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Beef Production
Terms to Know• Polled
– born naturally without horns
• Horned– Born naturally with the ability to grow
horns….may never grow though
• Marbling– desirable presence of fat in the muscle;
makes flavor of beef
Terms to Know• Cutability
– amount of available retail cuts from the carcass
• Dual-purpose breed– traditionally used for both milk and beef
production
• Calving– Process of a cow giving birth
What are the external parts of a beef animal?
External Parts of a Beef Animal
How are cows different than other animals?
• They are….RUMINANTS….– any hoofed mammals that chews the cud.
Means they have a FOUR compartment-stomach …
–Rumen–Reticulum –Omasum –Abomasum
Types of Beef Cattle Operations
• Cow-calf operation• keeping mature cattle to produce calves
• cows bred every year
• calves sold 2 ways
• Feeder cattle operation• Keep weaned animals under a year old until
sold to feedlot and raised to slaughter weight
Types of Beef Cattle Operations
• Feeder Calf/Yearling Feeders– producers that feed beef animals to slaughter
weight
– buy yearling or calves and finish them quickly
• Purebred Breeders– producers that keep herds for breeding stock
and replacement bulls or semen for cow-calf
operations
Cow-Calf Operations
Advantages• utilizes pastures
• less labor intense
• low investment costs
• require little
equipment & facilities
• easy to increase herd
size
Disadvantages• Large initial land
investment
• long time in between
paychecks
– budget feed, minerals,
vet bills, and other
expenses
• Price may be low when
time to sell calves
Feeder Cattle
Advantages• production lag is only 4
– 6 months
• Quick turn-over time
for money
Disadvantages• initial investment is high
– higher feed
– housing & equipment
• more labor & trucking
• fluctuating markets
Purebred Breeders
Advantages• provides genetic
improvements to herds
• Receive higher values
for animals sold
Disadvantages• initial start-up cost
higher for genetically
superior animals
• time consuming
• record-keeping
How do I know what beef animals are better than others?
• Conformation– the shape, form, and type of an animal
• Performance– the ability of an animals to reproduce, wean, gain weight
and stay strong
• Frame Score– measurement based on animals being observed and
evaluated at 205 days
BCS: Body Condition Scores
• Use:– Gives you the relative fatness or body
composition of an animal– helps to determine the breeding quality
of an animal– Best to do before breeding system to
determine culls
BCS: Body Condition Scores
• Areas to Look @:– Shoulder, Ribs, Hooks, Pins, Tailhead,
Back Bone, Brisket.
BCS: Body Condition Scores• Score 2:
BCS: Body Condition Scores• Score 3:
BCS: Body Condition Scores• Score 4:
BCS: Body Condition Scores• Score 5:
BCS: Body Condition Scores• Score 6:
BCS: Body Condition Scores• Score 7:
Why is Body Condition So Important?
Why is Body Condition So Important?
Feeder Cattle Grading
Purpose of the SystemA) Used as a communication tool to project
the optimal slaughter weight of cattle
B) Two factors-
1) Frame 2) Muscle
Small, medium, and large frame steers.
To yield high and grade choice, each size must be fed to a different weight.
FrameA) Large Steers- 1250 + lbs Heifers- 1150 + lbs
B) Medium Steers- 1100-1250 lbs Heifers 1000-1150 lbs
Frame
C) Small Steers < 1100 lbs Heifers < 1000 lbs
MuscleA) Number 1
• Cattle with beef breeding in them
• Moderately thick
B) Number 2
• Cattle that could have dairy influence
• Slightly thick
Muscle
C) Number 3• Thin
D) Number 4• Less than thin but still thrifty
USDA No. 1USDA No. 2
USDA No. 3
USDA No. 4
Inferior Grade
A) Conditions
• 1) Sick calves- They can’t be put in feedlot and perform normally
• 2) Double Muscled calves Won’t marble & reproductive
problems
Beef Selection
4 Areas to Evaluate1. Muscle- top and rear
2. Length- side
3. Balance- how the animal looks
4. Structure- shoulder, hip, feet and legs
Light muscled vs. Heavy Muscled
Can hair can give a false shape?
Which prospect would you choose?
Beef Cattle Reproduction
Reproduction Terms
• Pregnancy -- carrying a fetus
• Fertilization -- the union of the EGG and SPERM nuclei
• Conception - occurrence of fertilization
• Ovulation - release of an ovule from the female.
• Gestation - the time from fertilization or conception of a female until she gives birth
Reproduction Terms
• Ovaries - FEMALE reproductive gland in which eggs are formed and hormones are produced.
– Egg or Ovule- Female Reproductive Cell
• Testes - MALE reproductive gland that produces sperm and testosterone.
– Sperm- Male Reproductive Cell
– Semen- Fluid that carries sperm
Female Reproductive Organs
Function of Female Reproductive Organs
• Vulva -opening of reproductive
tract
• Vagina - channel for birth and
copulation
• Cervix - divides vagina and uterus
• Uterus - provides nourishment for
fetus
• Horns of Uterus - where
fetus grows
• Fallopian Tube - where
fertilization occurs
• Ovaries - produces eggs and
hormones
Male Reproductive Organs
Function of Male Reproductive Organs
• Testes - produce sperm and testosterone
• Epididymis - collects and stores sperm
• Vas deferens - transports sperm
• Penis - places sperm in female
• Cowper's Gland• Prostate Gland produce semen
• Seminal Vesicle
• Scrotum - protects testes & maintains
temp.• Sheath - opening of reproductive tract
EPD’s: Expected Progeny Difference
Why Do We Use Them?– Best way for producers to predict the
relative performance of future
progeny(offspring) for a set of traits.
– Selection tool that is very easy to use.
– Can determine quality of offspring without
actually viewing the bull.
Common EPD’sGrowth Traits:
– BW: the weight of a bull’s calf at birth
– WW: measured in pounds of weaning weight and predicts the weight of a bull’s calf at weaning
– YW: in pounds of yearling weight and predicts the weight of a bull’s progeny at one year of age
– CED: a measure of the ease at which a bull’s calves will be born.
Common EPD’sCarcass Traits:
– CW: the expected carcass weight, in pounds, of a bull’s progeny when it is slaughtered at a constant age
– REA
– Fat Thickness
– Marbling
