ANIMAL SCIENCE 11:067:142 - Final Exam Review

we made it

Number 1 Beef Importer

China

Number 2 Beef Importer

United States

How much did the beef industry proceed in cash receipts in 2021?

$72.9 billion.

What is the most expensive aspect of raising agricultural animals?

Feed.

What makes cattle unique in regards to poor quality forages and unusable land?

They are able to consume poor quality forage and convert it to energy, protein.

Where is the beef industry concentrated in the US?

Midwest.

Heifer

Female bovine who has never had a calf.

Cow

Female bovine who has had a calf/calves.

Steer

Castrated male bovine.

Bull

Intact male bovine.

Springer

Female heifer or cow who is close to calving.

Fresh Cow

Cow who recently gave birth.

What is one key difference between the beef and dairy cow industry?

Dairy cows spend more time inside shelter, beef cows spend more time on pasture.

Pasture Management

Managing hay an forage types, making sure it can sustain cattle depending on life stage.

Chute

Mechanical device that is used to restrain cattle.

Beef Animal

Genetically bred for meat characteristics.

What are the main five breeds of beef cattle?

Angus (red, black), Hereford, Charolais, Brahman, Highlands.

Poled

Hornless/horns removed.

What are some desirable traits in beef breeds?

Meat quality, docility, frame, climate tolerance, management style, ease of calving.

Why are cattle horns detrimental to raising beef cows?

Horns can puncture other animals and segregate the quality of meat.

Beef Cattle are a ( predator / prey ) species.

Prey.

Cattle Defense Behaviors

Kick, gore, stomp, flight.

Flight Zone

The area surrounding an animal that will cause alarm and escape behavior when encroached upon.

True or False: Beef cattle are herd animals.

True.

What is a common stressor for cows (herd animals)?

Being separated from group.

What are some important safety guidelines for working around cattle?

Move slowly and quietly, do not sneak up, no sudden movements or noises, do not get in between mother and calf.

Cattle do not like:

Their heads handled; being spooked; being away from herd; loud noises; fast/sudden movements.

Never trust...

A bull!

What are the three main facets of the beef industry?

Breeding, feeding, marketing.

Breeding

Producing the bulls and heifers.

Feeding

Providing appropriate nutrition to achieve healthy and productive animals.

Marketing Cattle

Cattle are bough and sold, sometimes many times throughout their lives. End result is processing and retail sale of beef product.

How long does it take for beef cattle to reach consumer level?

2-3 years.

Why do individuals working int he cattle industry need so much knowledge of both economics and management?

Raising beef cattle is a long term investment in which decisions have to made for 2-3 years down the road.

What are the seven segments of the beef cattle industry?

Seedstock, cow-calf, yearling/stocker, feedlot, packer, retailer, consumer.

Seedstock

Breeding intended for future production. Controls favorable genetics.

Cow-Calf

Raising calf from birth to weening; calf will either go to meat supply or serve as a replacement calf.

Yearling/Stocker

Feed to make weight (500-800lbs).

Feedlot

High energy diet to prepare for harvest.

Packer

Slaughter and process cattle.

Retailer

Sale of beef at grocery stores, restaurants, etc.

Consumer

Customer who purchases beef/beef product.

Seedstock Producers

Also called purebred breeder or registered breeders.

What do seedstock producers need to identify to breed successful beef cattle?

The needs of industry and what customer looking for.

Cow raises calf for about \_____ days.

205.

How heavy should a calf be at weaning in comparison to its mature cow mother?

Half the weight of its mother.

How long is a cow's gestation period?

283 days or about 9 months.

Replacement Calves

Calves that replace heifers in breeding beef cattle.

Calf is born at \___ pounds and gains about __ pounds per day.

75; 2.

What is the largest cost of a beef cattle operation?

Feed.

Backgrounding

Yearling/Stocker Producer

Yearling/Stocker Producer

Adds weight to weaned calves prior to feedlot or slaughter.

Frame of Cattle

Fat distribution.

The animals are fed grazable forages until they are between what ages?

12 and 20 months of age.

Why is it important that yearling cattle gain 1-1.5 pounds per day?

Time is money and the faster they grow, the quicker they can sell.

Feedlot Producer

Feeding operations feeding cattle high energy diets to prepare them for harvest.

Rations are higher in what feed to increase weight-gain?

Grains.

How much weight should feedlot cattle gain per day?

3 or more pounds per day.

What age and weight are cattle harvested?

18 months, 1200 pounds (depending on breed).

Why do southern and western states have larger feed yards?

More stable weather condition.

What are characteristics of the packing industry?

Highly regulated with heavy emphasis on animal welfare and food safety.

Why is it harder for small farms to reach quality standards for meat?

No access to USDA slaughter facilities; can use custom exception to sell whole/half/quarter carcasses directly to buyer.

Retail Cuts

USDA certified cuts of meat that are ready for sale.

Direct Farm Marketing

Community Supported Agriculture, farmers markets, on-farm stores, freezer trade.

Who drives the beef cattle industry?

Consumers.

What are consumers ultimately looking for in meat products?

Product with increased convenience and less time spent cooking, without compromised taste or nutrition.

True or False: Grass-finishing is better and healthier for the cow and for consumers.

False.

What can't you have without successful reproductive management?

A successful operation.

What does reproductive management includ?

Successful pregnancies and management of pregnant animals, calving, calf-mother health, weaning, and nutrition.

What is the goal of reproduction in beef operations?

One calf produced from each female bovine every 365.

Reproductive Efficiency (RE)

Number of calves born/number of calves weaned per 100 females in the breeding herd.

Reproduction is at least \____ as important as growth or carcass qualities profitability of cow-calf producer.

Twice.

What management decision increase reproduction rates?

Early puberty, high conception rates, low calving difficulty, early rebreeding.

Dystocia

Difficult labor.

Foot and Mouth Disease

Highly contagious viral disease noted in cloven hooves animals.

FMD is a HUGE \_________________ risk.

Economic.

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)

"Mad cow disease", prion disease that causes neurologic disease that lead to death of the infested animal.

How can mad cow disease be prevented?

Ruminants cannot be fed ruminant tissue in feed.

Rinderpest

Virus that causes severe disease in cattle, closely related to the measles virus.

What is the death rate for cattle populations that have never been exposed to rinderpest?

100%.

What is a major concern for rinderpest?

Use as a biological weapon.

What country consumers the most sheep and goat per capita?

Mongolia.

Ewe Lamb

Young female sheep.

Ewe

Mature female sheep.

Ram Lamb

Young intact male.

Wether

Young castrated male.

Stag

Mature castrated male.

How much does sheep milk contribute to global milk production?

1.3%.

Which is larger: lamb market or mutton market?

Lamb market.

How is the sheep and lamb market changing over time?

It is in steady decline.

Why does commercial sheep and lamb slaughter spike around April?

Religious holiday.

What are the main predators to sheep and goats?

Coyotes, dogs, mountain lions, cougars, pumas.

Animal predator losses resulted in a loss of $\____________ to farmers and ranchers.

$20.5 million.

What are ways to prevent sheep and goat loss to predators?

Guard animals (dog and llamas).

Why is the sheep and lamb wool production industry in decline?

Cheaper synthetic fabrics.

How are sheep breeds classified?

Purpose (meat, milk, fiber), face color, fiber type.

How much of income do wool sales make up in wool breed sales?

30%-35% of income.

How much of income do lamb sales make up in wool breed sales?

65%-70 of income.

What are the three main of wool?

Merino, Rambouillet, Romney

Merino Wool

Fine wool, ~18 microns.