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SECTION 1 : GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
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definition of a cow (dam)
mature female that has given birth
definition of a bull (sire)
uncastrated male, usually used for breeding
definition of a calf
young male or female up to 10 months of age
definition of a steer
castrated male
definition of a heifer
a young female cow without a calf
definition of an ox
old male
definition of a bullock
3 years or older
what is the ratio of bulls to cows on the farm
1:50, ideally 3:100
what is australia's rank on the meat exporter list
4th
SECTION 2: BEEF BREEDS
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what are some traits that beef breeds in australia should have
australian climate
good carcase
disease/pest resistant
fast growth rate
good mothering ability
fertility (gestation period: 9 months (281 days)
calving ease
what are the characteristics of an angus
good carcase (muscular)
tends to marble (popular in Japan)
mature early (15-18 months)
hardy
calve easily + maternal
what are the characteristics of a murray grey
medium sized
calve easily
high yield of saleable beef
early-mid maturing
what are the characteristics of a brahman
parasite and heat resistant (secretes oil which deters ticks, good in nt)
heavy muscling
calve later than most breeds
what are the characteristics of a hereford
muscular
large in size
excellent meat quality
what are the characteristics of a santa gertrudis
well - muscled
heat resistance
tick resistance
heavy body mass
what are the characteristics of a charolais
lean carcase
well-muscled
good fertility
good maternal attributes
what are the characteristics of a limousin
low proportion of bone and fat
hardy
calve easily + fast growth
SECTION 3: FEEDLOTS
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what are feedlots
feedlots are systems in which cattle is raised
what is the purpose of a feedlot
cattle are moved to the feedlots at around 12 months of age to get fattened quickly
animals are kept in confined spaces and fed high quality grain diet to reach market weight
what are main advantages of using a feedlot
- younger animal reaches market weight, properties are excellent for selling
- carrying potential/capacity (stocking density is higher) number of animals/ha
- more control over feed
- management practices are easier as herding is not needed
- farmer will receive more money bc meat quality is higher
what are the disadvantages of using a feedlot
intensive management program
animals in a feed lot are more aggressive (due to high testosterone levels
are beef fed hormones
yes
SECTION 4: BREEDING PROGRAMS
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define pure breeding
when animals of the same breed (heifer & sire) are mated to produce offspring. for example, an angus heifer mated with an angus sire (bull)
define cross breeding
when animals of different breeds (heifer & bull/sire) are mated to produce offspring, for example brahman bull with angus heifer (brangus)
what are advantages of pure breeding
homogenous/uniform herd (easier to standardise feed)
what are disadvantages of pure breeding
- smaller genetic pool can cause deformities
- chances of recessive genes are higher
- no new dna is introduced
what are the advantages of crossbreeding
- combines desirable characteristics
- the offspring will always outperform their parents
what are the disadvantages of crossbreeding
- never 100% sure of what the characteristics of the offspring will be
- difficult to maintain
SECTION 5 : MARKETING
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outline the marketing strategy of tv/radio commercials
tv and radio commercials such as "you are thinking beef" are used to persuade consumers to buy beef
what are advantages of tv/radio commercials
combines images and sound to catch the watchers attention
short and straight to the point to get the message a point
older people are usually watching tv and radio, and have the opportunity to buy food with their money
educate people about the nutritional value of beef
what are the disadvantages of tv/radio commercials
cost is high because advertising agencies have to make the ads
running the tv ads in prime time → 30000 for a 30 sec ad
younger people tend not to watch tv, so a portion of population is missing out on the message
what is your judgment on tv commercials
"in my opinion" .....
sample: tv ads are great but not enough for a wider demographics. it must be used in conjunction with other social media
what is value adding
processing of food to increase their selling price
how can beef be made saleable
offcuts of beef that would not sell otherwise are minced and processed as sausages, pies, ect
how can beef be increased in value
by processing such as marination, dicing, kebabs, ready roast by adding spices
SECTION 6 : PASTURES
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what are some examples of native pastures
- kangaroo grass
- wallaby grass
- saltbush
- spinifex
- parramatta grass
- whiskey grass
what are the general characteristics of native australian pastures
- spiky and thorny
- not very palatable
- hard to digest
- not very nutritious
why do we keep the native weeds
- can survive very tough conditions
- can rely on rainfall
- does not need fertiliser
- keeps animals alive in bad conditions
- goos supplement with a grain diet
what are some examples of introduced pastures
- kikuyu
- rye grass
- clovers
- lucerne
what are the general characteristics of introduced pastures
- lots of leaf material for animals to eat
- easy to eat
- palatable
- highly nutritious
why did people bring grass from overseas to australia
they introduced here needed high quality feed to build up muscle and meat, so they couldn't eat the native australian pastures
what are 2 summer growing pastures
clover, kikuyu
what are 2 winter growing pastures
rye, oats
what is rotational grazing
the regular rotation of livestock between different pastures in order to avoid overgrazing in a particular area
what is strip grazing
sectioning fields into strips with electric fencing and each strip is grazed for 1-2 days
pasture gets more uniformly eaten down
what is deferred grazing
when stock are held off a pasture to enhance the survival of the pasture
a pasture may be put aside in autumn or spring when its production is at a peak, and then grazed in winter
what is zero grazing
a system where cattle are housed all year round. grass is cut and brought to livestock which are fed indoors
SECTION 7 : MANAGEMENT
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what was the past pest management for cattle
arsenic dipping
how was arsenic dipping
big trenches that were filled with, chemical (arsenic) water, were made for animals to walk through to get rid of external parasites (lice)
what were the disadvantages of arsenic dipping
toxic residue
arsenic doesn't break down
the environment impact → residue, a lot of water needed
more expensive → cost of arsenic, cost of labour
more labour intensive
what is the present pest management for cattle
pour on drench
what are the advantages of pour on drench
kills internal and external parasites
easy to apply (on back line)
absorbed through skin
less environmental impact → no water needed
less expensive
what are short term effects of drenching
- effectively kills parasites
- relief from itching and biting (less stress)
- more grazing/feeding peacefully
what are long term effects of drenching
- efficient weight gain due to less stress, no parasites and better grazing
- resistance build up to the pour on active ingredients
- drench residue in the droppings
what are benefits of dehorning
can damage fences with horns (hurt themselves + damage fences → huge expense to repair)
prevents injuries to handlers/other animals
fit more animals in a truck without horns
what are disadvantages of dehorning
stress and pain caused to the animal during and after the procedure
reduced weight gains for several weeks after
risk of excessive bleeding
SECTION 8 : MISCELLANEOUS
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what does ebv stand for
ebv stands for estimated breeding value
what is the purpose of ebvs
- used by producers to observe a specific animal's genetic potential that has an impact on the sale of that animal
-they are represented as a comparison between the base traits of the animal and the animal's specific genetic traits.
how can farmers access evbs
they can order reports from certain providers such as BREEDPLAN, however the full range of evbs may not be provided
what are 3 main WHS rules for cattle mustering
- muster quietly
- dont get in the holding cell along with them
- move them in small groups
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