Introduction to Animal Science: Beef Cattle

These flashcards cover key terminology and essential concepts in the beef cattle industry as discussed in the lecture.

Beef Cattle Industry

An industry that generated 72.9 billion dollars in cash receipts in 2021, producing about 18% of the world’s beef cattle.

Heifer

A female bovine who has never had a calf.

Cow

A female bovine who has had a calf or calves.

Steer

A castrated male bovine.

Bull

An intact male bovine.

Springer

A female animal (heifer or cow) close to calving.

Fresh Cow

A cow that has recently given birth.

Reproductive Management

A crucial component for beef operations that includes managing pregnancies, calving, and calf health.

Seedstock Producer

Also known as purebred or registered breeders, they provide superior genetics to the beef cattle industry.

Commercial Cow-Calf Producers

Operations that raise calves from birth until weaning.

Feedlot Producer

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

Packer

A business that harvests, processes, and distributes beef across the world.

Consumer

The driver of the beef cattle industry, influencing product type and preparation methods.

Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD)

A highly contagious viral disease affecting cloven-hooved animals, not transmissible to humans.

Bovine Spongiform Encephalitis (BSE)

A disease caused by prions that leads to neurologic illness and death in cattle.

Rinderpest

A viral disease eradicated by a global vaccination campaign, causing severe illness in cattle.