don’t eat grass

86
Q

know difference between feedlot and grass finished

A

-

87
Q

What does a higher connective tissue result in?

A

tougher meat

88
Q

Do grass fed or feedlot cows have a higher carbon footprint? Why?

A

grass fed; takes longer for them to mature

89
Q

Is meat a good source of omega-3 fatty acid?

A

no

90
Q

Is there more vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acid in grass fed or feedlot?

A

grass fed, but only by a small amount

91
Q

What is the purpose of a packer?

A

slaughter and process the cattle

92
Q

How many packers are there?

A

very few, very large

93
Q

what size carcass best fits in the box?

A

650-850 lb (1050-1300) best fits - this is dressed weight

94
Q

What is dressed weight?

A

weight of carcass with organs removed

95
Q

How do you calculate dressing percentage?

A

dressed weight / live weight x 100

96
Q

How many companies process most of beef produced? what percent?

A

4; 85%

97
Q

How many heads of cattle are produced annually?

A

35 million head

98
Q

Do any parts of the cow go to waste?

A

no

99
Q

What is quality grade?

A

eating quality (palatability, eating experience)

100
Q

What is yield grade?

A

amount of meat

101
Q

What is quality grade determined by?

A

age and intramuscular fat

102
Q

How do they test for quality grade?

A

sensory evaluation and palatability test

103
Q

Are younger or older animals better quality grade?

A

younger

104
Q

Is more or less intramuscular fat better quality grade?

A

more

105
Q

label fat location

A

-

106
Q

What live age is A carcass maturity?

A

9-30 months

107
Q

What live age is B carcass maturity?

A

30-42 months

108
Q

What live age is C carcass maturity?

A

42-72 months

109
Q

What live age is D carcass maturity?

A

72-96 months

110
Q

What live age is E carcass maturity?

A

> 96 months

111
Q

What does a 1 yield quality mean?

A

highest meat yield but low fat

112
Q

What are examples of expensive meat?

A

wagyu beef rib eye steak, Japanese wagyu beef boneless striploin

113
Q

What are challenges to beef improvement?

A
  • genotype x environment interaction
  • conflicting traits within sectors
  • technology challenges
  • small producers
114
Q

What technology challenges are there?

A

AI improvement

115
Q

Why genotype x environment interaction a challenge?

A

many breeds of beef cows are developed because the same breed is not suitable for all environments, like dairy

116
Q

Why is conflicting traits within sectors a challenge?

A

because beef cows are selected for many traits, genetic growth is slow

117
Q

What traits are beef cattle selected for?

A

growth, maturity, fertility, temperature tolerance

118
Q

Why are small producers a challenge?

A

no vertical integration, so no cohesion and therefore hard to adapt

119
Q

What is vertical integration?

A

one company controls all sections of productions

120
Q

What is the estrous cycle of beef cattle?

A

21 days

121
Q

What is the estrus cycle of beef cattle?

A

12 hours

122
Q

What is the gestation length of beef cattle?

A

285 days

123
Q

What are non-seasonal breeding animals called ?

A

polyestrous

124
Q

know life cycle

A

-

Introduction to Animal Science (21 decks)

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