This not only provides high-quality feed for the animals but also 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. This boosts weight gains and body condition, or level of fatness. A good indicator of healthy cattle is their body condition. Body condition for beef cattle is scored on a nine-point scale with one being emaciated and nine being obese.
Breeding females should be maintained at an average body condition score of five to six. Animals with decreasing body condition scores, or that are losing weight, signal a potential health issue. The first step to keeping animals healthy is to prevent diseases from entering the farm. Implementing biosecurity practices can help keep diseases off the farm. Any new animal that arrives at the farm—and animals that leave the farm and return—should be 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 help prevent bringing diseases to your farm. Visitors to the farm should be asked to either disinfect their shoes or wear plastic disposable boots. All producers should form a relationship with a veterinarian. This veterinary-client-patient relationship allows the veterinarian to become familiar with your farm management practices and your animals and to more quickly address any health issues within your herd.
While most beef cattle systems do not experience production losses directly as a result of parasites, it is partly because they are very easy to treat and prevent 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 fairly effective. Additional internal parasites that may affect 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 healthy. Perhaps more critical than the parasites themselves are the impacts they may have on reproductive performance. Several parasites that affect cattle can cause abortions.
For example, anaplasmosis causes an anemia so severe that cattle may abort. It is most commonly spread by biting insects like 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. There are other abortion diseases that are caused 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 prevent the spread of these disorders to your farm.
Several other diseases may also cause abortions in cattle. Some of the common diseases that cause abortions can be 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. A major reason for implementing biosecurity measures is to prevent highly contagious, difficult-to-eradicate problems such as hairy heel wart, also 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 time 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 called spooned hooves are often a sign of a mineral deficiency. Always provide a good-quality mineral to beef cattle and feed according to the label instructions.
A number of markets are available for beef cattle. When choosing a market, you must decide whether your operation will focus on selling live animals or marketing meat. Many producers in the eastern United States focus on direct marketing of their beef cattle as freezer beef or retail beef cuts due to the access to consumers. Alternatively, many larger producers may focus simply on selling finished cattle to a large meat packer. Left: Many beef producers choose to sell beef by the side or the quarter.
Right: Steaks are a popular consumer choice, but selling individual cuts requires a proper license. Keep in mind that state laws prohibit a producer from selling meat unless the animal was processed in a USDA-inspected facility. Therefore, the producers often sell calves live and the customer would make cutting arrangements with the processing facility.
Many producers also 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. Breeding stock are typically purebred animals and may be marketed directly from the farm and through a registered sale. Many states operate a bull test, allowing producers to pay to have their bulls developed alongside other young bulls and enter a larger sale at the end of the test.
Work with your local extension educator to determine the best markets for your operation. Raising beef cattle can be a rewarding farming enterprise. Very few beef 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 just touches on a few of the aspects to think about when considering a beef cattle enterprise.
Before beginning your own enterprise, seek the advice of your extension educator or experienced beef cattle producers in your area. Many opportunities exist for beef cattle producers. This publication covers basic concepts related to raising these animals. New and beginning producers should seek further information on not only basic production practices but also nutrition, reproduction, and health in order to produce high-quality, healthy animals.
Let's Stay Connected. By entering your email, you consent to receive communications from Penn State Extension. View our privacy policy. Thank you for your submission! This article answers many questions for beef cattle producers just getting started in the industry.
This fact sheet may be used as a guide for beef cattle producers just getting started in the industry to learn: How to decide what type of animal you should raise About the different breeds and how to select the right one for you Where to purchase your animals What to look for as the ideal characteristics What equipment you'll need to raise your animals How to breed and raise your beef 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?
Selecting a Breed Each livestock breed has different traits for which they are recognized. Selection Principles There are two methods to select livestock: animal performance and visual appraisal.
Purebred producers who raise registered stock should become familiar with breed characteristics associated with the breed they raise, such as: ear length and shape color and distribution of color polled status defects that disqualify animals from registration Breeding males should exhibit these ideal characteristics: Angus bull. Photo credit: Michelle Kunjapper, PA Beef Producers Working Group Equipment Needs After the appropriate animals are chosen for the operation, the equipment necessary to maintain those animals must be gathered.
Feeders Feeders should be used to prevent animals from eating off the ground. Photo credit: Michelle Kunjapper, PA Beef Producers Working Group Beef cattle of all classes should always have access to a good-quality mineral mix formulated for their production needs. Water Water is possibly the most important nutrient because it impacts feed consumption.
Photo credit: Betty Cameron, Bedford County Sheep Producer Permanent spring improvements can provide a year-round water supply for beef cattle on pasture. Photo credit: Melanie Barkley, Penn State Extension Simplistic float tank trough systems can be easily 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 spring, summer, and fall.
Health Care Equipment Routine health care employs practices to prevent disease. Tara Felix, Penn State Extension Most feeder calves and finished cattle are bought and sold on a weight basis. Tara Felix, Penn State Extension If the beef cattle operation intends to use implants to increase growth performance of market animals, a handling system should be used.
Tara Felix, Penn State Extension Reproduction and Breeding Seasons Gestation length for beef cattle is about nine months, varying slightly among breeds and sires. Signs of Impending Calving As a cow nears her time to give birth, she exhibits several signs that the birthing process will begin. Tara Felix, Penn State Extension Typically, most beef cows calve on pasture and require little assistance.
Photo credit: Wendall Landis, Penn State Beef Barn Manager Feeding and Nutrition All animals require water, protein, carbohydrates and fats to provide energy , vitamins, and minerals in their daily diet. Health Issues A good indicator of healthy cattle is their body condition. Internal and External Parasites While most beef cattle systems do not experience production losses directly as a result of parasites, it is partly because they are very easy to treat and prevent in beef cattle.
Photo credit: Melanie Barkley, Penn State Extension Abortion Diseases Perhaps more critical than the parasites themselves are the impacts they may have on reproductive performance. Foot Health A major reason for implementing biosecurity measures is to prevent highly contagious, difficult-to-eradicate problems such as hairy heel wart, also known as digital dermatitis.
Marketing A number of markets are available for beef cattle. Tara Felix, Penn State Extension Right: Steaks are a popular consumer choice, but selling individual cuts requires a proper license. Conclusion Raising beef cattle can be a rewarding farming enterprise. For more information about beef cattle, visit Penn State Extension Beef Cattle Many opportunities exist for beef cattle producers. This fact sheet may be used as a guide for beef cattle producers just getting started in the industry to learn: How to decide what type of animal you should raise About the different breeds and how to select the right one for you Where to purchase your animals What to look for as the ideal characteristics What equipment you'll need to raise your animals How to breed and raise your beef cattle What to feed and how to care for your animals' health What it takes to market your animals.
Tara L. Expertise Beef cattle nutrition Beef cattle metabolism Beef cattle management Feedlot nutrition and management. Melanie Barkley. Why do we need this? Entering your postal code will help us provide news or event updates for your area. Related Products. Calf-Fed Holstein Initiative Workshops. Their tails are docked to make access to their udders easier for the person hooking up the machines.
Research shows that this surgery, done without the use of anesthesia, is painful and causes chronic pain for many animals. They are kept in near or total darkness. At approximately 18 to 20 weeks, they are slaughtered. Toggle navigation. Get Involved Donate. Education Programs. Recent Action Letters. Humane Events.
Factory Farmed Cows When we think of cattle, many of us imagine huge animals grazing contentedly in a green field, with their offspring nearby frolicking in the sun and fresh air. What are cows naturally like? What happens to cattle raised for beef?
What happens when the cattle leave the CAFOs? How do beef cattle operations affect the environment? How are cows farmed for dairy products? What is life like for cows on dairy farms?
What happens to calves raised for veal? What can I do to help farmed cattle? Substitute synthetic materials for leather. The practice of raising large herds of livestock on extensive grazing lands started in Spain and Portugal around CE. These early ranchers used methods still associated with ranching today, such as using horses for herding, round-ups, cattle drives, and branding.
Ranching was only firmly established in the New World of the Americas. When the first Spanish explorers came to the Americas, they brought cattle and cattle-raising expertise with them. A variety of ranching traditions developed in the Americas, depending on the region the settlers came from and the characteristic s of the land where they settled. Gaucho s are cowboys of the grasslands or Pampas of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay.
In Central Mexico, particularly the state of Jalisco, cowboys are called charro s , like the charros from Castile, Spain, who settled the region. In Northern Mexico, wealthy ranchers known as caballero s employed vaqueros to drive their cattle.
Ranching in the western United States is derived from vaquero culture. Throughout most of the s, ranchers in the United States set their cattle and sheep loose to roam the prairie. Most of the grazing land was owned by the government. This was the so-called open range. Ranchers only owned enough land for a homestead and sources of water. Twice a year, cowboys rounded up cattle to brand calves in spring and gather steers for sale in autumn.
Several factor s contributed to the end of the open range. One was the invention of barbed wire in Farmers began to fence off their fields to protect them from being destroy ed by livestock. This limited access to grazing land.
Farmers and ranchers often came into conflict over land and water rights. Overgrazing was also a problem. As more and more ranchers grazed their animals on the open range, the quality of the land became degrade d. Cattle are not native to the Americas, and had to compete with native grazing animals, such as bison, for forage. Grasses did not have time to grow on the open range, especially in winter. The winter of , one of the harsh est ever recorded, killed hundreds of thousands of cattle that were already weakened from reduce d grazing.
Many large ranches and cattle organizations went bankrupt. Afterwards, ranchers began fencing off their land, which they often leased from the American government. However, in the s, more than one-third of all cowboys in the United States were Mexican vaqueros. Others were Chinese or Filipino. African Americans, seeking greater freedom in the West, also worked as cowboys and ranch hands during this period.
Working Animals Ranches include animals other than livestock. These working animal s help with the job of herding and rounding up livestock. Horses are perhaps the most familiar working animal on ranches. If you imagine a cowboy, you probably picture him sitting astride a horse. Horses allow cowboys to travel over rangelands quickly and keep up with moving livestock. Horses are also strong and responsive, making them excellent herding animals. The sport of rodeo developed from the skills required of cowboys and ranch horses.
Informal competitions among ranchers and cowboys tested their speed, agility , and endurance. Today, events such as roping, barrel racing , and bull riding demonstrate those same qualities among professional athlete s.
Dogs are also common on ranches. Several types of dogs have been bred for their herding abilities. Many of these highly intelligent, agile animals are simply called shepherds; Australian shepherd s and German shepherds are probably the most familiar.
Collies and sheepdogs are also used on ranches. Livestock guardian dogs do not herd animals, but are used to protect herds from predators. For example, the Great Pyrenees was bred to protect grazing animals from wolves and other predators native to the Pyrenees mountains in Spain and France.
Ranching Around the World Today, ranches exist on every continent except Antarctica. South America enjoys an enormous ranching culture.
The largest beef -producing company in the world is the Brazilian multinational corporation JBS-Friboi. The South American ranching industry continues to grow.
Many South American countries, led by Brazil and Argentina, are rapidly develop ing. The growing middle class has expanded the market for beef. Argentina and Uruguay are the worlds top per capita consumers of beef. In Australia, like the Americas, ranching is a way of life and a strong part of the economy. A typical jackaroo or female jillaroo is a young, seasonal employee. Stations may employ their own veterinarians, mechanics, and engineer s.
Sheep stations are more common than cattle stations in Australia. The difficult, annual process of shearing sheep is a symbol of Australian livestock culture.
A shearing team or company usually moves from ranch to ranch with specialized shearing equipment and machinery. In Africa, most ranches are wildlife ranch es. Wildlife ranches, also known as game ranch es, maintain healthy populations of species such as rhinoceros , elephant , leopard , and antelope. People pay a fee to hunt these animals on the ranch. Wildlife ranches also appeal to ecotourists. Ecotourism promotes traveling in a way that has minimum environmental impact and benefits local people.
Large-scale cattle ranching is rare in Asia but fairly common throughout the islands of the South Pacific. In the U. Cowboys in Hawaii are called paniolo s. In Europe, few ranches exist outside Spain and Portugal. Most countries in Europe are too small to support ranches. In fact, Australias Anna Creek station is only slightly smaller than the entire nation of Belgium. Ranching and the Environment Ranching is an efficient way to raise livestock to provide meat, dairy products, and raw materials for fabric s.
It is a vital part of economies and rural development around the world. However, the livestock industry has major, disruptive effects on the environment. In South America, ranching has expanded beyond grassland s into rain forest s. Ranchers clear large swath s of forest in order to create pastureland for their cattle. This clearcutting reduces habitat for native species such as monkeys, tropical birds, and millions of species of insects not found anywhere else in the world.
During the past 40 years, about 20 percent of the Amazon rain forest has been cut down, much of it for cattle ranching. Ranches established on former rain forest lands are usually not economically productive.
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