Beef Management, Nutrition, Reproduction

Question 1

Purebred Herd

Answer 1

• specialized type of production
• 4% of US beef cattle are registered purebred
• goal: seed stock producers for commercial cow/calf producer and other purebred operators
• good conformation of animals, heavy yearling weight, efficient weight gain, leanness at this age
• bulls: 1st-grade bulls = lot of genetic progress

Question 2

Commercial Herd

Answer 2

• crossbreds
• crossbred cow x purebred bull
• goal: beef cow must produce calf each yr and raise it to weaning weight of 450 lbs or more

Question 3

Life Cycle in Commercial Herds

Answer 3

• cows can live 10+ yrs, but job is to produce calf ea yr
• calves stay w/ mom until 450 lbs
• then calves go to stocker op until 700 lbs (still on pasture)
• then they go to feedlot until 1300-1400 lbs (4-6 mo)
• rest of their lives, these beef animals are on pasture, regardless of whether grass or corn finished
• ⅔ of life on pasture

Question 4

Crossbred Advantages

Answer 4

• live longer
• produce more milk for offspring
• high conception rates
• produce larger calf crop in their lives

Question 5

Crossbred Calves

Answer 5

• grow faster
• greater feed efficiency
• greater muscular development
• hybrid vigor
• more than 1/3 of cows are crossbred in CA

Question 6

Calving Seasons

Answer 6

• differences in calving practices between NE CA and remainder of state w/ regards to calving season
• most of CA cows calve in fall (late fall/early winter)
• in NE CA, majority of calves are born in spring (late winter/early spring)

Question 7

Fall Calving

Answer 7

• mean calving ~ Oct (Sept to Nov)
• central and southern counties
• breeding ~ Jan (Dec to Feb)
• reason: this system allows for maximum use of green grass
• calves are:
• retained as replacements or remain in grazing
• stocker route (retained or sold)
• feedlot route (very few)
• following weaning, brood cows (pregnant) are maintained on dry grassland thru summer
• in fall, may supplement cows
• 50% of calves produced are kept by original owner for 2nd grazing season
• June – weaned calves sold
• most go to pastures out of state; receive high price for calves due to high demand
• some go to CA summer rangelands or irrigated pastures
• some are kept on low-energy feeds like grass hay, byproducts, or dry grass

Question 8

Spring Calving

Answer 8

• NE counties (North coastal counties and intermountain region)
• mean calving ~ March (Feb to Apr)
• counties of Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, and Siskiyou
  breeding ~ May (Apr to Jun)
• spring calving bcs:
• more severe winters and greater summer forage supplies in high mountains
• most intermountain ops raise forage ea summer, which is stored for winter feeding
• weaning in fall (Sept)
• as in fall calving system:
• retained as replacements or remain in grazing
• stocker route (retained or sold)
• feedlot route (very few)
• Sept – weaned calves:
  Sold out-of-state (50%)
• held over for another grazing season (50%) or as replacements

Question 9

Disadvantages of Cow/Calf Systems

Answer 9

• fall or spring calving determined by climate –> forage ability –> spring or fall
• need good management (forage needs, when land runs out of forage)
• need more labor (calving interventions)
• higher death loss of calves (predation)
• higher animal losses due to culling, etc.

Question 10

Advantages of Cow/Calf System

Answer 10

• cow/calf system done on the side
• need land, but animals just roam around and manage land for you
• farmer not supporting their families on this money
• less speculative; less risk of large monetary loss due to rapid market changes
• can just wait to sell
  fits well into other ops

Question 11

Disadvantages of Cow/Calf Op

Answer 11

• need good management (forage needs, land running out of forage)
• need more labor (aid in calving if needed)
• higher death loss of calves (predation)
• higher animal losses due to culling

Question 12

Replacement Heifers

Answer 12

• nearly 50% must be retained to maintain herd w/ avg culling rate of 20%
• selected on gain, size, and structure
• calve at 2-3 yrs of age (30-36 mo typical)
• then calve every year
• cows leave ranch after 10-12 yrs, usually bcs teeth go bad and animal can’t eat
• older cow might also have reproductive issues

Question 13

Culling of Brood Cows

Answer 13

• reproductive failure (51%)
• calf death loss (12%)
• dystocia (11%)
• other: age, teeth, bad eyes, bad legs, udder probs, etc.
• ranchers who do pregnancy checks at weaning cull all non-pregnant cows
• normally 15-20% reduction in cow numbers at the start of dry grazing

Question 14

Calving Time

Answer 14

• calve in clean pasture where they can be watched
• usually calve unassisted, but labor on hand in case of dystocia
• calving in highly concentrated areas incr incidence of disease and death loss
• from few weeks to 4 mo old = main handling
• branding, vaccinations, castration – usually all on same day

Question 15

Stocker Program

Answer 15

• pasture (cattle on pasture for 2/3 of their life)
• 300-500 lb calves –> 600-700 lbs to be sold to feedlots
• about 10 mo old when they leave stocker
• purpose: frame and muscle of animals
• goal: grow young animals
• includes: replacement heifers (will go back to cow/calf op), steers and heifers for feedlots, steers and heifers to be fattened for market by owner
• fed roughage mainly
• 50% of state’s rangelands used for stockers
• stockers normally purchased seasonally or annually to fit particular feed condition

Question 16

Owner Finishing

Answer 16

• rancher finishes animals themselves rather than sell to feedlot
• stockers are price-takers; feedlots = price-makers
• if they sell to feedlot, can’t negotiate prices
• also can’t wait on selling; have to sell animals at the time that they’re ready
• rancher might buy DDG and corn and finish animals themselves to avoid having to sell at low price
• in CA, weaners or light yearlings will be purchased in late fall for use in annual range
• stockers purchased from S and Midwest of US and CA spring crop
• in fall and early winter, stockers graze dry grass/grain stubble or are fed hay (alfalfa), then put on green grass as rains start
• ADG over period of ownership: 1-1.5 lb/day
• sold in June as feeders –> feedlot
• heavy feeders (700+ lbs) to Midwest feedlots
• light feeders to Oregon and Idaho feedlots

Question 17

Advantages of Stockers

Answer 17

• flexible: feed supplies and labor
• period of efficient gain
• low labor reqs
• use roughage and salvage feeds
• low investment in buildings and equipment
• lower death loss (they’re old enough, less susceptible to predation and disease)

Question 18

Disadvantages of Stockers

Answer 18

• high risk: price fluctuations of feeder cattle
• reqs high buying and selling skills
• transportation costs

Question 19

Price Fluctuations and 2050 Problem

Answer 19

• fluctuations directly related to price of feed and consumer demand
• beef is luxury item
• plant-based alternatives = 0.3% of total protein sales (99.7% animal-sourced)
• demand for animal-sourced foods is incr
• US: slight incr
• Europe: plateau
• S America: incr
• Asia and Africa: skyrocketing
• by 2050, demand for animal-sourced foods will incr by 70%
• need to satisfy incr demands w/out depleting natural resources –> incr efficiency, animal welfare, taking advantage of all grazing resources

Question 20

Feedlot Program Management

Answer 20

• 130 ft^2 space allowance
• feed bunks fed 2-3 times a day
• 80-90% diet is concentrates (DDG, corn) and 10-220% roughages
• also fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) and macro and micro minerals
• all males castrated; females kept from cycling
• growth hormone implants
• ADG of 3-3.5 lbs
• 7 lbs DM of high grain rations for 1 lb gain
• older calves and yearlings carrying some finish placed on high energy diets until slaughter weight (1350-1400 lbs)
• 4 mo in feedlot (from 700 to 1400 lbs)
• no cows and bulls in feedlot in US

Question 21

Weaners

Answer 21

• fast-growing and large animals shortly after weaning
• gains made by weaners require long feed period of concentrate: need to gain about 600 lbs

Question 22

Yearling Steers

Answer 22

• have grazed thru their first winter and summer after weaning and could only weigh 700-800 lbs
• would only require concentrate feeding to gain 250-400 lbs to reach slaughter weight of approx 1350-1400 lbs

Question 23

USDA

Answer 23

• each carcass inspected by USDA inspector in order to be sold
• if not inspected, can slaughter animal on your premises and give it to your families and workers to eat

Question 24

Feedlots in Imperial Valley, CA

Answer 24

• Imperial Valley is basically a desert
• feedlots started here to feed Pacific Fleet soldiers w/ local meat close to harbors
• feeds mainly dairy cattle (Holsteins)
• dairy bull calves are taken to calf ranches and stay there for 4 months, then go to Imp Valley feedlots
• these cattle have never been on pasture
• grade almost as good as beef breeds

Question 25

Feedlots in San Joaquin Valley and Central and Southern Coastal Regions

Answer 25

• number one beef ranch is Harris Ranch
• one-time capacity of Harris Ranch is 100-120 thousand –> 300,000 cattle over 1 yr
• largely feed beef breeds (Angus, Black Baldies) and crossbreds

Question 26

One-Time Capacity

Answer 26

• at any one given time, how many cattle an operation has

Question 27

Sources of Feeder Cattle

Answer 27

• primarily AZ, NV, TX, SW US
• medium to heavy feeders from CA
• surplus dairy calves (male calves)
• currently a shortage of beef cattle in CA – why prices are high

Question 28

Imperial Valley

Answer 28

• light cattle feeding preferred
• out-of-state (TX and SE US)
• weighing 275 lbs (150-500 lbs) when they come off calf ranch
• stay until 1400 lbs
• every feedlot in Imperial Valley has shade
• 100 animals/pen

Question 29

San Joaquin and Coastal Areas

Answer 29

• feed heavier CA-born calves and stockers
• dairy steers fed in both areas, 40,000-60,000 Holstein steer calves are fed
• $3-$4/cwt deduction in price at slaughter
• $5-$10/cwt deduction in price at feeder value

Question 30

Dry Weather

Answer 30

• assoc w/ greater dust production and less odor (less odorous gas-producing microbes that thrive in moisture)

Question 31

Nutrition for Brood Cow

Answer 31

• inadequate nutrition –> reduction of calf crop
• ~50% of fetal weight gains are made in last 1/3 of pregnancy
• underfeeding during this time results in:
• nutrient stores w/in her body mobilized to support dev of fetus → could decr her ability to rebreed
• if she takes Ca and P from her bones, her bones become brittle and break easily
• cows w/ reduced body reserves will produce less milk during lactation → will decr calf performance

Question 32

Forage Deficiencies

Answer 32

• whatever is not in the forage is a result of it not being in the soil
• if they’re deficient in iron and selenium, soil is deficient
• rancher needs to know about soil deficiencies, then supplement diet w/ giant salt-licks (blocks that are salty and rich in whatever mineral lacking on that ranch)
• other than that, nutrition pretty easy bcs they’re on pasture

Question 33

Overfeeding Brood Cow

Answer 33

• incr dystocia
• decr milk production
• decr rebreeding ability

Question 34

Nutrition Program During Dry Period

Answer 34

• dry pregnant cow in avg body condition should gain weight sufficient to account for fetus growth (60-90 lbs)
• and also needs to have enough reserves to carry body weight thru suckling period
• total gain should be ~100-150 lbs during gestation or rate of ½ lb per day

Question 35

Growing Calf

Answer 35

• beef calves usually weaned 7-8 mo old
• calves use grass and mothers’ milk until weaning
• on summer range (usually starting in July)
• calves and yearlings (replacement heifers) should be supplemented (creep or licks)
• allows growth of 1-2 lbs/day
• after weaning, ADG is expected to be 0.75 to 1.75 lb/day depending on breed
• replacement heifers need to be managed
• don’t want them too fat or too thin

Question 36

Growing Heifer Goals

Answer 36

• after breeding, heifers should continue to gain weight (are still growing)
• replacement heifers weigh 50-60% of their mature weight at breeding, and weigh 70-80% of their mature weight at first calving
• many producers separate first-calf heifers from cow herd bcs they can’t compete w/ older cows for feed
• older cows more mature, more dominant, get more of the feed