Beef Cattle

 

 

Lesson Structure

There are 10 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction to beef cattle and beef cattle breeds
   • The role of beef cattle in agriculture
   • Scientific classification
   • Examples of breeds worldwide
   • British Beef breeds – Angus, Hereford, South Devon, Sussex, Red Poll
   • U.S. Developed Beef breeds – Santa Gertrudis, American Brahman, Amerifax, Beefmaster
   • Eurpean Beef breeds – Salers, Charolais, Simmental, Gelbvieh
   • Australian Beef breeds – Braford, Beefmaster, Droughtmaster, Murray Grey, Australian Lowline
   • South African Beef Breeds – Salorn, Tswana, Tuli, Africkander,
   • Breed selection considerations – horned vs poll, colour, gestation length, birth weight, mothering ability, post weaning growth, meat quality etc
2. Beef Cattle Production Systems
   • Various systems of production – extensive, intensive, semi-intensive
   • Choosing a suitable system – considerations include size, climate, soils, transport, markets etc
   • Cattle handling facilities
   • Materials used in cattle handling
   • Cattle identification – branding, ear marking, tattooing, ear tags
   • De-horning – chemical and mechanical methods
   • Castration, dips and dipping, and injecting cattle
3. Beef Cattle Breeding
   • Heritability, performance testing, progeny testing, selection
   • Pure versus cross breeding – advantages and disadvantages
   • Calving percentage
   • Management factors to improve calving percentage
   • Weaning calves
   • Factors affecting calf weaning
   • The anatomy of the male reproductive system
   • The physiology of the male reproductive system
   • Fertility problems in the male
   • The anatomy and physiology of the female reproductive system
   • Fertility problems
   • Pregnancy and partition
   • The structure of the mammary glands
   • Secretion of milk
   • Growth and development
   • Post natal growth
   • Compensatory growth
4. Diseases in Beef Cattle – Viral and Bacterial
   • Determining health status of the animal
   • Signs of a healthy animal
   • Causes of ill-health
   • Injury, poor nutrition, poisoning, parasites, hereditary conditions etc
   • Preventing ill-health
   • Correct feed and nutrition, insect control, parasite control, vaccinations, control stress etc
5. Parasitic and Other Diseases in Beef Cattle
   • Some parasitic diseases
   • Other ailments of cattle – actinobacillosis, anaplasmosis, arthritis, beef measles
   • poisoning, pink eye, milk fever, bloat etc
6. Nutrition in Beef Cattle
   • Feed type – roughages and concentrates
   • Carbohydrates, protein, fats
   • Grass or grain feeding
   • Rations for beef cattle – maintenance or production rations
   • Maintenance rations
   • Procedure for calculating a ration
   • Supplementary feeding of protein
   • Lot Feeding
   • Minerals
   • Common macromineral deficiencies
   • Common trace mineral deficiencies
   • Diagnosis of trace mineral deficiencies
   • Vitamins
   • Water for farm animals
   • Protein
7. Commercial Herd Management
   • The breeding herd
   • Production systems
   • Cow-calf herd
   • Beef production systems using dairy stock
8. Feed Lot Management
   • Lot feeding – types of feedlot
   • Managing cattle in a feedlot
   • Feedlot Records
   • Article on pen feeding in South Africa
9. Stud Herd Management
   • Time of calving
   • Feeding
   • Fertility
   • Indicators of fertility in bulls
   • Indicators of fertility in cows
10. Management, Economics and Marketing
    • Profitability
    • Factors affecting gross output
    • Factors affecting variable costs

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school’s tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Aims

• Explain the type and extent of the production of beef cattle.
• Examine several methods of producing beef; discuss the value of breeding beef cattle to production
• Provide a comprehensive but accessible introduction to animal health. Identify the major parasites that affect cattle and decide how to treat them and related issues.
• Provide the proper amount of feed for commercial beef production.
• Describe feed lot management for cattle production and develop a management strategy for a commercial beef herd.
• Explanation of stud herd management in the cattle industry
• To achieve and maintain a sustainable economic performance, identify key management criteria for a beef producing firm.

How You Plan to Act

• Visit, speak with, and/or conduct research on a variety of businesses, such as farms, agricultural exhibitions, and suppliers of farm products, in order to study, document, describe, and detail facilities there as the basis, or at least a component of assignment questions.
• Recognize beef cuts on a body diagram of a steer that has been labelled. Assess a beef animal in accordance with generally accepted commercial standards.
• Choose two breeds that can produce beef in the designated climates.
• Watch and document routine cattle-care procedures like dehorning, castrating, dipping, immunising, and soaking.
• Describe the techniques used to regulate the movement of beef cattle.
• Create a 12-month production programme or schedule of husbandry procedures for a typical beef cattle ranch in your area.
• Make an effort to ascertain the type and extent of beef cattle breeding in your state or nation.
• Define and explain management and other factors that can affect calving % and calf weaning, as well as the distinctions between and benefits of pure breeding and cross breeding.
• See what items (such as dips, medications, etc.) are offered by visiting, contacting, or researching a provider of health care remedies for cattle.
• Interview a professional in the field to identify the severity and nature of illness problems in beef cattle and to describe a severe viral disease, including its identification, symptoms, and control
• Report on the preferred feeding needs for beef cattle on a beef property you have visited. Identify parasites and related organisms that are important to beef cattle in your area.
• Analyze physical signs or symptoms of illness in animals. Describe common health issues affecting animals, including how they are contracted and ways used to prevent them from developing these issues.
• Describe the distinguishing features of the main categories of animal pathogenic bacteria.
• Describe the procedures used to treat farm animal diseases and pests.
• Identify basic health issues in farm animals
• Provide criteria for evaluating broad indications of disease in beef cattle. These recommendations should take illnesses and nutritional issues into account.
• Contrast the way beef cattle are managed in feedlots and in paddocks.
• Describe how a stud beef herd on a place you visited is managed.
• Describe the laws and restrictions that apply to beef cattle.
• Differentiate between the phrases for the various beef grades: prime, choice, good, standard, and utility

 

The breed you raise can have a significant impact

Various breeds have varied traits, and depending on what we want to do with the cattle, we can find one type to be more advantageous than another.

Nowadays, there are four categories of cow breeds: beef (meat), dairy, draught, and multi-purpose (Beef-Draft, Dairy-Draft, Beef-Dairy and Beef-Dairy-Draft). Many of the ancient varieties of cattle were bred to serve many purposes or for dual purposes. Currently, the majority of the newer varieties specialise in a single function, although they are more effective at this particular function; for example, while beef cow breeds still produce milk, they are not nearly as productive as dairy cow breeds.

Some breeds are more tolerant of specific conditions than others, while other kinds are more desired because to the qualities present in the meat or milk.

Most people believe that there is one system for naming cattle species and breeds, and that this system is followed by all cattle experts worldwide. That is untrue. The naming of cattle is actually overseen by a variety of authority from throughout the world, and these many “experts” don’t always agree.

Also, a variety of systems are controlled by farmers and commercial breeders for categorising and registering cow breeds. These systems make an effort to name breeds and maintain records of progeny’s parents. These breed registers are occasionally referred to as “stud books” or “herd books.” They might be run by governmental or business organisations, and they might or might not collaborate with other breed registers across national or international boundaries.

• The same breeds may occasionally wind up going by different names in other nations.
• New breeds can occasionally evolve without being formally registered.
• The name of breeds tends to be pretty constant, at least within that country, as the majority of developed nations have generally recognised authority for certifying cattle breeds in their nation. Yet, a breed that is well-known by one name in one developed nation may go by a different name in another.
• Despite appearing ambiguous, depending on the nation you are using the name in, either usage may be legal.
• Reputable breed registries frequently give registration documents that include information about the animal’s lineage.
• Almost 800 reliable breeds of cattle are thought to be registered worldwide.

AFTER YOU COMPLETE YOUR STUDIES

This course equips you with the solid foundational knowledge required to work with beef cattle in confidence and to comprehend the many breeds best suited to your area. It will help:

• Farmers
• livestock breeders
• stock brokers
• Individuals who desire to work in the field and those who are already doing so who want to advance their careers or administer their farms more effectively
• amateur farmers
• Individuals who want to test out one unit before pursuing a qualification