Types of Beef Cattle Operations Part 2 Quzlet

Raising beef cattle for profit tin be a satisfying enterprise. Notwithstanding, in that location are a number of management skills that each beef producer should have to be successful. Each livestock enterprise has different resource: country, labor, capital, feed, and management. To enhance beef cattle sustainably, you must manage these resources.

In addition to managing resources, new producers must ask themselves, What do I need to get started? This question involves considerations for the type of animals a producer wishes to heighten likewise as where to notice these animals, how to select them, and what equipment will be needed for the functioning. Producers likewise need to consider how they will feed their animals and what health intendance practices they volition use to keep the animals healthy. Savvy producers will let markets identify the blazon of animals they should raise in order to generate a profit. This fact sheet may be used as a guide for beef cattle producers just getting started in the industry to learn:

How to determine what type of animal you lot should raise
About the unlike breeds and how to select the right one for you lot
Where to purchase your animals
What to await for equally the platonic characteristics
What equipment yous'll need to heighten your animals
How to brood and raise your beef cattle
What to feed and how to care for your animals' health
What it takes to market place your animals

What Type of Animals Should I Enhance?

The showtime thing to decide when starting a new beef cattle enterprise is what blazon of animals to enhance. This decision should directly reflect the markets a producer has available to sell beef cattle and consider the resources available on the farm and the producer'south individual goals.

Beef cattle may be used to produce meat or generate seedstock (breeding animals). The intended markets may dictate what breed or breeds are best suited for the operation. Some producers choose to breed females to produce calves to sell for convenance stock or market animals. Other producers may prefer to purchase weaned animals, as well known equally feeders, to enhance to market weight.

Producers should start by determining if they wish to raise purebred or commercial stock. A purebred performance typically raises animals of one breed. Oft a purebred operation volition accept all registered animals that can also be sold through purebred sales. A commercial operation may have unregistered purebred animals, or they may have crossbred animals. Crossbred animals accept the benefit of hybrid vigor, which is merely the ability of crossbred offspring to increment in productivity over the average of the breeds that were role of the cross. This means that a crossbred calf could grow faster, or a crossbred female could produce more milk for its offspring.

Selecting a Breed

Each livestock breed has different traits for which they are recognized. Breed associations tin can provide data on those traits and help you narrow your decision regarding what breed or breeds fit best with your functioning. Beefiness cattle breeds are oft divided into maternal (cow) and concluding (sire) breeds. Maternal breeds are typically moderately sized and recognized for their ability to heighten healthy calves. Last breeds are by and large a bit larger in their size and unremarkably used for meat production. In addition to these 2 classifications, composite breeds of cattle as well be.

Composite breeds are cattle breeds that are generally fabricated upward of maternal and final breeds and often combine genetics for specific environments or markets. While many producers use both maternal and terminal breeds in their systems, composite breeds have been established and are recognized past their pedigree. Many breeds exist in the United States. The more common breeds are listed in the tabular array beneath.

Maternal

Angus
Hereford
Shorthorn
Red Angus

Terminal

Charolais
Gelbvieh
Limousin
Simmental
Maine Anjou

Composite

SimAngus
Maintainer
Braford
Beefmaster
Limflex

Angus Photo credit: Michelle Kunjappu, PA Beef Producers Working Group

Hereford Photo credit: Michelle Kunjappu, PA Beefiness Producers Working Group

Photo credit: Michelle Kunjappu, PA Beef Producers Working Group

Photo credit: Dave Hartman, Penn State Extension

Where Can I Buy Animals?

Animals can exist purchased through several different means. Many sales are held across the country throughout the year and may offering only one breed, a variety of breeds, or even crossbreds for sale. Another pick would be to locate reputable breeders and purchase directly from their farm. A wide variety of animals may be available at a local auction barn; however, let the buyer beware. Animals sold through this venue are more likely to have health issues.

Choose breeding males that volition complement the outstanding traits in your females and meliorate their weaknesses. E'er use the best bull you can afford to better the genetics in your herd. The male has a cracking influence on your herd because his offspring could remain in the herd for a number of years.

Be witting of selecting and keeping skilful productive females that will produce and wean one dogie per yr without assistance and maintain their body status without becoming overly sparse or fatty.

Selection Principles

There are ii methods to select livestock: fauna operation and visual appraisal. Animals should first be selected on performance (east.g., how well calves grow or how much calves weigh at weaning), and and then the higher-performing animals should be evaluated visually.

Performance pick principles evaluate measurable traits such every bit birth weight, weaning weight, yearling weight, or meat yield and quality.

Producers who evaluate growth traits should adjust weaning weights to account for the sex of the calf, age of the dam, birth weight, and weaning weight. Weaning weights are typically adjusted to 205 days of age.

Progressive cattle producers with registered animals can enroll their herd in breeding association databases to obtain expected progeny differences (EPDs). These EPDs use genetic linkages to appraise genetic merit for growth, carcass, and maternal traits. EPDs let producers to evaluate brute genetics without ecology influences.

Commercial producers tin utilize performance information when selecting a new bull. More information on expected progeny differences can be constitute by contacting breed associations.

Visual fauna appraisement evaluates aspects such as structural correctness, muscling, body chapters, and brood character. Evaluating structural correctness allows producers to place animals with defects that are not apparent through performance evaluation.

Purebred producers who raise registered stock should get familiar with breed characteristics associated with the breed they raise, such as:

ear length and shape
color and distribution of color
polled condition
defects that disqualify animals from registration

These depicted bulls showroom the ideal characteristics of breeding males .

Angus bull. Photo credit: Michelle Kunjappu, PA Beef Producers Working Grouping

Hereford bull. Photo credit: Michelle Kunjappu, PA Beef Producers Working Grouping

Equipment Needs

After the advisable animals are chosen for the performance, the equipment necessary to maintain those animals must be gathered. Beef cattle operations can be depression input but withal need a diversity of equipment. Basic equipment includes feeders, h2o tubs or watering systems, and wellness care equipment. Because safety is a business when managing these large animals, beefiness cattle operations should also accept equipment for handling cattle.

Feeders

Feeders should be used to prevent animals from eating off the footing. Well-designed feeders will likewise forestall animals from wasting feed by spilling information technology onto the ground. There are potential health concerns when cattle eat off the ground, including parasite infections; however, feed costs correspond the chief input cost on whatever beefiness cattle operation and equally such, feed waste matter is a driving factor for feeders.

Feeders can be elementary similar racks to hold circular bales. Photo credit: Bigstock.com

Many unlike sizes and styles of feeders are available for beef cattle. Some feeders tin accommodate feeding both hay and grain, while others may be designed to feed just hay or merely grain. Producers should be certain that all animals have admission to the feeder if feeding at specified fourth dimension frames. If animals have free-choice admission to the feeders throughout the twenty-four hours, smaller feeders tin exist used.

Feeders may besides include simple troughs to hold supplemental protein, energy, or minerals for grazing cattle. Photo credit: Michelle Kunjappu, PA Beef Producers Working Grouping

In solitude finishing systems, beef cattle may be fed a more consummate mixed ration in a bunk. Photograph credit: Michelle Kunjappu, PA Beef Producers Working Group

Beefiness cattle of all classes should e'er have access to a expert-quality mineral mix formulated for their production needs. Well-nigh producers provide beef cows and grazing cattle gratis-option minerals when on pasture, while others limit-feed minerals daily in a grain mix.

Fenceline-style feeders permit producers admission on one side to place feed and grain into the feeder while animals access their feed on the other side. Walkthrough feeders allow producers to walk down the middle of the feeder. Grain can exist placed in a trough on either or both sides and hay is shared in the central walking surface area. Producers should be careful not to contaminate feeders with manure-covered footwear.

Larger operations often feed hay in the form of large circular or square bales. Many styles of hay feeders exist, merely the inverted-cone-style feeders are often recommended for beefiness cattle as they commonly waste the least amount feed waste material.

Water

Water is possibly the most important nutrient considering it impacts feed consumption. Poor-quality water or not plenty water tin decrease feed intake and result in decreased creature performance. Producers can supply water using anything from buckets to troughs to automatic watering systems. Equally with feeders, many dissimilar styles are bachelor. The primal is that water should exist fresh, clean, and bachelor at all times.

Automatic frost-costless waterers may be used on pasture or in confinement for cattle. Photo credit: Betty Cameron, Bedford Canton Sheep Producer

Permanent spring improvements tin can provide a year-round water supply for beefiness cattle on pasture. This system has boosted crushed rock effectually it to prevent excess mud aggregating in the area. Photo credit: Melanie Barkley, Penn State Extension

Simplistic bladder tank trough systems tin can be hands moved depending on cattle location. Photo credit: Melanie Barkley, Penn State Extension

Pasture Systems

Many beefiness cattle, particularly mature cows and bulls, graze pastures throughout the spring, summer, and fall. Producers should pay close attention to pasture height in an attempt to maximize forage utilization. Pastures should exist subdivided to provide an adequate corporeality of provender for the grazing time, ofttimes 4 to 5 days. Animals should exist moved to a new section of pasture by the fourth dimension forage has been grazed down to 4 inches in height. Rotating pastures ensures the nutrients from manure are spread out and that cattle utilize bachelor resources efficiently. Continuous grazing tin crusade forage stand up impairment in overused or loftier-traffic areas and encourages weed growth in other less-desirable areas of the pasture.

A good-quality perimeter fence contains livestock inside the pasture and keeps predators out. Many producers prefer high-tensile fencing with some wires electrified. Subdivision fencing divides larger fields into smaller areas to better manage provender growth. Subdivision fencing for beef cattle tin ofttimes exist a single strand of polywire with step-in posts to reduce input costs. Near cattle will respect ane strand if information technology is electrified.

Pastures should also provide access to water. This ranges from temporary systems that motion with the animals to permanent systems. Many producers choose to install underground systems that can exist accessed throughout a pasture system to reduce the labor of hauling water. Depending on the system and region, it may be necessary to access electricity to rut waterers in cold months.

Wellness Care Equipment

Routine health care employs practices to forbid affliction. Common practices include tagging, vaccinating, dehorning, castrating, and deworming. These practices require basic equipment such as tags and tagging pliers, syringes and needles, elastrator bands, a band expander tool, and a drench syringe or drench gun. Tagging is considered a health care slice of equipment because tagging is important to identify treated animals.

Producers may also wish to dehorn their cattle to prevent horn growth. This is often performed with an electric dehorner before long after the horn buds intermission through the skin. Dehorning prevents future injury to other animals and handlers.

Hoof trimming is another health care equipment particular. Hoof trimming is not considered routinely necessary in about beef cattle operations. In addition, most beef cattle must be put in a tilt table in order to have their hooves trimmed for the condom of both the trimmer and the animal. Therefore, many beginning cattle producers volition contact a professional should hoof intendance exist necessary.

A bander can be used to castrate young males. Photo credit: Michelle Kunjappu, PA Beefiness Producers Working Group

Other Types of Equipment

Larger equipment may be used past beef cattle operations to allow producers to handle or manage animals more efficiently. Producers can use a scale to monitor animal growth performance at weaning and other times throughout the year. A scale should besides be used to weigh animals to calculate the correct dosage for medication treatments. Three types of scales are often used by livestock producers: beam, dial, and digital.

Equipment for beefiness cattle production should include these items necessary to maintain herd health, similar this drench for deworming animals. Photo credit: Dr. Tara Felix, Penn Land Extension

Almost feeder calves and finished cattle are bought and sold on a weight footing. Therefore, because the economics in beefiness systems are based on pounds of dogie to sell or weight of finished cattle, scales are an of import function of cattle operations. Scales tin can also help monitor weights at critical times throughout the year, such as breeding, weaning, then on. All scales should be tested to ensure accurateness. Simple scales tin be placed in line in a handling organisation.

Handling system equipment allows producers to more efficiently handle animals. Information technology functions by gathering animals into a group pen and and then funneling them into the chute. Animals walk single file down the chute, where they are held for routine health care or sorting. Gates at both ends of the system contain the animals while producers perform tasks. Gates can part by sliding back and along or upwardly and down like a guillotine.

A head take hold of in the chute restrains the cattle for necessary procedures, while ensuring the safety of both the cattle and the human handlers. Photograph credit: Dr. Tara Felix, Penn State Extension

If the beefiness cattle operation intends to apply implants to increment growth performance of market place animals, a treatment system should be used. In add-on, if the operation desires to breed using bogus insemination, a handling system is a must.

An alley allows the beef cattle producers to movement several cattle at a time, making cattle handling easier and more efficient. Photo credit: Dr. Tara Felix, Penn State Extension

Reproduction and Breeding Seasons

Gestation length for beef cattle is about nine months, varying slightly among breeds and sires. Notwithstanding, the typical gestation length for nigh cows ranges from 282 to 288 days.

Cattle will cycle throughout the year. Nevertheless, managing a divers convenance flavour will help amend the efficiency of the cow herd and marketability of the calves. Virtually productive cattle operations maintain a single breeding flavor. While many operations breed animals to calve in the bound when weather is warming upwardly, some may choose to calve in the fall to accept advantage of a less saturated calf market. Purebred cattle used for seedstock are oft bred to calve early in the year, January or Feb, and so that those animals can enter the breeding herd at heavier weights.

Estrus cycles and age at puberty vary slightly among breeds. If breeding heifers (females that have not calved earlier), they should weigh at least 65 to 70 pct of their mature weight by the start of the breeding season with a target of 85 pct of their mature weight at calving. Generally, it is expected that heifers will meet this weight and be ready to brood between xi and fifteen months of age. Information technology is also advisable to breed heifers i cycle alee of mature cows so that they accept additional time to rebreed the following flavour.

Some producers volition have this a step further and synchronize their females so that they are sure to breed the heifers at the desired time and the rest of the cows come into heat, or cycle, at the same time about a month afterward. This synchronization is necessary for an efficient and constructive bogus insemination procedure and is most often accomplished with the use of a CIDR, although feed additive protocols exist for heifers. The CIDR contains hormones and is inserted vaginally into the females. Many protocols are bachelor for synchronization and beginning producers are advised to work with their veterinary to establish their own on-subcontract protocol.

In nigh instances, cattle requite nativity outdoors and, thus, calving flavor is timed to start when weather warms up and grass is available on pasture. However, some producers prefer to brood earlier in the breeding flavor in order to market at specific times in the summer or autumn. In other situations, producers may breed before so that calves are older and heavier while on pasture.

Producers wishing to calve earlier may need to house animals in a barn, such as a banking company befouled, depending on the climate. Calving indoors can help prevent ears from freezing and ensure calf viability in colder temperatures.

Signs of Impending Calving

As a cow nears her fourth dimension to give birth, she exhibits several signs that the birthing process will brainstorm. Before long before calving, the udder volition begin to tighten. This tightening is the udder filling with colostrum. Colostrum is the first milk and it contains antibodies that help protect newborn calves from disease.

When the cow is ready to give nascency, the muscles around her hips will brainstorm to relax and may announced every bit if they are sinking. The vulva changes color and is most apparent with lighter skin colors. For example, a light pink color will change to a darker pink color. Perhaps more noticeably, the vulva will swell. The udder volition experience total and tight at this point. The cow volition also reject feed and move away from the herd.

The commencement sign that the female is in labor is the advent of the water bag. Within a curt flow of time, the front anxiety and olfactory organ of the newborn should appear. This volition progress as the female pushes to expel the newborn. Once the dogie is built-in, the mother should begin licking to dry out off the newborn and encourage the calf to stand and nurse.

A visible water purse or feet betoken impending calving. Photo credit: Dr. Tara Felix, Penn State Extension

Typically, most beef cows calve on pasture and require trivial assistance. If assist is required, inexperienced producers should consult a veterinarian or an experienced producer for assistance. Assistance may be required if a calf has not been delivered within six hours of the water handbag appearing or if the moo-cow is institute straining and the h2o bag appears to have already been ruptured. Always use caution when trying to piece of work with or around laboring cows or cows that have recently delivered. Dams volition defend their immature well confronting predators but may turn this aggression on an unsuspecting man trying to tag or examine a new calf as well.

Pay close attending to newborns for the first couple days after birth. Mothers should be attentive to newborns and willing to stand for newborns to nurse. Newborns should stretch when they stand and appear alert. Newborns that cry for their female parent or rush to nurse as soon as they get upwardly likely are not receiving enough milk. Weak calves may crave feeding with a tube. Consult a veterinarian or an experienced producer for assistance.

A good beef cow should immediately tend to her calf without interference. Photograph credit: Wendall Landis, Penn Country Beef Barn Director

Feeding and Diet

All animals require h2o, protein, carbohydrates and fats (to provide free energy), vitamins, and minerals in their daily diet. These may come up from a variety of sources only should be balanced to meet nutritional requirements. Food requirements change throughout an animal's lifetime and reflect its stage of production: growth, maintenance, breeding, pregnancy, or lactation (milk production).

Forages such as pasture and hay often see requirements for mature animals, but they may not come across requirements for fast-growing animals. Therefore, additional poly peptide or free energy sources may need to exist added to the ration to meet requirements of young, quickly growing cattle.

Additional protein requirements may be met with better quality hay or through sources such as soybeans, soybean meal, or distillers grains. Additional energy requirements may exist met with a variety of grain sources, but cattle are most commonly fed corn because it is often the cheapest energy source.

In most cases, pasture provides the nigh economical feed source for mature cows. Cattle should rotationally graze pastures to yield the best quality and quantity of grazing days. In full general, animals should enter a pasture when forages are 6 to 10 inches tall. Animals should rotate out of a pasture by the time the fodder has been grazed down to 4 inches. This not only provides high-quality feed for the animals but likewise helps maintain healthy plants.

Grain supplements are most often used for growing cattle or in times of pasture shortage. Feeding grain to growing cattle increases weight gain. One common grain feeding practice is pitter-patter feeding, the practice of supplying proficient-quality grain and/or hay to immature calves while they are nursing. This boosts weight gains and body condition, or level of fatness.

Health Bug

A good indicator of healthy cattle is their body condition. Torso condition for beef cattle is scored on a nine-point scale with 1 being emaciated and nine being obese.

Breeding females should be maintained at an average body condition score of v to 6. Animals with decreasing trunk status scores, or that are losing weight, signal a potential health consequence.

The first step to keeping animals salubrious is to prevent diseases from entering the farm. Implementing biosecurity practices can help keep diseases off the subcontract. Any new animal that arrives at the farm—and animals that leave the farm and render—should be quarantined from other animals for three to four weeks. In addition, changing shoes and clothing later visiting locations where yous had contact with other cattle can help forestall bringing diseases to your farm. Visitors to the farm should be asked to either disinfect their shoes or wear plastic disposable boots.

All producers should grade a human relationship with a veterinarian. This veterinary-client-patient relationship allows the veterinarian to become familiar with your farm direction practices and your animals and to more quickly accost any wellness issues within your herd.

Internal and External Parasites

While most beef cattle systems do not experience production losses directly as a issue of parasites, it is partly considering they are very easy to care for and prevent in beef cattle. Broad-spectrum antiparasitics can be applied as a pour-on or an injectable product. Many beef cattle producers choose pour-on products because they are easy to use and fairly effective.

Additional internal parasites that may affect beef cattle include worms and coccidia. External parasites that may touch on beef cattle include flies, ticks, and lice. Consult your veterinary for more information on individual parasite species and their handling.

Cattle should be treated for internal and external parasites to go along them salubrious. Photo credit: Melanie Barkley, Penn State Extension

Abortion Diseases

Perhaps more than critical than the parasites themselves are the impacts they may have on reproductive performance. Several parasites that affect cattle can crusade abortions. For instance, anaplasmosis causes an anemia so severe that cattle may abort. It is nearly commonly spread past biting insects like ticks; notwithstanding, because it is a bloodborne disease, humans may play a role in infecting cattle by reusing contaminated needles and castration and dehorning equipment.

There are other abortion diseases that are caused by sexually transmitted diseases. These tin include chlamydia and trichomoniasis. Buying bulls and replacement females from reputable farms or brokers and asking about the history of crabs disease can help prevent the spread of these disorders to your subcontract.

Several other diseases may likewise crusade abortions in cattle. Some of the common diseases that cause abortions tin exist prevented with a vaccine for viruses like bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) and infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR). Piece of work with your veterinarian to establish a good vaccination program for your beef cattle herd.

Human foot Wellness

A major reason for implementing biosecurity measures is to prevent highly contagious, difficult-to-eradicate bug such as hairy heel wart, also known as digital dermatitis. Many beef cattle producers are noting an increment in the prevalence of digital dermatitis in herds across the country. Digital dermatitis is difficult to eradicate and can crusade astringent lameness. If your herd becomes infected, information technology is fourth dimension consuming and expensive to treat infected animals and eradicate the illness. Handling requires hoof trimming and antibiotics, thus veterinary oversight is required.

In addition to digital dermatitis, foot health tin be impacted by poor nutrition. Croaky hooves or curved (sometimes called spooned) hooves are often a sign of a mineral deficiency. Always provide a good-quality mineral to beef cattle and feed co-ordinate to the label instructions.

Marketing

A number of markets are available for beefiness cattle. When choosing a marketplace, yous must decide whether your operation volition focus on selling live animals or marketing meat. Many producers in the eastern Usa focus on directly marketing of their beef cattle as freezer beefiness or retail beef cuts due to the access to consumers. Alternatively, many larger producers may focus simply on selling finished cattle to a large meat packer.

Left: Many beef producers cull to sell beef by the side or the quarter. Photo credit: Dr. Tara Felix, Penn Country Extension

Right: Steaks are a popular consumer choice, simply selling individual cuts requires a proper license. Photo credit: Dr. Tara Felix, Penn State Extension

Keep in listen that land laws prohibit a producer from selling meat unless the animate being was processed in a USDA-inspected facility. Therefore, the producers often sell calves alive and the customer would make cutting arrangements with the processing facility. Many producers besides provide the service of delivering the animals to a local processing facility.

Other options for beef cattle include marketing convenance stock, feeder calves to the feedlot, or market animals for junior shows. Breeding stock are typically purebred animals and may exist marketed directly from the farm and through a registered sale. Many states operate a balderdash test, assuasive producers to pay to have their bulls developed alongside other immature bulls and enter a larger sale at the stop of the test. Piece of work with your local extension educator to determine the best markets for your operation.

Conclusion

Raising beef cattle tin can exist a rewarding farming enterprise. Very few beef cattle operations are identical to 1 another, allowing producers a diverseness of opportunities to develop a plan that uniquely suits their lifestyle and farming enterprise. This cursory introduction just touches on a few of the aspects to think about when considering a beef cattle enterprise. Before beginning your own enterprise, seek the advice of your extension educator or experienced beef cattle producers in your area.

For more than information about beef cattle, visit Penn State Extension Beefiness Cattle

Many opportunities be for beef cattle producers. This publication covers basic concepts related to raising these animals. New and commencement producers should seek further information on not only bones production practices but also nutrition, reproduction, and health in order to produce loftier-quality, healthy animals.

So Y'all Want to Enhance Beef Cattle? This fact canvass may exist used as a guide for beefiness cattle producers just getting started in the manufacture to larn:

How to decide what type of animal you lot should raise
About the different breeds and how to select the right ane for you
Where to buy your animals
What to expect for as the ideal characteristics
What equipment you lot'll need to raise your animals
How to breed and heighten your beef cattle
What to feed and how to intendance for your animals' health
What information technology takes to market place your animals

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Source: https://extension.psu.edu/so-you-want-to-raise-beef-cattle-print