Beef Prod Final (with the final 2 weeks of content)

How many cattle are in the US?

80-100 million

Explain the cattle cycle.

The fluctuation in the cattle population due to the time needed to make changes in total cattle population

Has total cattle in U.S increase, decreased, or stayed the same

Total cattle has decreased

Is the U.S a net importer or exporter of beef

exporter

What are the two primary countries which beef is imported to the U.S

Canada and Mexico

Name 4 sources of cattle that provide cattle to feedlot operations

Cow Calf

Auction

Backgrounder

Stocker

number of cows in missouri

1.8 mil

% U.S beef cows in missouri

4%

Recommended age for first calf

24 months

Gestation length

280 days

Recommended calving interval for beef cattle

12 months

Weaning age

205 days

Days open and non lactating for productive beef cattle

0

What do U.S regions with high beef cattle population have in common

High amounts of forage

2 benefits of current structure of beef cattle industry

With horizontal integration no company can get a monopoly on the beef industry

The cattle are raised near where the feed is produced

2 disadvantages of the current structure of the beef cattle industry.

Cattle are more spread out requiring more money and stress for transport

With horizontal integration it is difficult to track if changes made at one stage of the industry were beneficial or not.

Compare and contrast size of operations and numbers of operations for beef cow calf and feedlot operations in the U.S

The majority of the operations in the U.S are small family owned but the majority of cattle are in the large company owned operations.

Main product marketed by cow calf operations

calf

When do beef cows reach their mature body weight

5-6 years

Draw life of beef cattle on the line

Birth - Day 0

Wean - 6-7 months

(wean to breed = heifer development)

Breeding - 15 months

1st Calving - 2 years

1st calving (new day 0)

2nd breeding - 3 months post calving

Weaning - 6-7 months post calving

2nd calving - 3 years old

Primary advantage of storing silage in bunker rather than bags.

less oxygen exposure so less fermentation

How would you sample? Apparatus? Where to sample? How many bales?

A bale corer is used to sample hay

Sample from middle of the bale

At least 10% of bales

Which is more accurate wet chemistry or NIR?

Wet Chemistry

Name 4 processes that beef cows at maturity use energy for. Other than Maintenance.

Lactation

Pregnancy

BCS/Fat

Locomotion

Health

Give one pro for storing hay outside vs in a covered location

Outside: Easier and cheaper than inside

Covered: being inside minimizes losses

Give one con for storing hay outside vs in a covered location

Outside: More losses than storing inside

Covered: More space and money is required

Why are 2 and 3 year olds at most risk of getting culled.

Still growing

Social Hierarchy/ getting bullied

Not getting enough nutrients due to dominant cows

One management decision to help the 2 and 3 year olds

Separate 2 and 3 year olds from the rest of the herd

What is most nutrient demanding time in beef cattle life

Peak Lactation

Total yearly operation cost that come from feed.

70%

One way energy needs associated with cold stress can be decreased.

Have proper shelter/ wind breaks

What method of castration has a negative perception. Why?

Elastic bands

Causes the teste to slowly die over time and the body has adverse effects to tissues dying.

BCS scale in beef cattle. and when do they calf

1-9

Calf at 6

3 options for how to supplement energy and protein

Feed higher energy forage

Increase density of diet

pellets

List the Steps to determine how much energy supplementation is needed for beef cattle.

1. Nutrient requirement of cattle

2. Determine forage intake

3. Determine what needs to be changed and supplemented

4. How to supplement/ how much

Your cows are thin at weaning. How could you prevent this next year.

Before calving have the cows at a higher BCS so they have more nutrient reserves for lactation

Why are the major calving seasons selected from a nutritional standpoint

Peak lactation and post weaning line up with forage availability and growth

3 of the 4 main goals of heifer development.

Attain maturity

Grow tissues: Mammary Glands and ovaries

Get pregnant

Describe one option of gain during heifer development. What is target body weight at breeding

Feed same amount and grow at a constant rate

60-65%

3 options for heat detection

Chalk

Estrus Patch

Chin strap

Most cow calf operations use AI. True or False

NO WAY

2 major benefits to AI

Better genetics for a higher amount of operations

The ability to have cows give birth around the same time

Why is it beneficial to have bulls with enhanced EPDs.

The better the EPDs the bull has the more likely the offspring will inherit beneficial traits.

Why are economic selection indexes useful in sire selections.

They are useful in combining EPDs into large groups for overall comparison like profitability.

Main event each stage of parturition

1- Fluid loss

2- Expulsion of calf

3- Expulsion of placenta

Why is colostrum important for neonatal calf? When should it be consumed for best effect?

Colostrum has nutrients and immunoglobins that are crucial for the calf's survival.

Should be consumed 6 hrs after birth.

2 ways to preg check. Why is it important to preg check

Palpation and ultrasound

It is important to see whether she is open or not and can sometimes tell how far along in gestation

one pro for modified live and killed vaccines

modified live- doesn't need 2 doses for new cow exposed to vaccine

killed- not as likely to produce huge immune response

one con for modified live and killed vaccines

Modified live- Have to be careful with timing of calving and breeding

Killed- Need multiple vacciness to be completely covered

2 timepoints important for vaccinating cattle

Breeding date (30-60 days before)

Pre calving (30 days before)

2 timepoints important for vaccinating cattle pre weaning.

At weaning

Processing (60-90 days)

When should you watch for scours vs respiratory disease in pre weaning cattle?

Scours immediately after birth

Respiratory disease monitor for the first 2 months`

4 negative potential consequences for pre weaning calves from poor to late gestational nutrition of their damns.

dystocia

low birth weights

low vigor

premature/ not good nutrient distribution

When looking for a calving ease bull BW EPD

Lower

When looking for post weaning growth YW EPD %

5%

For a greater likelihood of genetic transmission accuracy

0.75

What do you do to reduce dystocia in your herd

Genetics for calving ease or lowering birth weight

2 downsides to producing hay

fluctuates in price

low quality/ availability

Major benefits of incorporating stocker cattle in cow calf operations

Market inflow and outflow

Fall back during harder times (Drought, economics)

What are the USADA thickeness scores and how do they relate to feeder calf prices

1-4: the higher the score the greater the deduction in pricing

What is the "Slide" and how does it occur

The slide is the change in price per head weight that occurs when cattle are sold either above or below the weight the buyer expected.

List 4 factors that influence feeder calf prices

horns

sex

muscling

health

weight

Why are prices of feeder heifers less than the price of male feeders when marketed at the same weight?

Heifers produce less product with the same live weight

What is one way to tell that a newborn calf found dead actually stood and breathed?

Float test of the lung in water (floats= breathed)

Look at hooves if dirty it stood

True/False A calf can meet its genetic potential for high productivity even if its dam is fed and managed poorly.

False

Most common reason cow calf producers decide to early weans calves

Encourage cycling

Decrease nutritional demands

Feed utilization

Money

Name and describe 2 grazing management methods used to improve pasture/livestock productivity.

Rotational grazing- helps keep the pasture alive by not letting the cattle graze down to the root

Stocking density- Making sure to not have too many cattle per acre so they all have enough forage

Animal output and stocking rate graph

Gain per head: Y-axis

Gain per acre: X-axis

per head starts high, decreases

per acre starts low, increases and eventually crashes

optimal is in middle of both curves

How can understanding Mott Curves help producers make better choices about stocking rates.

They can find a point in the optimal zone that is a good starting point to make management decisions around.

What disease complex does a 5 way vaccine provide immunity against?

BRD complex

What % of cattle in stocker and backgrounder are impacted by subclinical and clinical respiratory disease

Subclinical- 30 %

Clinical- 22%

What impact does rapid rate of gain during stocker/backgrounder have on hot carcass weight.

The more rapid gain the lower the HCW

In general what point after arrival do the mortalities reflect the ineffectiveness of health protocols

After 6 weeks management/nutrition is to blame for death

Why are infections of the lungs in cattle often a greater risk for mortality compared to most non ruminant animals

Cattle lungs are less vascular than most non ruminant species meaning damage can cause a greater % of the lungs become unusable increasing mortality risk

What is value of gain and why is it important

The amount the market is willing to pay you to add weight to cattle.

Understanding value of gain allows you to make management decisions that keep you out of the black and in the green.

What is the great contributor to price received when marketing beef cattle.

Hot Carcass weight

Programs such as Vac 34 or 45 are audited precondition programs. What do these programs typically guarantee.

VAC34 - 2 doses of clostridial, viral, and Manheimia Haemolytica and/or Pasteurella multocida

VAC45 - 2 doses of clostridial, viral, and Manheimia Haemolytica and/or Pasteurella multocida

Weaned a minimum of 45 days prior to delivery

Certain vaccinations have been administered prior to the sale of the animal

Bovine Viral Diarrhea

Mild case - no symptoms

Acute - Fever, abortion, diarrhea, can cause rough hair and worse gain

Metaphylaxis

Prophylactic mass antimicrobial

Costs of BRD

Non-healthy animals lose at least $100/animal (compared to healthy)

Clinical animals lose money

Where do you administer drugs in cows

Triangle neck muscle reigon

How do you identify issues with calves on new diets

Monitor eating habits and check feces

Four main types of cattle feeding facilities

Covered - slatted floor

Covered - bed pack

Partially covered - usually dirt or concrete

Open

Open drylot

Used mostly in drier environments

Large open pens, dirt floors

Often zero cover

Partially covered drylot

Used more in places with a true 'wet season' (Missouri)

Offers some relief from weather

Can provide less space per animal if using concrete over dirt (20 -> 25ft/head)

Purpose of mounds

Provide relief for animals away from mud and manure

Covered confinement

Housed completely under roof

Animals require a bit more foot space than in drylot (35-40ft)

Requires bedding unless using slatted floor

Is bedding in confinement good

It improves animal performance

Feedlots

Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO)

Generally corn based, concentrated diets for gains

Management intensive

What influences decision making on feedlots

The cost of gain

Adapting cattle to high grain rations

Increase energy density of feed the more days on feed the animal is

Ideally this would look like a steady increasing line

Why is nutrition important

it is the majority of the cost associated with raising cattle

What should we mostly be feeding cattle

Energy feeds (75%)

Protein feeds (20%)

Fiber/vitamins/minerals (5%)

Feed Technologies

Scientific advancements used for the feeding of animals

VFD (Veterinary feed directive)

Drugs you cannot feed for the purpose of improving performance

Ionophores

Increase ruminal fermentation efficiency

IGRs (insect growth regulators)

Help prevent larvae/flies from growing from your own cattle manure