To Handle Livestock, All Types of Beef Cattle Operations Should Have a

Raising beef cattle for profit can exist a satisfying enterprise. Nevertheless, there are a number of management skills that each beef producer should have to be successful. Each livestock enterprise has different resources: state, labor, capital, feed, and management. To raise beef cattle sustainably, you lot must manage these resources.

In addition to managing resources, new producers must ask themselves, What do I need to get started? This question involves considerations for the blazon of animals a producer wishes to raise besides as where to find these animals, how to select them, and what equipment volition be needed for the operation. Producers also demand to consider how they will feed their animals and what wellness care practices they will utilize to keep the animals good for you. Savvy producers volition permit markets place the type of animals they should raise in club to generate a profit. This fact sail may be used as a guide for beefiness cattle producers just getting started in the industry to acquire:

• How to determine what type of animal you should raise
• About the different breeds and how to select the right one for y'all
• Where to purchase your animals
• What to look for every bit the ideal characteristics
• What equipment yous'll need to raise your animals
• How to breed and raise your beef cattle
• What to feed and how to care for your animals' wellness
• What it takes to marketplace your animals

What Blazon of Animals Should I Raise?

The kickoff affair to make up one's mind when starting a new beef cattle enterprise is what type of animals to heighten. This determination should directly reflect the markets a producer has available to sell beef cattle and consider the resources available on the farm and the producer's individual goals.

Beef cattle may exist used to produce meat or generate seedstock (breeding animals). The intended markets may dictate what breed or breeds are best suited for the operation. Some producers cull to brood females to produce calves to sell for breeding stock or market animals. Other producers may prefer to purchase weaned animals, as well known every bit feeders, to enhance to market weight.

Producers should showtime by determining if they wish to raise purebred or commercial stock. A purebred performance typically raises animals of i brood. Ofttimes a purebred operation will have all registered animals that tin also be sold through purebred sales. A commercial performance may have unregistered purebred animals, or they may accept crossbred animals. Crossbred animals have the do good of hybrid vigor, which is but 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 dogie could grow faster, or a crossbred female could produce more milk for its offspring.

Selecting a Breed

Each livestock brood has unlike traits for which they are recognized. Brood associations tin can provide information on those traits and help you narrow your conclusion regarding what breed or breeds fit best with your operation. Beefiness cattle breeds are oftentimes divided into maternal (cow) and concluding (sire) breeds. Maternal breeds are typically moderately sized and recognized for their ability to raise healthy calves. Last breeds are more often than not a bit larger in their size and usually used for meat production. In addition to these two classifications, composite breeds of cattle as well exist.

Composite breeds are cattle breeds that are generally made up of maternal and final 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 U.s.. The more mutual breeds are listed in the table below.

Maternal

• Angus
• Hereford
• Shorthorn
• Red Angus

Terminal

• Charolais
• Gelbvieh
• Limousin
• Simmental
• Maine Anjou

Composite

• SimAngus
• Maintainer
• Braford
• Beefmaster
• Limflex

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

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

Photograph credit: Michelle Kunjappu, PA Beef Producers Working Group

Photo credit: Dave Hartman, Penn State Extension

Where Tin I Purchase Animals?

Animals can exist purchased through several different means. Many sales are held across the state throughout the year and may offer just one brood, a variety of breeds, or even crossbreds for sale. Some other choice would be to locate reputable breeders and purchase directly from their farm. A wide diversity of animals may be available at a local auction barn; withal, let the buyer beware. Animals sold through this venue are more likely to have health issues.

Choose breeding males that will complement the outstanding traits in your females and meliorate their weaknesses. Ever use the all-time bull you can beget to ameliorate the genetics in your herd. The male has a great influence on your herd considering his offspring could remain in the herd for a number of years.

Be witting of selecting and keeping skilful productive females that will produce and wean one dogie per year without aid and maintain their body condition without condign overly thin or fat.

Selection Principles

At that place are 2 methods to select livestock: animal operation and visual appraisal. Animals should first be selected on performance (e.g., how well calves grow or how much calves weigh at weaning), and so the college-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 accommodate weaning weights to account for the sexual activity of the dogie, age of the dam, birth weight, and weaning weight. Weaning weights are typically adjusted to 205 days of historic period.

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

Commercial producers can use performance data when selecting a new bull. More information on expected progeny differences tin be found by contacting breed associations.

Visual animal appraisal evaluates aspects such as structural correctness, muscling, trunk chapters, and breed character. Evaluating structural correctness allows producers to place animals with defects that are not apparent through performance evaluation.

Purebred producers who raise registered stock should get familiar with breed characteristics associated with the brood they heighten, such equally:

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

These depicted bulls exhibit the ideal 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 appropriate animals are called for the operation, the equipment necessary to maintain those animals must exist gathered. Beefiness cattle operations can exist depression input but withal need a diversity of equipment. Bones equipment includes feeders, water tubs or watering systems, and health care equipment. Because prophylactic is a concern when managing these large animals, beef cattle operations should also have equipment for handling cattle.

Feeders

Feeders should be used to prevent animals from eating off the ground. Well-designed feeders will besides prevent animals from wasting feed by spilling it onto the footing. At that place are potential wellness concerns when cattle eat off the ground, including parasite infections; still, feed costs stand for the primary input price on any beef cattle operation and every bit such, feed waste is a driving factor for feeders.

Feeders can be simple similar racks to hold round bales. Photograph credit: Bigstock.com

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

Feeders may also include simple troughs to concord supplemental protein, energy, or minerals for grazing cattle. Photo credit: Michelle Kunjappu, PA Beefiness Producers Working Group

In confinement finishing systems, beef cattle may be fed a more complete mixed ration in a bunk. Photo credit: Michelle Kunjappu, PA Beef Producers Working Group

Beef cattle of all classes should always take access to a good-quality mineral mix formulated for their production needs. Most producers provide beefiness cows and grazing cattle gratis-choice minerals when on pasture, while others limit-feed minerals daily in a grain mix.

Fenceline-style feeders allow producers admission on ane side to place feed and grain into the feeder while animals access their feed on the other side. Walkthrough feeders allow producers to walk down the centre of the feeder. Grain tin be placed in a trough on either or both sides and hay is shared in the central walking area. Producers should be careful 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 be, merely the inverted-cone-fashion feeders are oftentimes recommended for beef cattle every bit they normally waste matter the least amount feed waste product.

H2o

Water is possibly the most important nutrient considering it impacts feed consumption. Poor-quality water or not plenty water can decrease feed intake and effect in decreased animal performance. Producers tin can supply water using annihilation from buckets to troughs to automatic watering systems. As with feeders, many different styles are available. The key is that water should be fresh, clean, and bachelor at all times.

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

Permanent leap improvements can provide a yr-circular water supply for beefiness cattle on pasture. This system has additional crushed rock effectually it to prevent excess mud accumulation in the surface area. Photo credit: Melanie Barkley, Penn Land Extension

Simplistic bladder tank trough systems can exist easily moved depending on cattle location. Photo credit: Melanie Barkley, Penn State Extension

Pasture Systems

Many beefiness cattle, particularly mature cows and bulls, graze pastures throughout the spring, summertime, and autumn. Producers should pay shut attending to pasture height in an endeavour to maximize forage utilization. Pastures should exist subdivided to provide an adequate amount of forage for the grazing fourth dimension, oft four to five days. Animals should be moved to a new section of pasture by the time forage has been grazed downward to 4 inches in height. Rotating pastures ensures the nutrients from manure are spread out and that cattle employ available resources efficiently. Continuous grazing can cause forage stand harm in overused or high-traffic areas and encourages weed growth in other less-desirable areas of the pasture.

A good-quality perimeter contend contains livestock within the pasture and keeps predators out. Many producers prefer loftier-tensile fencing with some wires electrified. Subdivision fencing divides larger fields into smaller areas to better manage forage growth. Subdivision fencing for beef cattle can often be a unmarried strand of polywire with step-in posts to reduce input costs. Almost cattle will respect i strand if it is electrified.

Pastures should also provide admission to water. This ranges from temporary systems that motility with the animals to permanent systems. Many producers cull to install underground systems that can exist accessed throughout a pasture organization to reduce the labor of hauling h2o. Depending on the system and region, it may be necessary to admission electricity to heat waterers in cold months.

Health Care Equipment

Routine health care employs practices to foreclose affliction. 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 deluge syringe or deluge gun. Tagging is considered a health care piece of equipment because tagging is of import to identify treated animals.

Producers may as well wish to dehorn their cattle to prevent horn growth. This is often performed with an electric dehorner presently after the horn buds break through the skin. Dehorning prevents future injury to other animals and handlers.

Hoof trimming is another health care equipment detail. Hoof trimming is not considered routinely necessary in most beef cattle operations. In addition, nearly beef cattle must be put in a tilt table in order to have their hooves trimmed for the safe of both the trimmer and the beast. Therefore, many first cattle producers will contact a professional should hoof intendance be necessary.

A bander can be used to castrate young males. Photo credit: Michelle Kunjappu, PA Beef Producers Working Grouping

Other Types of Equipment

Larger equipment may be used by beef cattle operations to allow producers to handle or manage animals more efficiently. Producers can use a scale to monitor beast growth operation at weaning and other times throughout the year. A scale should also exist used to weigh animals to calculate the right dosage for medication treatments. Three types of scales are often used past livestock producers: axle, dial, and digital.

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

Most feeder calves and finished cattle are bought and sold on a weight basis. Therefore, considering the economics in beefiness 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 help monitor weights at critical times throughout the twelvemonth, such equally convenance, weaning, and then on. All scales should exist tested to ensure accuracy. Simple scales can be placed in line in a handling organization.

Handling system equipment allows producers to more efficiently handle animals. It functions by gathering animals into a group pen then funneling them into the chute. Animals walk unmarried file down the chute, where they are held for routine wellness intendance or sorting. Gates at both ends of the arrangement contain the animals while producers perform tasks. Gates can function by sliding back and forth or upwards and downwards like a guillotine.

A caput 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 beef cattle operation intends to use implants to increase growth performance of market animals, a handling system should exist used. In addition, if the performance desires to breed using artificial insemination, a treatment system is a must.

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

Reproduction and Breeding Seasons

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

Cattle volition cycle throughout the year. However, managing a divers convenance season will aid improve the efficiency of the moo-cow herd and marketability of the calves. Near productive cattle operations maintain a single breeding flavour. While many operations breed animals to calve in the bound when weather condition is warming upward, some may choose to calve in the fall to accept advantage of a less saturated calf marketplace. Purebred cattle used for seedstock are often bred to calve early in the year, January or February, and then that those animals can enter the convenance herd at heavier weights.

Estrus cycles and age at puberty vary slightly among breeds. If breeding heifers (females that accept not calved earlier), they should weigh at least 65 to 70 percentage of their mature weight by the beginning of the breeding flavour with a target of 85 percent of their mature weight at calving. Generally, it is expected that heifers will run across this weight and be ready to brood between 11 and 15 months of age. It is also appropriate to breed heifers ane cycle alee of mature cows then that they have additional time to rebreed the following season.

Some producers will accept this a pace farther and synchronize their females then that they are sure to breed the heifers at the desired fourth dimension and the residuum of the cows come into estrus, or cycle, at the same time near a month after. This synchronization is necessary for an efficient and effective bogus insemination procedure and is most often accomplished with the use of a CIDR, although feed condiment protocols exist for heifers. The CIDR contains hormones and is inserted vaginally into the females. Many protocols are available for synchronization and kickoff producers are brash to work with their veterinarian to institute their own on-farm protocol.

In about instances, cattle requite birth outdoors and, thus, calving flavour is timed to starting time when weather warms up and grass is available on pasture. However, some producers prefer to breed earlier in the breeding flavour in order to marketplace at specific times in the summer or fall. In other situations, producers may breed earlier so that calves are older and heavier while on pasture.

Producers wishing to calve before may need to house animals in a barn, such equally a banking company 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 moo-cow nears her time to requite birth, she exhibits several signs that the birthing process will brainstorm. Shortly earlier calving, the udder will begin to tighten. This tightening is the udder filling with colostrum. Colostrum is the get-go milk and it contains antibodies that aid protect newborn calves from disease.

When the moo-cow is prepare to requite birth, the muscles around her hips will begin to relax and may announced as if they are sinking. The vulva changes color and is virtually apparent with lighter skin colors. For example, a calorie-free pink color will change to a darker pink color. Perhaps more noticeably, the vulva volition swell. The udder will feel full and tight at this point. The cow will also refuse feed and move away from the herd.

The kickoff sign that the female is in labor is the advent of the water bag. Within a short flow of time, the forepart feet and nose of the newborn should appear. This will progress every bit 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 water bag or feet indicate impending calving. Photo credit: Dr. Tara Felix, Penn Country Extension

Typically, nigh beef cows calve on pasture and require niggling assistance. If assistance is required, inexperienced producers should consult a veterinarian or an experienced producer for assistance. Assist may be required if a calf has not been delivered within half dozen hours of the water bag appearing or if the cow is found straining and the water pocketbook appears to accept already been ruptured. Always apply caution when trying to work with or around laboring cows or cows that have recently delivered. Dams will defend their young well against predators but may turn this aggression on an unsuspecting human being trying to tag or examine a new calf every bit well.

Pay close attention to newborns for the beginning couple days afterward birth. Mothers should be attentive to newborns and willing to correspond newborns to nurse. Newborns should stretch when they stand and appear alert. Newborns that cry for their mother or rush to nurse as soon as they get up likely are not receiving plenty milk. Weak calves may crave feeding with a tube. Consult a veterinary or an experienced producer for assistance.

A good beefiness cow should immediately tend to her calf without interference. Photograph credit: Wendall Landis, Penn State Beef Barn Manager

Feeding and Nutrition

All animals crave water, protein, carbohydrates and fats (to provide energy), vitamins, and minerals in their daily nutrition. These may come from a variety of sources but should be balanced to meet nutritional requirements. Nutrient requirements alter throughout an brute'south lifetime and reflect its stage of product: growth, maintenance, breeding, pregnancy, or lactation (milk production).

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

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

In near cases, pasture provides the most economical feed source for mature cows. Cattle should rotationally graze pastures to yield the best quality and quantity of grazing days. In general, animals should enter a pasture when forages are half-dozen to 10 inches tall. Animals should rotate out of a pasture by the time the forage has been grazed downward to four inches. This non only provides high-quality feed for the animals only also helps maintain healthy plants.

Grain supplements are about often used for growing cattle or in times of pasture shortage. Feeding grain to growing cattle increases weight gain. 1 common grain feeding practise is pitter-patter feeding, the do of supplying good-quality grain and/or hay to immature calves while they are nursing. This boosts weight gains and body condition, or level of fatness.

Health Problems

A expert indicator of healthy cattle is their body condition. Body condition for beefiness cattle is scored on a nine-signal calibration with ane being emaciated and ix being obese.

Breeding females should exist maintained at an average body condition score of five to half dozen. Animals with decreasing body condition scores, or that are losing weight, point a potential health issue.

The first step to keeping animals healthy is to prevent diseases from inbound the farm. Implementing biosecurity practices can help proceed diseases off the subcontract. Any new beast that arrives at the farm—and animals that go out the subcontract and render—should exist quarantined from other animals for three to four weeks. In addition, changing shoes and clothing after visiting locations where you had contact with other cattle can assist preclude bringing diseases to your farm. Visitors to the subcontract should be asked to either disinfect their shoes or article of clothing plastic disposable boots.

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

Internal and External Parasites

While most beefiness cattle systems exercise non feel production losses direct as a result of parasites, it is partly because they are very easy to treat and foreclose in beef cattle. Broad-spectrum antiparasitics tin can be applied equally a pour-on or an injectable product. Many beef cattle producers choose pour-on products considering they are easy to utilize and fairly effective.

Boosted internal parasites that may bear upon beef cattle include worms and coccidia. External parasites that may affect beef 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 salubrious. Photograph credit: Melanie Barkley, Penn State Extension

Ballgame Diseases

Perhaps more critical than the parasites themselves are the impacts they may have on reproductive operation. Several parasites that bear upon cattle tin cause abortions. For case, anaplasmosis causes an anemia so severe that cattle may abort. It is nigh commonly spread by biting insects similar ticks; however, because it is a bloodborne disease, humans may play a role in infecting cattle by reusing contaminated needles and castration and dehorning equipment.

At that place are other abortion diseases that are caused by sexually transmitted diseases. These can include chlamydia and trichomoniasis. Ownership bulls and replacement females from reputable farms or brokers and asking nearly the history of venereal disease can aid preclude the spread of these disorders to your farm.

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

Foot Health

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

In addition to digital dermatitis, foot health can be impacted by poor nutrition. Cracked hooves or curved (sometimes chosen spooned) hooves are often a sign of a mineral deficiency. Always provide a practiced-quality mineral to beef cattle and feed according to the characterization instructions.

Marketing

A number of markets are available for beefiness cattle. When choosing a market, you must determine whether your operation volition focus on selling live animals or marketing meat. Many producers in the eastern Usa focus on directly marketing of their beefiness 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 big meat packer.

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

Right: Steaks are a popular consumer option, but selling individual cuts requires a proper license. Photo credit: Dr. Tara Felix, Penn State Extension

Keep in mind 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 live and the customer would make cutting arrangements with the processing facility. Many producers too 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 marketplace animals for junior shows. Breeding stock are typically purebred animals and may exist marketed directly from the farm and through a registered auction. Many states operate a bull test, allowing producers to pay to accept their bulls developed alongside other young bulls and enter a larger sale at the terminate of the test. Piece of work with your local extension educator to determine the all-time markets for your operation.

Conclusion

Raising beef cattle can be a rewarding farming enterprise. Very few beefiness cattle operations are identical to one another, allowing producers a variety of opportunities to develop a program that uniquely suits their lifestyle and farming enterprise. This brief introduction simply touches on a few of the aspects to recollect about when considering a beef cattle enterprise. Before beginning your ain enterprise, seek the advice of your extension educator or experienced beef cattle producers in your area.

For more data virtually beef cattle, visit Penn Land Extension Beefiness Cattle

Many opportunities exist for beefiness cattle producers. This publication covers bones concepts related to raising these animals. New and kickoff producers should seek further data on not only basic production practices but also diet, reproduction, and wellness in order to produce high-quality, good for you animals.

So You lot Want to Enhance Beef Cattle? This fact sail may be used equally a guide for beef cattle producers only getting started in the industry to learn:

• How to make up one's mind what type of animal yous should heighten
• Nigh the different breeds and how to select the correct i for yous
• Where to buy your animals
• What to look for as the platonic characteristics
• What equipment you lot'll need to enhance your animals
• How to breed and enhance your beefiness cattle
• What to feed and how to intendance 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