Exam 2 Flashcards
primary beef breeds in US
American angus
Hereford
Seedstock producers
raise purebred animals with specific characteristics that are more/less desirable for a particular industry purposes
Sell animals to commercial producers
Commercial producers
Buy breeds and use certain production practices to meet marketplace demand
Sell animals to marketplace for consumption
Beef industry is mostly _______ production
segmented
Segmented production
Animals are sold as they move from one phase to the next (breeding/gestation, growing, harvesting, processing etc)
Exceptions: processing is very consolidated
Integrated production system
one owner maintains animal ownership through more than 1 production phase
More common in swine and poultry operations
Small scale producers
- high percent of total producers
- herd size ~50 or less
- usually require supplemental income
large scale producers
- small percent of total producers
- herd size 500+
- able to make profit
Seasonal calving
- scheduled (cows aren’t seasonal breeders)
- ensures calves are at ideal weight by market time
At what ages are calves weaned?
6-7 mo old (usually toward fall)
~530-55 lbs
Overall cow reproductive cycle times
Gestation period 283 days
~80 day turnaround to next breeding time (to have a calf around the same time next year)
Advantages to a short breeding season
- short calving season
- less labor
- less calf disease
- improved return to breeding the next year
- more uniform weaning weights
cow/calf gross revenue
number animals sold x weight of animals sold x price per unit weight
Factors considered when determining productivity of breeding females
- fertility/breeding efficacy
- calving rate (# calves produced per # of pregnancies)
- calf survival (if born, survive?)
- calf weight at weaning/sale
General trends in managing a stable herd size
~80% mature cow herd whose calves are weaned/sold
~15% turnover (cows culled)
~20 heifers retained per 100 cows as replacement to culled cows (once grown, 15 kept, 5 least productive go to cull)
Strategy for cow/calf profit
producer can’t control price they get for what they sell
Producers want to ensure production costs are low to ensure profit is made/maintained (efficiency is important)
Targets to evaluate profitability
- pregnancy rate 95%
- calving period <60 days
- early calving pattern (within first 20 days of calving season to ensure calf is larger at weaning)
- 2 yr olds should deliver calves ~40 days before mature cows (to get longer recovery time)
- fetal deaths <2%
- perinatal death 4-6%
- preweaning calf deaths 1%
Purpose of feedlots
Feed cattle for weight gain prior to slaughter
Fed cattle (aka cattle on feed)
Fed highly specialized type of feed that facilitates rapid weight gain
Finished cattle
ready for slaughter (at weight)
Non-fed cattle
culled cattle sent to slaughter after having been used for another purpose
(still fed, but not specialty fed for weight gain)
Feedlot geographical locations
High plains, arid/dry environment
TX, OK, CO, KS, NE, IA
Time spent in feed lot
3-5 months
Feed used in feedlots
- cereal grains with high energy density
- type used depends on availability, cost
- corn, wheat, barley etc
- forage used is often silage
Feed mill
processes grains (roll/steam flake)
mixes feed components to ensure dietary needs are met
All beef cattle are raised in what environment?
- rangeland/grassland/pasture
- Beef cattle industry is primarily grass-fed
- forage is essential for ruminant health, cereal grains should never be majority of diet
Can you grow crop on rangeland?
nope
Of the world ~50% is grazing land, 15% is usable cropland
Distribution of rangeland in US
- central states
- some distribution out west, but lower population density
Are cow/calf beef operations intensively or extensively managed?
- extensively
- greater problems with exposure, injury, nutritional deficits
- likely handled only a few times per year
Reasons to cull
old age
poor performance
poor rate of pregnancy
Un-weaned beef calf mortality
- 6% of total deaths
- Majority is neonates (<3 wks old)
- calving issues, GI/Resp infection, exposure
What disease process is a major cattle producer concern?
respiratory disease
especially in feedlots
Cattle price cycle changes
cyclical changes in response to supply/demand occurring over ~10 years
slow due to long generation time of cattle (conception to market is ~1.5 yrs)
Cattle price cycle
- prices good
- producers build herd to increase income
- don’t send as many to slaughter, price increases
- supply begins to exceed demand
- prices drop
- producers cull more cows to maintain profitability
- supply increased, price more decreased, producers lose income
- supply is gets below demand, prices become good again
Factors beside supply/demand that affect cattle price cycle
- drought
- export market
Beef industry is primarily a ______ market
domestic
import/export is a small fraction of consumption
Niche marketing
branded products, value-added
usually process verified involves documentation, testing, audits etc.
e.g. grass-fed, certified angus
Main cattle & beef import/export partners to US
Canada
Mexico
For both cattle & beef, the US is a greater (importer/exporter).
importer
Goat vs. sheep ID
Goats: erect tails, always have hair
Sheep: tails hang down, eye slit, can have hair or wool
Goat eating habits
browsing - shrubs, leaves at head height or higher
Goat uses
- meat, milk/cheese
- mohair, cashmere, skins
- toxic weed and fire control
- pack goats
- angora market has declined (synthetics)
Kid
juvenile & neonate goat
doe/doeling
Female goat
buck/buckling
male goat
