Beef Cattle Industry Segments and Production Cycle (Video Notes)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the beef industry lecture notes. Each card defines a term related to industry segments, production stages, and market actors.

Commercial Cow-Calf Segment

A beef industry segment where a producer maintains a breeding herd and develops calves that are typically sold at weaning; accounts for most cow-calf operations and shows wide variation in management and profitability.

Seedstock Segment

A segment that supplies genetics (registered purebred or hybrid breeding stock) to seedstock and commercial producers; over 50,000 seedstock operations exist; top producers include Jorgensen, Gardiner, Leachman, Express, and 44 Farms; about 75% of top seedstock operations sell Angus bulls.

Stocker Segment

A segment where calves are purchased at weaning and gain weight cost-effectively on pasture, preparing them for the feedlot before finishing.

Backgrounding Segment

An operation that preconditions newly weaned calves for the feedlot, using vaccination/health protocols and adapting calves to feed and pens before entering the stocker or feedlot phase.

Feedlot Segment

A confined operation that finishes cattle on a high-concentrate diet until slaughter; typically 175+ days on feed to reach target weights (around 1,400 lbs); slaughter age generally 15–20 months; large yards (>16,000 head) common in the South.

Packing Segment

Packing plants procure live cattle, slaughter them, and process carcasses and byproducts; top packers include Tyson, JBS, Cargill, and National Beef; most beef is vacuum-packaged and sold as boxed beef.

Beef Wholesale Segment

Purveyor purchases beef, fabricates it, and merchandises it to food service outlets; distributor buys beef and redistributes to retailers with less fabrication.

Beef Retail Segment

Retailers (grocery stores) market beef in case-ready or convenience formats; beef sales are influenced by price competition and consolidation; ground beef accounts for a substantial portion of beef sales; a notable share of beef sales occurs outside the home.

Beef Consumer Segment

The consumer base for beef; in the U.S., most people have positive views of beef products, but concerns often focus on production practices such as animal welfare, hormones, antibiotics, and environment.

Average Weaning Weight

575 pounds (typical weight of calves at weaning in the notes).

Average Age at Weaning

Approximately 200 days.

Top Four Beef Packers

The four leading packers that slaughter the majority of fed cattle: Tyson, JBS, Cargill, and National Beef.

Angus Bulls (Seedstock Context)

Angus bulls are common in seedstock operations; about 75% of the top 100 seedstock operations sell Angus bulls.

Forage-Based Stocker Programs

Stocker operations rely on available quality forage; spring-born calves may graze fall/winter pastures, while fall-born calves graze summer forage; high-quality forage is critical for cost-effective weight gain.

Beef Cattle Production Cycle

The sequence from cow-calf production to slaughter: producer, bulls/replacement heifers, calve at 2 years, cull at 5–8 years, graze till yearling, enter feedlot, then packer, retailer, and finally the consumer.

Packer

A facility or company that slaughters live cattle, processes them, and distributes the finished products; part of the Packing Segment.

Purveyor

A beef wholesaler that purchases, fabricates, and distributes to foodservice outlets.

Distributor

A middleman who buys beef and redistributes it to retailers with less fabrication than a purveyor.

Retailer

A grocery or supermarket that sells beef to consumers, often using case-ready products and competing on price.

Vacuum Packaged Beef

Beef that is vacuum-sealed and sold as boxed beef; over 80% of beef is packaged this way.

Ideal Slaughter Weight and Age

Historically around 1,500 pounds and 15–20 months of age; modern production aims for heavier cattle finished in about 200 days on feed.