beef cattle 🐄

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