Does Most Farmers Get Beef From Male Cows

Raising beef cattle for turn a profit can be a satisfying enterprise. However, at that place are a number of direction skills that each beefiness producer should have to exist successful. Each livestock enterprise has unlike resources: land, labor, capital, feed, and management. To raise beef cattle sustainably, you must manage these resources.

In addition to managing resources, new producers must ask themselves, What do I need to go started? This question involves considerations for the blazon of animals a producer wishes to raise equally well as where to find these animals, how to select them, and what equipment will be needed for the performance. Producers as well demand to consider how they will feed their animals and what health intendance practices they will use to keep the animals healthy. Savvy producers will let markets place the type of animals they should raise in order to generate a profit. This fact sail may be used as a guide for beef cattle producers just getting started in the industry to learn:

How to decide what type of beast you should raise
Virtually the unlike breeds and how to select the correct 1 for you
Where to purchase your animals
What to expect for as the ideal characteristics
What equipment you lot'll need to heighten your animals
How to breed and raise your beefiness cattle
What to feed and how to care for your animals' health
What it takes to market your animals

What Type of Animals Should I Raise?

The starting time thing to make up one's mind when starting a new beef cattle enterprise is what blazon of animals to enhance. This decision should directly reverberate the markets a producer has bachelor to sell beef cattle and consider the resources available on the farm and the producer's individual goals.

Beef cattle may be used to produce meat or generate seedstock (convenance animals). The intended markets may dictate what breed or breeds are all-time suited for the operation. Some producers choose to brood females to produce calves to sell for convenance stock or marketplace animals. Other producers may adopt to purchase weaned animals, too known every bit feeders, to heighten to market weight.

Producers should offset past determining if they wish to raise purebred or commercial stock. A purebred operation typically raises animals of i breed. Frequently a purebred operation will have all registered animals that can besides be sold through purebred sales. A commercial performance may have unregistered purebred animals, or they may have crossbred animals. Crossbred animals have the benefit of hybrid vigor, which is simply the ability of crossbred offspring to increase in productivity over the boilerplate of the breeds that were part of the cross. This means that a crossbred calf could abound faster, or a crossbred female could produce more milk for its offspring.

Selecting a Breed

Each livestock breed has different traits for which they are recognized. Breed associations tin can provide data on those traits and help you narrow your decision regarding what brood or breeds fit all-time with your performance. Beef cattle breeds are often divided into maternal (cow) and terminal (sire) breeds. Maternal breeds are typically moderately sized and recognized for their ability to raise good for you calves. Concluding breeds are generally a flake larger in their size and commonly used for meat production. In add-on to these two classifications, composite breeds of cattle too exist.

Composite breeds are cattle breeds that are by and large made upwardly of maternal and concluding breeds and often combine genetics for specific environments or markets. While many producers use both maternal and terminal breeds in their systems, composite breeds have been established and are recognized by their pedigree. Many breeds exist in the United States. The more common breeds are listed in the tabular array below.

Maternal

Angus
Hereford
Shorthorn
Reddish Angus

Terminal

Charolais
Gelbvieh
Limousin
Simmental
Maine Anjou

Composite

SimAngus
Maintainer
Braford
Beefmaster
Limflex

Angus Photo credit: Michelle Kunjappu, PA Beef Producers Working Group

Hereford Photo credit: Michelle Kunjappu, PA Beef Producers Working Grouping

Photo credit: Michelle Kunjappu, PA Beef Producers Working Group

Photograph credit: Dave Hartman, Penn State Extension

Where Can I Purchase Animals?

Animals can be purchased through several different means. Many sales are held across the state throughout the year and may offer only one breed, a multifariousness of breeds, or even crossbreds for sale. Another option would be to locate reputable breeders and purchase directly from their farm. A wide variety of animals may be available at a local sale barn; however, let the buyer beware. Animals sold through this venue are more than probable to have health issues.

Choose convenance males that will complement the outstanding traits in your females and better their weaknesses. Always use the all-time bull y'all tin beget to ameliorate the genetics in your herd. The male has a cracking influence on your herd because his offspring could remain in the herd for a number of years.

Exist conscious of selecting and keeping good productive females that volition produce and wean one dogie per twelvemonth without assistance and maintain their body status without condign overly sparse or fatty.

Choice Principles

At that place are two methods to select livestock: animal operation and visual appraisal. Animals should first exist selected on performance (east.g., how well calves grow or how much calves weigh at weaning), and so the higher-performing animals should be evaluated visually.

Performance selection principles evaluate measurable traits such equally birth weight, weaning weight, yearling weight, or meat yield and quality.

Producers who evaluate growth traits should adjust weaning weights to account for the sex activity of the calf, age of the dam, birth weight, and weaning weight. Weaning weights are typically adjusted to 205 days of age.

Progressive cattle producers with registered animals can enroll their herd in breeding association databases to obtain expected progeny differences (EPDs). These EPDs use genetic linkages to appraise genetic merit for growth, carcass, and maternal traits. EPDs let producers to evaluate beast genetics without environmental influences.

Commercial producers can utilise performance data when selecting a new bull. More information on expected progeny differences tin exist establish past contacting breed associations.

Visual animal appraisal evaluates aspects such as structural definiteness, muscling, body capacity, and brood character. Evaluating structural correctness allows producers to identify animals with defects that are non apparent through functioning evaluation.

Purebred producers who heighten registered stock should go familiar with brood characteristics associated with the breed they enhance, such as:

ear length and shape
color and distribution of color
polled status
defects that disqualify animals from registration

These depicted bulls showroom the platonic characteristics of breeding males .

Angus bull. Photo credit: Michelle Kunjappu, PA Beef Producers Working Group

Hereford bull. Photo credit: Michelle Kunjappu, PA Beef Producers Working Group

Equipment Needs

After the advisable animals are called for the functioning, the equipment necessary to maintain those animals must be gathered. Beef cattle operations can be low input just nonetheless demand a variety of equipment. Basic equipment includes feeders, water tubs or watering systems, and health care equipment. Considering safety is a business organisation when managing these big animals, beef cattle operations should also have equipment for handling cattle.

Feeders

Feeders should exist used to prevent animals from eating off the ground. Well-designed feeders will too forestall animals from wasting feed by spilling information technology onto the footing. There are potential health concerns when cattle eat off the ground, including parasite infections; however, feed costs represent the principal input price on whatever beef cattle functioning and every bit such, feed waste product is a driving factor for feeders.

Feeders can exist simple like racks to agree round bales. Photo credit: Bigstock.com

Many unlike sizes and styles of feeders are available for beefiness cattle. Some feeders tin can accommodate feeding both hay and grain, while others may be designed to feed just hay or but grain. Producers should be certain that all animals take access to the feeder if feeding at specified time frames. If animals have free-choice access to the feeders throughout the day, smaller feeders can be used.

Feeders may besides include unproblematic troughs to hold supplemental protein, energy, or minerals for grazing cattle. Photograph credit: Michelle Kunjappu, PA Beefiness Producers Working Group

In solitude finishing systems, beefiness cattle may be fed a more than complete mixed ration in a bunk. Photo credit: Michelle Kunjappu, PA Beefiness Producers Working Group

Beef cattle of all classes should e'er accept admission to a practiced-quality mineral mix formulated for their production needs. Almost producers provide beef cows and grazing cattle free-selection minerals when on pasture, while others limit-feed minerals daily in a grain mix.

Fenceline-manner feeders allow producers access on one side to place feed and grain into the feeder while animals admission their feed on the other side. Walkthrough feeders allow producers to walk down the heart of the feeder. Grain can be placed in a trough on either or both sides and hay is shared in the central walking area. Producers should exist conscientious not to contaminate feeders with manure-covered footwear.

Larger operations often feed hay in the form of large round or square bales. Many styles of hay feeders exist, but the inverted-cone-fashion feeders are often recommended for beef cattle as they ordinarily waste the least amount feed waste.

Water

H2o is possibly the most important food because information technology impacts feed consumption. Poor-quality water or not enough water tin can decrease feed intake and effect in decreased animal performance. Producers can supply water using anything from buckets to troughs to automated watering systems. Equally with feeders, many different styles are available. The key is that water should exist fresh, clean, and available at all times.

Automated frost-complimentary waterers may be used on pasture or in solitude for cattle. Photograph credit: Betty Cameron, Bedford County Sheep Producer

Permanent spring improvements can provide a twelvemonth-round water supply for beef cattle on pasture. This system has additional crushed rock around it to prevent excess mud aggregating in the area. Photograph credit: Melanie Barkley, Penn Land Extension

Simplistic float tank trough systems tin be hands moved depending on cattle location. Photo credit: Melanie Barkley, Penn State Extension

Pasture Systems

Many beef cattle, particularly mature cows and bulls, graze pastures throughout the bound, summertime, and fall. Producers should pay close attention to pasture pinnacle in an attempt to maximize forage utilization. Pastures should exist subdivided to provide an acceptable corporeality of provender for the grazing time, frequently four to five days. Animals should be moved to a new department of pasture by the time fodder has been grazed down to 4 inches in summit. Rotating pastures ensures the nutrients from manure are spread out and that cattle employ bachelor resource efficiently. Continuous grazing can cause fodder stand damage in overused or high-traffic areas and encourages weed growth in other less-desirable areas of the pasture.

A expert-quality perimeter contend contains livestock inside the pasture and keeps predators out. Many producers adopt loftier-tensile fencing with some wires electrified. Subdivision fencing divides larger fields into smaller areas to better manage provender growth. Subdivision fencing for beefiness cattle can often be a single strand of polywire with step-in posts to reduce input costs. Nearly cattle will respect one strand if information technology is electrified.

Pastures should too provide access to water. This ranges from temporary systems that move with the animals to permanent systems. Many producers choose to install surreptitious systems that can exist accessed throughout a pasture organisation to reduce the labor of hauling h2o. Depending on the system and region, it may be necessary to access electricity to estrus waterers in common cold months.

Wellness Care Equipment

Routine health care employs practices to prevent disease. Common practices include tagging, vaccinating, dehorning, castrating, and deworming. These practices require basic equipment such as tags and tagging pliers, syringes and needles, elastrator bands, a band expander tool, and a drench syringe or drench gun. Tagging is considered a health care piece of equipment because tagging is important to place treated animals.

Producers may also wish to dehorn their cattle to forestall horn growth. This is frequently performed with an electric dehorner presently later on the horn buds break through the skin. Dehorning prevents future injury to other animals and handlers.

Hoof trimming is another wellness care equipment item. Hoof trimming is not considered routinely necessary in nigh beef cattle operations. In addition, about beef cattle must exist put in a tilt table in order to accept their hooves trimmed for the safety of both the trimmer and the animate being. Therefore, many beginning cattle producers will contact a professional should hoof care be necessary.

A bander tin exist used to castrate young males. Photo credit: Michelle Kunjappu, PA Beefiness Producers Working Group

Other Types of Equipment

Larger equipment may be used by beefiness cattle operations to permit producers to handle or manage animals more efficiently. Producers can utilize a calibration to monitor animal growth performance at weaning and other times throughout the twelvemonth. A scale should also be used to weigh animals to summate the correct dosage for medication treatments. Three types of scales are oftentimes used past livestock producers: beam, dial, and digital.

Equipment for beef cattle production should include these items necessary to maintain herd health, like this drench for deworming animals. Photo credit: Dr. Tara Felix, Penn State Extension

About feeder calves and finished cattle are bought and sold on a weight basis. Therefore, considering the economics in beef systems are based on pounds of calf to sell or weight of finished cattle, scales are an important part of cattle operations. Scales can also assistance monitor weights at critical times throughout the year, such as breeding, weaning, and so on. All scales should be tested to ensure accuracy. Simple scales tin can exist placed in line in a handling system.

Treatment system equipment allows producers to more efficiently handle animals. It functions by gathering animals into a grouping pen so funneling them into the chute. Animals walk single file down the chute, where they are held for routine health care or sorting. Gates at both ends of the system contain the animals while producers perform tasks. Gates can part by sliding back and forth or up and down like a guillotine.

A head catch in the chute restrains the cattle for necessary procedures, while ensuring the safety of both the cattle and the human handlers. Photo credit: Dr. Tara Felix, Penn Country Extension

If the beefiness cattle operation intends to use implants to increase growth performance of market animals, a handling system should exist used. In improver, if the operation desires to breed using artificial insemination, a handling system is a must.

An alley allows the beef cattle producers to movement several cattle at a fourth dimension, making cattle handling easier and more efficient. Photo credit: Dr. Tara Felix, Penn State Extension

Reproduction and Breeding Seasons

Gestation length for beef cattle is nigh nine months, varying slightly among breeds and sires. However, the typical gestation length for nearly cows ranges from 282 to 288 days.

Cattle will cycle throughout the year. Yet, managing a defined convenance flavour will help improve the efficiency of the cow herd and marketability of the calves. Most productive cattle operations maintain a single breeding flavor. While many operations breed animals to calve in the leap when conditions is warming up, some may cull to calve in the fall to take advantage of a less saturated calf market. Purebred cattle used for seedstock are ofttimes bred to calve early in the year, Jan or February, so that those animals can enter the breeding herd at heavier weights.

Estrus cycles and historic period at puberty vary slightly amid breeds. If breeding heifers (females that have not calved earlier), they should weigh at least 65 to lxx percentage of their mature weight past the start of the convenance season with a target of 85 percent of their mature weight at calving. Generally, it is expected that heifers will meet this weight and be ready to brood between eleven and xv months of age. It is also appropriate to breed heifers one cycle ahead of mature cows then that they have additional time to rebreed the post-obit season.

Some producers will take this a step further and synchronize their females so that they are sure to brood the heifers at the desired time and the remainder of the cows come into estrus, or bicycle, at the same time about a calendar month later. This synchronization is necessary for an efficient and effective artificial insemination process and is most often accomplished with the utilise of a CIDR, although feed condiment protocols exist for heifers. The CIDR contains hormones and is inserted vaginally into the females. Many protocols are bachelor for synchronization and beginning producers are advised to work with their veterinarian to establish their own on-farm protocol.

In most instances, cattle requite nascency outdoors and, thus, calving season is timed to start when weather warms upward and grass is available on pasture. Even so, some producers prefer to breed earlier in the breeding season in order to market at specific times in the summertime or fall. In other situations, producers may breed before so that calves are older and heavier while on pasture.

Producers wishing to calve earlier may need to house animals in a barn, such equally a bank barn, depending on the climate. Calving indoors can help foreclose ears from freezing and ensure calf viability in colder temperatures.

Signs of Impending Calving

Every bit a cow nears her time to give nascence, she exhibits several signs that the birthing process will brainstorm. Soon earlier calving, the udder will begin to tighten. This tightening is the udder filling with colostrum. Colostrum is the showtime milk and information technology contains antibodies that assist protect newborn calves from disease.

When the cow is prepare to give birth, the muscles around her hips will begin to relax and may appear as if they are sinking. The vulva changes color and is most credible with lighter skin colors. For example, a light pinkish color will change to a darker pinkish color. Maybe more than noticeably, the vulva will great. The udder volition experience total and tight at this point. The cow will as well refuse feed and motion away from the herd.

The first sign that the female is in labor is the appearance of the water bag. Within a brusque period of time, the forepart feet and nose of the newborn should announced. This will progress equally the female pushes to expel the newborn. Once the calf is born, the mother should begin licking to dry off the newborn and encourage the calf to stand and nurse.

A visible h2o pocketbook or feet indicate impending calving. Photo credit: Dr. Tara Felix, Penn State Extension

Typically, most beef cows calve on pasture and require little assistance. If assistance is required, inexperienced producers should consult a veterinary or an experienced producer for help. Assistance may be required if a calf has non been delivered within six hours of the water bag appearing or if the cow is found straining and the water bag appears to have already been ruptured. Always use caution when trying to work with or effectually laboring cows or cows that take recently delivered. Dams volition defend their young well against predators but may turn this aggression on an unsuspecting human trying to tag or examine a new calf every bit well.

Pay close attention to newborns for the showtime couple days afterwards birth. Mothers should exist attentive to newborns and willing to stand for newborns to nurse. Newborns should stretch when they stand and appear alarm. Newborns that cry for their female parent or rush to nurse as soon equally they get upwardly likely are not receiving plenty milk. Weak calves may crave feeding with a tube. Consult a veterinarian or an experienced producer for assistance.

A skillful beef cow should immediately tend to her dogie without interference. Photograph credit: Wendall Landis, Penn Land Beef Barn Manager

Feeding and Nutrition

All animals require water, protein, carbohydrates and fats (to provide energy), vitamins, and minerals in their daily nutrition. These may come from a multifariousness of sources just should exist counterbalanced to meet nutritional requirements. Nutrient requirements alter throughout an animal's lifetime and reflect its stage of production: growth, maintenance, breeding, pregnancy, or lactation (milk production).

Forages such as pasture and hay ofttimes meet requirements for mature animals, merely they may not meet requirements for fast-growing animals. Therefore, additional poly peptide or free energy sources may need to be added to the ration to meet requirements of immature, rapidly growing cattle.

Additional poly peptide requirements may be met with ameliorate quality hay or through sources such as soybeans, soybean meal, or distillers grains. Additional energy requirements may be met with a variety of grain sources, just cattle are most usually fed corn considering it is often the cheapest energy source.

In most cases, pasture provides the nigh economic feed source for mature cows. Cattle should rotationally graze pastures to yield the best quality and quantity of grazing days. In full general, animals should enter a pasture when forages are 6 to ten inches tall. Animals should rotate out of a pasture by the fourth dimension the forage has been grazed down to iv inches. This non only provides high-quality feed for the animals but too helps maintain healthy plants.

Grain supplements are most often used for growing cattle or in times of pasture shortage. Feeding grain to growing cattle increases weight gain. One common grain feeding practice is creep feeding, the practise of supplying good-quality grain and/or hay to young calves while they are nursing. This boosts weight gains and body condition, or level of fatness.

Wellness Issues

A adept indicator of salubrious cattle is their body status. Trunk condition for beefiness cattle is scored on a nine-point scale with one existence emaciated and 9 beingness obese.

Breeding females should exist maintained at an average trunk status score of 5 to six. Animals with decreasing body condition scores, or that are losing weight, signal a potential wellness effect.

The beginning step to keeping animals salubrious is to prevent diseases from entering the farm. Implementing biosecurity practices can help go along diseases off the subcontract. Whatever new animal that arrives at the farm—and animals that get out the subcontract and return—should be quarantined from other animals for three to iv weeks. In addition, changing shoes and clothing after visiting locations where yous had contact with other cattle can help forestall bringing diseases to your farm. Visitors to the subcontract should be asked to either disinfect their shoes or wear plastic disposable boots.

All producers should course a relationship with a veterinarian. This veterinarian-client-patient human relationship allows the veterinary to become familiar with your farm direction practices and your animals and to more speedily address any health issues within your herd.

Internal and External Parasites

While most beef cattle systems do not feel production losses straight as a result of parasites, information technology is partly because they are very easy to care for and forbid in beef cattle. Broad-spectrum antiparasitics can be applied as a pour-on or an injectable product. Many beef cattle producers choose pour-on products because they are easy to apply and adequately effective.

Additional internal parasites that may touch beefiness cattle include worms and coccidia. External parasites that may affect beefiness cattle include flies, ticks, and lice. Consult your veterinarian for more information on individual parasite species and their treatment.

Cattle should be treated for internal and external parasites to keep them healthy. Photo credit: Melanie Barkley, Penn Country Extension

Ballgame Diseases

Perhaps more than critical than the parasites themselves are the impacts they may accept on reproductive functioning. Several parasites that affect cattle can cause abortions. For example, anaplasmosis causes an anemia so severe that cattle may abort. It is near usually spread by bitter insects similar ticks; still, because information technology is a bloodborne affliction, humans may play a role in infecting cattle by reusing contaminated needles and castration and dehorning equipment.

There are other abortion diseases that are acquired by sexually transmitted diseases. These can include chlamydia and trichomoniasis. Buying bulls and replacement females from reputable farms or brokers and asking about the history of venereal disease can help forbid the spread of these disorders to your farm.

Several other diseases may likewise cause abortions in cattle. Some of the mutual diseases that cause abortions can be prevented with a vaccine for viruses like bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) and infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR). Piece of work with your veterinarian to constitute a good vaccination program for your beef cattle herd.

Human foot Wellness

A major reason for implementing biosecurity measures is to prevent highly contagious, hard-to-eradicate problems such equally hairy heel wart, too known as digital dermatitis. Many beef cattle producers are noting an increase in the prevalence of digital dermatitis in herds across the country. Digital dermatitis is difficult to eradicate and can cause severe lameness. If your herd becomes infected, it is fourth dimension consuming and expensive to treat infected animals and eradicate the disease. Treatment requires hoof trimming and antibiotics, thus veterinarian oversight is required.

In add-on to digital dermatitis, foot wellness can be impacted by poor diet. Croaky hooves or curved (sometimes chosen spooned) hooves are oftentimes a sign of a mineral deficiency. E'er provide a skillful-quality mineral to beefiness cattle and feed according to the characterization instructions.

Marketing

A number of markets are available for beef cattle. When choosing a market, yous must decide whether your operation will focus on selling live animals or marketing meat. Many producers in the eastern United states focus on directly marketing of their beef cattle as freezer beef or retail beef cuts due to the admission to consumers. Alternatively, many larger producers may focus simply on selling finished cattle to a large meat packer.

Left: Many beefiness producers choose to sell beef past the side or the quarter. Photograph credit: Dr. Tara Felix, Penn Land Extension

Right: Steaks are a popular consumer pick, just selling individual cuts requires a proper license. Photograph credit: Dr. Tara Felix, Penn State Extension

Proceed in heed that country laws prohibit a producer from selling meat unless the animal was processed in a USDA-inspected facility. Therefore, the producers ofttimes sell calves alive and the customer would make cutting arrangements with the processing facility. Many producers likewise provide the service of delivering the animals to a local processing facility.

Other options for beef cattle include marketing breeding stock, feeder calves to the feedlot, or market animals for junior shows. Convenance stock are typically purebred animals and may be marketed directly from the subcontract and through a registered sale. Many states operate a bull examination, allowing producers to pay to have their bulls adult alongside other young bulls and enter a larger sale at the end of the exam. Work with your local extension educator to determine the best markets for your operation.

Conclusion

Raising beef cattle can be a rewarding farming enterprise. Very few beef cattle operations are identical to one some other, allowing producers a variety of opportunities to develop a program that uniquely suits their lifestyle and farming enterprise. This brief introduction just touches on a few of the aspects to think near when considering a beefiness cattle enterprise. Earlier first your ain enterprise, seek the advice of your extension educator or experienced beefiness cattle producers in your area.

For more than information about beef cattle, visit Penn State Extension Beefiness Cattle

Many opportunities exist for beef cattle producers. This publication covers basic concepts related to raising these animals. New and start producers should seek further information on non only basic production practices merely also nutrition, reproduction, and health in lodge to produce loftier-quality, salubrious animals.

And then You lot Desire to Raise Beef Cattle? This fact canvass may be used as a guide for beef cattle producers simply getting started in the industry to larn:

How to decide what type of animal you should raise
About the different breeds and how to select the correct one for you
Where to purchase your animals
What to look for every bit the ideal characteristics
What equipment you'll need to raise your animals
How to breed and raise your beefiness cattle
What to feed and how to care for your animals' wellness
What it takes to market your animals

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Source: https://extension.psu.edu/so-you-want-to-raise-beef-cattle-print