Beef junior study guide.docx

**Health** - Temperature: 100-102.5 degrees Fahrenheit (calves: 101-103) - Heart rate: 60-70 beats per minute - Respiratory rate: 8-16 breaths per minute **Nutrition** **All feeds include six basic nutrients: protein, carbohydrates, lipids,** **minerals, vitamins and water**....

**Health** - Temperature: 100-102.5 degrees Fahrenheit (calves: 101-103) - Heart rate: 60-70 beats per minute - Respiratory rate: 8-16 breaths per minute **Nutrition** **All feeds include six basic nutrients: protein, carbohydrates, lipids,** **minerals, vitamins and water**. **Protein** o Provides essential amino acids. **Carbohydrates** are used as energy to enhance movement for body functions, growth, fattening, reproduction, etc. **Fats are a concentrated source of energy, up to 2.25 times as much energy per unit** of weight, as do carbohydrates. **Minerals** are needed in nearly all parts of the body but are found primarily in bones and teeth. **Vitamins** are required for health, development, and metabolic reactions. **Water** is the most important nutrient. Accounts for 70% or more of the composition of most plants and animals. **Common Forages for Beef Cows** Cool-season perennials -- most growth occurs in spring and fall. o Tall fescue o Bluegrass o Clover (legume) o Alfalfa (legume) Warm-season perennials -- most growth occurs in summer. o Bermudagrass o Switchgrass Winter annuals -- must be planted each year. Most growth occurs in early spring and late fall. o Annual Ryegrass o Cereal grains -- rye, oats, wheat, barley Summer annuals -- must be planted each year. Most growth occurs in late spring and summer. o Sorghums -- forage sorghum, sudangrass, sorghum -- sudan hybrids. **Digestive System** **Ruminant Defined** An animal with four distinct compartments in its stomach, which swallows its food essentially unchewed, regurgitates it, chews it thoroughly and reswallows it. o Examples include cattle, sheep, goats Four Compartments of the Ruminant 1\. Reticulum -- honeycomb -- 5% of capacity 2\. Rumen -- paunch -- 80% of capacity 3\. Omasum -- manyplies -- 7% of capacity 4\. Abomasum -- true stomach -- 8% of capacity **Functions of the Compartments** Listed in the order that feed passes through them: **Reticulum** (nicknamed the hardware stomach): ** Rumen** o Largest compartment; capacity of 40 to 60 gallons in mature cattle. ** Omasum** o A muscular section that squeezes out the water from the feed before it enters the abomasum **Abomasum** (the true stomach) ** Regurgitation** o During the process of eating, ruminants chew their feed just enough to make swallowing possible. After consuming their feed, it is brought up from the rumen and chewing is completed. **Meat** Beef: More than two types of grades: Quality grades, reflect differences in eating quality of meat based on: o Marbling scores -- amount of fat interspersed in the muscle. o Maturity scores -- reflects age of animal at slaughter. Types of quality grades for beef are: o Prime -- Superior marbling, proper carcass conformation and adequate maturity. o Choice -- Most economical and most desirable carcass grade. o Select -- May be referred to as \"no-roll\" since it isn\'t stamped with the USDA grade. o Standard grade -- Usually older animals and thin animals. o Commercial -- Includes designations of: cutter, canner and utility. o Cull -- Not acceptable for human consumption. ** Yield grades** o Identify carcasses for differences in cutability (the lean yield of a beef carcass) or yield of boneless, trimmed retail cuts. Yield grade is determined by the following measurements:  Hot carcass weight  External fat (measured as back fat over the 13th rib)  Percent heart, kidney and pelvic fat  Rib eye area o Types of yield grades: 1\. Moderately Abundant 2\. Slightly Abundant 3\. Moderate 4\. Small 5\. Slight  Yield grade 1 being the leanest, heaviest muscled carcass and yield grade 5 being the lightest muscled fattest. **Signs of a Sick Calf** - - Poor Appetite - Droopy Ears - Rapid, noisy breathing - Dry, crusty or runny nose - Gaunt gut - Limping - Patchy haircoat - Diarrhea - Swelled, tight left side **Good Management for Disease Prevention** Be alert for signs of disease and conditions which can cause stress and strain. Provide clean, disinfected quarters, free from draft. Provide proper drainage of holding areas, barns, free stalls, etc. to help maintain the driest area possible. Protect them from the sun, rain and wind without overcrowding. Practice rigid sanitation and manure removal procedures. Provide a well-balanced diet. Get accurate diagnosis of health problems immediately so that treatment can be provided. Avoid unnecessary stress and strain. Buy disease-free stock from healthy herds. Isolate new animals for a period (to be sure they are healthy) before introducing them to your herd. Follow a set vaccination program. Dispose of dead animals immediately.  **Reproduction** Estrous: 21 days Gestation: 10 months Nursing: 7 months Stocker: 4 months Feedlot: 4 months Processing: 1 month Conception to plate: 26 months **Breeding** April and May for spring calving. January and February for fall calving. Heifers are bred beginning 30 days before the older cows. o Gives the producer more time with them at calving and gives them a better chance to rebreed as 2-year old's suckling their first calf. Breeding season management o Most beef cows are pasture bred, where bulls run with the cows during the breeding season. o Yearling bulls should not be pasture bred to more than 10 females in a 90-day breeding season. A high level of reproductive performance required and a goal of 90% calf crop should be set. **Production methods** Three types of enterprises 1\. Cow-calf 2\. Stocker or Feeder cattle 3\. Feedlot **Cow-calf program** o Maintains a cow herd and produces calves, usually sold at weaning as feeder cattle. o Based on pasture which is available during the spring, summer and fall. o Enterprise requires much land for feed production. o Grains and supplements used only to the extent they are required to balance the ration (a fixed amount of a commodity). **Feeder cattle** o Less risk in this program and it is the safest for new producers to follow. o Calves are usually born during the winter and are sold directly off the cow the following fall (September, October) at about 6 to 9 months of age and weighing about 450-600 lbs. Stocker cattle o Calves or older animals maintained, often on pasture or rangeland, to increased weight and maturity before being placed in a feedlot. o Fed for growth not finish **Feedlot** o Producer purchases stocker cattle and feeds them to market weight. o Cattle finishing requires more concentrate and less roughage than the other enterprises. o Usually requires less land and is a rather speculative enterprise. o Most important methods of finishing are: Most feedlots are in the Mid and Southwestern US where the grain is produced. BREED ID