Breeds of Beef Cattle
Cattle
are considered to have been one of the first animals domesticated
by man for agricultural purposes. They were tamed
to provide milk, meat and hides and for draft purposes. The
exact time and place this happened is hidden in the mists
of antiquity, but it is thought they were probably first
domesticated in Europe and Asia about 8500 years ago.
Domesticated cattle are in the family Bovidae which includes ruminates with paired, hollow, unbranched horns that do not shed and an even number of toes. They belong to the genus Bos and the subgenera Taurine which includes the two species tarus and indicus.
Cattle are ruminants (as are sheep, goats, deer, and giraffes), which gives them a unique digestive system that allows the digestion of otherwise unuseable foods by regurgitating and rechewing them as cud. They thrive on grasses and other low quality plants built predominantly of cellulose. Cattle have one stomach that has four compartments. They are named the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum. The rumen is the largest compartment and is like a fermentation tank, providing the anaerobic environment, constant temperature and pH, and constant mixing that allows microbes to break down the cellulolse. The reticulum, known as the "Honeycomb", is is the smallest compartment. The omasum's main function is to absorb water and nutrients and is known as the "Many Plies." The abomasum is most like the human stomach; this is why it is known as the "True Stomach."
All breeds of British and European cattle like Angus, Hereford, Charolais and Simmental belong to the tarus species. The humped cattle of the tropical countries like Brahman and Africander belong to the indicus species. Many contemporary breeds are the result of crossing two or more of the older breeds. Most of the new breeds originating in the United States were developed in the Southern states where the standard breeds lacked resistance to heat and insects and did not thrive on the native grasses. Other Bovidae that are so closely related to true cattle that they can interbreed include the bison, buffalo, and yak.
Purebred cattle breeds have been selectively bred over a long period of time to possess a distinctive identity in color, size, conformation, and function and have the prepotency to pass these traits to their progeny.
The world cattle population is estimated to be about 1.3 billion head, with about 30 percent in Asia, 20 percent in South America, 15 percent in Africa, 14 percent in North and Central America, and 10 percent in Europe. The 10 states in the US with the largest cattle populations are Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska, South Dakota, Montana, Kansas, Iowa, Kentucky, and Florida.
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Cow won't let calf nurse....
by robertwhite (Posted Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:56:04 GMT)
Well, looks like this just may work out after all.
I observed the cow stand for nursing on 3 separate occasions today/tonight with the hobbles on. Tomorrow, I will let the pair out into the pasture (still with hobbles) with the rest of the herd and see if she will stand for the calf out there too. I will let her deal with the hobbles for another 4-5 days before taking a chance on removing them. She may have a hard time getting around, but is sure as he!! beats having to bottle feed a calf for 4 mths and getting rid of the cow.
baseball
by tsmaxx47 (Posted Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:33:14 GMT)
same here Highgrit. i wish ted turner would buy them back though. i've been watching all winter waiting for them to buy a big bat and it looks like i'll be waiting for awhile more. at least they got rid of derrick lowe and kowakami........
Just looking for a few comments.
by houstoncutter (Posted Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:22:44 GMT)
Red Bull Breeder wrote:
Here is a step back in time and a bull i fall back on quite often. Kinda think Houston will like him.
WhoBoy!!!! yea thats more what I like to see. Whats the bulls name or number.....unless of course, if its Orion. Nope.... that Orion bull was just a big frame making bull, but he did have good numbers across the board, but to me his offspring were hard doing animals
Winter photos
by hillsdown (Posted Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:55:36 GMT)
Beautiful pics as usual Dylan, your daughter has an amazing eye for detail !
Feeding Cows in Winter
by SRBeef (Posted Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:50:14 GMT)
I have been asked about how I feed my cows over the winter while the steers are grazing corn. What I have found to be the best for method for me is to just put out good hay (10-12% protein) along with Mineralyx tubs and good well water from heated waterers.
here is a rather non descript picture for the CT poster that asked by PM. This shows a few of my cows recently. I tried bale grazing and found it was not for me.
Settled on putting out 4 of my purchased 1500 lb 5x6 bales (6000 lb of hay) at one time, 3 bales in the cradle feeders shown which are preferred by the cows and 1 bale in the ring feeder which is easier for the retained heifer calves.
the cows and retained heifer calves were put back together around Jan 1 after 8 weeks of fenceline weaning.
I dont move these feeders through the winter - just keep putting more hay in them and dont refill until they are all cleaned out. I figure 2.5% of the total weight of the cattle in this pasture per day when using wrapped bales, 3% with unwrapped (netwrap only) bales due to more waste this time of year. So this group is good for about a week on 6000lb of hay.
Since this picture, I have finished the unwrapped bales and all bales put out from now until May 1 have been OD wrapped with plastic. Much less hay waste, especially as we get into late March and April.
I used to move the feeders but lost a good cow a week or two before calving when she laid down in the soft spot where one of the feeders had been after I moved it and she went caste, couldn't get up and died overnight. A sad and expensive lesson.
so now those feeders don't move all winter. this leaves a nice pack of manure and dropped hay (not significant hay loss) which I cleanup in the spring after moving the cows and their new calves to green grass in a different pasture. I pile the pack with a manure fork on my loader into a couple big compost piles. The remains of my last compost pile are visible on the far left background in the picture. I use this composted manure/hay on my grazing corn strips and to fuel my raised bed gardens. It is like rocket fuel for vegetables.
Not a good picture but hope it helps. I like the http://www.balefeeder.com cradles and the Applegate 2-pc red rings fwiw.
Jim
Job Opportunity
by jedstivers (Posted Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:43:33 GMT)
Relationship based on cheating and lying with a big dose of stupidity thrown in. Least they are saving two other people.
Pic of a good heifer
by GRTiger85 (Posted Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:38:46 GMT)
I have to agree with Alan, at the present time she looks like an average heifer at best to me.
Bagged mineral vs. Block
by B&M Farms (Posted Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:27:55 GMT)
There are blocks that are made just as loose mineral with 2 to 2 and 2 to 1 ratios. They are coarser and more expensive than the normal salt or mineral blocks. I still think loose mineral is the way to go because the cattle can get what they need in a short time instead of constantly having to lick a block. Blocks are easier might be one reason they are still popular but most people using them are not reading the label or don't understand their cattles mineral needs. There are very few places that are not deficient in a few minerals cattle require to reach there maximum levels. I have seen cattle do fine here with nothing more than white salt blocks and we are low in copper and a few other minerals. But those same cattle might have done better as far as breed back, milk and other issues if on a better mineral program. I feel that there are some things you can do without when it comes to cattle but a good mineral program and improving your soil are probably the two things that will show the most impact on herd health.
TiGerstripe cattle
by B&M Farms (Posted Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:11:46 GMT)
Not all brahman hereford crosses are tigerstriped either but most make good mamas.
fertilizer cost
by B&M Farms (Posted Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:08:46 GMT)
cattlepower wrote:Can all this fertilizer be applied while cattle are grazing the areas being fertilized?
I have fertilized pasture with cows on it with no problems. I would avoid big clumps and not put a huge amount at one time to an acre. All the ground I run cows on call for about a third of the nitrogen my hay meadows call for. I usually put down about 200lbs of total fertilizer at a time on pasture. Double that on hay meadows at a time provided the soil is wet and there is a good chance of rain. I think its a waste to put down fertilizer and not get a rain on it soon.
chopping corn stover
by inbredredneck (Posted Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:56:09 GMT)
fargus wrote:Do you use a V-rake after the shredder so you can gather more of it up? Or just run the baler through it and get what you get?
we rake it, hybrid and variety determine windrow size same as hay.
3rd round of our bull photos
by S&S Farms (Posted Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:52:09 GMT)
Are you concerned about the second bull, looks to have a weak prepuce? The rest look good.
What is better for you ......
by Dylan Biggs (Posted Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:47:59 GMT)
Its the butter!!!
Smallest US Cattle Herd since 1958
by inbredredneck (Posted Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:46:55 GMT)
BRG wrote:inbredredneck wrote:Per capita Americans consume less beef in 2011 than they did in 1958.
Herd size in 2011 is at or about at the same level as 1958, however production has increased 103% in the period between 1958 and 2011. The population increase during that period it was 78% so in reality we have more beef production per American capita now than in 1958.
That all may be true, but the world population is growing and that is who we market to, not just here at home.Prior to this year the US imported more beef than it exported.
What breed and a few other questions
by greenbean (Posted Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:39:19 GMT)
Awesome, thank you