Cow-calf operation

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A Hereford cow licks her newborn calf clean Cow and calf K9486-1.jpg
A Hereford cow licks her newborn calf clean

A cow-calf operation is a method of raising beef cattle in which a permanent herd of cows is kept by a farmer or rancher to produce calves for later sale. Cow-calf operations are one of the key aspects of the beef industry in the United States and many other countries. [1] In the British Isles, a cow-calf operation may be known as a single-suckler herd. [2] [3] [4] The goal of a cow-calf operation is to produce young beef cattle, which are usually sold. A rancher who works within such a model is often called a "cow-calf operator" in the United States. [1]

Beef cattle cattle breed

Beef cattle are cattle raised for meat production. The meat of mature or almost mature cattle is mostly known as beef. In beef production there are three main stages: cow-calf operations, backgrounding, and feedlot operations. The production cycle of the animals start at cow-calf operations; this operation is designed specifically to breed cows for their offspring. From here the calves are backgrounded for a feedlot. Animals grown specifically for the feedlot are known as feeder cattle, the goal of these animals is fattening. Animals not grown for a feedlot are typically female and are commonly known as replacement heifers. While the principal use of beef cattle is meat production, other uses include leather, and beef by-products used in candy, shampoo, cosmetics, insulin and inhalers.

Farmer person that undertakes agriculture

A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer might own the farmed land or might work as a laborer on land owned by others, but in advanced economies, a farmer is usually a farm owner, while employees of the farm are known as farm workers, or farmhands. However, in the not so distant past, a farmer was a person who promotes or improves the growth of by labor and attention, land or crops or raises animals.

Calf young of domestic cattle

A calf is the young of domestic cattle. Calves are reared to become adult cattle, or are slaughtered for their meat, called veal, and for their calfskin.

Contents

General characteristics

Cow-calf operations are widespread throughout beef-producing countries, [5] and the goal of a cow-calf operation is to produce young beef cattle, which are usually sold. True to the name, farm and ranch herds consist mostly of adult female cows, their calves, and young females, called heifers, which will produce calves once of breeding age. Some operations may raise their steers until slaughter weight, others sell them as weaned calves. They may have a few herd bulls and utilize natural mating, but may have no bulls and rely primarily on artificial insemination. [6] Cattle from a cow-calf operation may be sold after they have been weaned to be matured elsewhere, such as at a feedlot, or may be raised to near-slaughter weight and sold at the age of 1–2 years. [7] Older cows and bulls, if kept, may also be sold to slaughter after their reproductive years have ended.

Bull male individual of cattle

A bull is an intact adult male of the species Bos taurus (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the female of the species, the cow, the bull has long been an important symbol in many cultures, and plays a significant role in both beef ranching and dairy farming, and in a variety of other cultural activities.

Artificial insemination pregnancy through in vivo fertilization

Artificial insemination (AI) is the deliberate introduction of sperm into a female's cervix or uterine cavity for the purpose of achieving a pregnancy through in vivo fertilization by means other than sexual intercourse. It is a fertility treatment for humans, and is common practice in animal breeding, including dairy cattle and pigs.

Feedlot

A feedlot or feed yard is a type of animal feeding operation (AFO) which is used in intensive animal farming for finishing livestock, notably beef cattle, but also swine, horses, sheep, turkeys, chickens or ducks, prior to slaughter. Large beef feedlots are called concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) in the United States and intensive livestock operations (ILOs) or confined feeding operations (CFO) in Canada. They may contain thousands of animals in an array of pens.

Cow-calf operations generally raise their stock primarily on pasture and other forms of roughage rather than grain feeds, [7] though they may provide vitamin and mineral supplementation. For this reason, they require more land than other cattle operations, [7] such as feedlots, veal and dairy cattle production, or breeding operations that focus primarily on management of bulls for artificial insemination. Pastures may be native or "improved" with forage designed to withstand grazing pressure and help animals gain weight. During periods of shortage, supplementary feeding may be carried out but it is by no means universal. In some areas, pasture is supported by crops for fattening. [8] Intensive rotational grazing systems can reduce the amount of land required; an acre or an acre and half, in some climates, can support a single cow-calf pair for an entire year. [9] Conversely, in countries such as Brazil and Argentina, cow-calf operations may be forced to use more marginal grazing because of changes in the value of land due to high prices for cash crops like soybeans. [10]

Pasture land used for grazing

Pasture is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep, or swine. The vegetation of tended pasture, forage, consists mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs. Pasture is typically grazed throughout the summer, in contrast to meadow which is ungrazed or used for grazing only after being mown to make hay for animal fodder. Pasture in a wider sense additionally includes rangelands, other unenclosed pastoral systems, and land types used by wild animals for grazing or browsing.

Dairy cattle domesticated bovine raised primarily for its milk

Dairy cattle are cattle cows bred for the ability to produce large quantities of milk, from which dairy products are made. Dairy cows generally are of the species Bos taurus.

Forage is a plant material eaten by grazing livestock. Historically, the term forage has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used more loosely to include similar plants cut for fodder and carried to the animals, especially as hay or silage. The term forage fish refers to small schooling fish that are preyed on by larger aquatic animals.

Auctions are a common means of sale, although in some cases, prospective buyers inspect sale cattle on the producer's property with the price negotiated either by weight or on a dollars per head basis. [11]

Auction process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder

An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder. The open ascending price auction is arguably the most common form of auction in use today. Participants bid openly against one another, with each subsequent bid required to be higher than the previous bid. An auctioneer may announce prices, bidders may call out their bids themselves, or bids may be submitted electronically with the highest current bid publicly displayed. In a Dutch auction, the auctioneer begins with a high asking price for some quantity of like items; the price is lowered until a participant is willing to accept the auctioneer's price for some quantity of the goods in the lot or until the seller's reserve price is met. While auctions are most associated in the public imagination with the sale of antiques, paintings, rare collectibles and expensive wines, auctions are also used for commodities, livestock, radio spectrum and used cars. In economic theory, an auction may refer to any mechanism or set of trading rules for exchange.

In the United States

Cow-calf operations are generally divided into two types. First are those that produce feeder cattle to be raised by other agricultural enterprises, such as feedlots. These sell their calves after they have been weaned and are under a year in age. The second are those that raise the calves for 1–2 years before selling them directly to slaughter. [7]

Feeder cattle are steers or heifers mature enough to be placed in a feedlot where they will be fattened prior to slaughter. Feeder calves are less than 1 year old; feeder yearlings are between 1 and 2 years old. Both types are often produced in a cow-calf operation.

The mother cattle, sometimes known as brood cows, generally come from one of two sources: either female calves raised on the farm itself and retained into adulthood, or cows that are purchased from a specialized seedstock operation which often produces purebred cattle. [9]

Purebreds, also called purebreeds, are cultivated varieties or cultivars of an animal species, achieved through the process of selective breeding. When the lineage of a purebred animal is recorded, that animal is said to be pedigreed.

Cow-calf operations are widespread throughout the United States. A 1997 census found that this sector of the U.S. beef market produced over $40.5 billion. [5] As of 2007 there were more than 765,000 cow-calf operators in the country, mostly concentrated in the Western and Southeastern U.S. states. [9]

Sale prices for calves sold from a cow-calf operation are subject to fluctuation as part of the cattle cycle of financial markets. [12] The relatively long period it takes a cow-calf operator to build up a beef herd and raise new calves to the desired weigh tends to extend the length of such a cycle. [1]

In Australia

Murray Grey cows and calves on the Northern Tablelands. Murray Grey cows and calves.JPG
Murray Grey cows and calves on the Northern Tablelands.

Approximately 90% of Australian cows are in strictly cow-calf operations. In southern Australia (NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and south-western Western Australia) beef cattle are often reared on smaller properties as part of a mixed farming or grazing operation, but some properties do specialise in cattle breeding. The southern calves are typically reared on pasture and sold as weaners, yearlings or as steers at about two years old or older.

In the Top End, sub-tropical areas and in arid inland regions cattle are bred on native pastures on expansive cattle stations. Beef producers in northern Australia tend to operate more extensive pastoral enterprises than counterparts in southern Australia. [13] Anna Creek Station in South Australia, Australia is the world's largest working cattle station. [14] The North Australian Pastoral Company Pty Limited (NAPCO) is now one of Australia's largest beef cattle producers, with a herd of over 180,000 cattle and fourteen cattle stations in Queensland and the Northern Territory. [15] The Australian Agricultural Company (AA Co) manages a cattle herd of more than 585,000 head. [16] Heytesbury Beef Pty Ltd owns and manages over 200,000 head of cattle across eight stations spanning the East Kimberley, Victoria River and Barkly Tablelands regions in Northern Australia. [17] Most cattle from these regions are exported as manufacturing beef or as live animals under 350 kilograms live weight to South-East Asia for fattening in feedlots there.

Weaner calves for sale by auction. Weaner sale.JPG
Weaner calves for sale by auction.

A variety of selling methods are used in Australia and cattle may be sold as studs, store or finished stock. A number of different selling methods are used, depending on the age, type and condition of cattle and the markets. [11]

Related Research Articles

Canchim cattle breed

The Canchim breed is a breed of beef cattle developed in Central Brazil by crossing European Charolais cattle with Indubrazil cattle already kept in Brazil where Asian Zebu type cattle are best suited to the tropical conditions. When compared with Zebu bulls, Canchim bulls produce the same number of calves, but heavier and of superior quality. Compared to European breeds, the Canchim bull produces calves with the same weight but in larger numbers. The fast-growing progeny, from crossbred zebu cows with Canchim bulls, can be slaughtered at 18 months old from feedlots after weaning, up to 24 months old from feedlots after grazing and at 30 months from grazing on the range.

Overgrazing intensive grazing

Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature reserves. It can also be caused by immobile, travel restricted populations of native or non-native wild animals. However, "overgrazing" is a controversial concept, based on equilibrium system theory.

Highland cattle Scottish breed of cattle

Highland cattle are a Scottish cattle breed. They have long horns and long, wavy, woolly coats that are coloured black, brown, yellow, white, grey, "silver", or tan, and they also may be brindled. Highlands are raised primarily for their meat. They originated in the Highlands and Outer Hebrides islands of Scotland and were first mentioned in the 6th century AD. The first herd book described two distinct types of Highland cattle but, due to crossbreeding between the two, only one type now exists and is registered. They have since been exported worldwide.

Jersey cattle small breed of dairy cattle

The Jersey is a breed of small dairy cattle. Originally bred in the Channel Island of Jersey, the breed is popular for the high butterfat content of its milk and the lower maintenance costs attending its lower bodyweight, as well as its genial disposition. The Jersey is one of three Channel Island cattle breeds, the others being the Alderney – now extinct – and the Guernsey.

Angus cattle cattle breed

The Aberdeen Angus, sometimes simply Angus, is a Scottish breed of small beef cattle. It derives from cattle native to the counties of Aberdeenshire and Angus in north-eastern Scotland.

Weaning process of stopping breastfeeding

Weaning is the process of gradually introducing an infant human or mammal to what will be its adult diet while withdrawing the supply of its mother's milk.

Holstein Friesian cattle breed of cattle

Holstein Friesians are a breed of dairy cattle originating from the Dutch provinces of North Holland and Friesland, and Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany and Jutland. They are known as the world's highest-production dairy animals.

Cattle feeding system to feed cattle

Different cattle feeding production systems have separate advantages and disadvantages. Most cattle in the US have a diet that is composed of at least some forage. In fact, most beef cattle are raised on pasture from birth in the spring until autumn. Then for pasture-fed animals, grass is the forage that composes all or at least the great majority of their diet. Cattle fattened in feedlots are fed small amounts of hay supplemented with grain, soy and other ingredients in order to increase the energy density of the diet. The debate is whether cattle should be raised on diets primarily composed of pasture (grass) or a concentrated diet of grain, soy, corn and other supplements. The issue is often complicated by the political interests and confusion between labels such as "free range", "organic", or "natural". Cattle raised on a primarily forage diet are termed grass-fed or pasture-raised; for example meat or milk may be called grass-fed beef or pasture-raised dairy. However, the term "pasture-raised" can lead to confusion with the term "free range", which does not describe exactly what the animals eat.

German Angus German breed of cattle

The German Angus is a modern German breed of beef cattle. It was bred in the 1950s in Germany by crossing Aberdeen Angus with various native German cattle breeds: German Black Pied, Deutsche Rotbunte, and Fleckvieh.

Kalmyk cattle are a beef cattle breed originating in Mongolia and northwestern China and taken to southwestern Russia by migrating Kalmyk tribes in the early 17th century. They are now found in central Asia and Southern Russia on dry steppe pastures.

Black Hereford (crossbreed)

The Black Hereford is a crossbreed of beef cattle produced in the British Isles with Hereford beef bulls with Holstein-Friesian dairy cows. Black Herefords are not usually maintained from generation to generation, but are constantly produced as a byproduct of dairy farming as a terminal cross. They are one of the most common types of beef cattle in the British Isles, outnumbering many pure beef breeds.

Cattle domesticated form of Aurochs

Cattle—colloquially cows—are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos taurus.

Cattle slaughter in India

Cattle slaughter, especially cow slaughter is a controversial topic in India because of the cattle's traditional status as an endeared and respected living being to many in Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, in contrast to cattle being considered as an acceptable source of meat by many in Islam, Christianity as well as some adherents of Indian religions. More specifically, the cow's slaughter has been shunned because of a number of reasons such as being associated with god Krishna in Hinduism, cattle being respected as an integral part of rural livelihoods and an essential economic necessity. Cattle slaughter has also been opposed by various Indian religions because of the ethical principle of Ahimsa (non-violence) and the belief in the unity of all life.

Creep feeding is a method of supplementing the diet of young livestock, primarily in beef calves, by offering feed to animals who are still nursing. Creep feed is sometimes offered to swine, but it is impossible with companion grazing animals such as sheep and goats. Creep feeding is used almost exclusively in situations where animal prices are high, feed costs are low, offspring is born in the spring, and the animals are purebred.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Womach, Jasper. "Agriculture: A Glossary of Terms, Programs, and Laws, 2005 Edition" (PDF). Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 August 2011.
  2. ↑ Foras Talúntais (1 January 1986). Irish journal of agricultural research. An Foras Talúntais. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  3. ↑ A. Kumar (1 January 2006). Animal Husbandry. Discovery Publishing House. p. 48. ISBN   978-81-8356-072-6 . Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  4. ↑ Peter A. B. Prag (12 April 2001). Understanding the British Countryside. Taylor & Francis. p. 76. ISBN   978-0-7282-0353-2 . Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  5. 1 2 Short, Sara D. (November 2001). "Characteristics and Production Costs of U.S. Cow-Calf Operations". Statistical Bulletin 974-3. USDA.
  6. ↑ Beattie, William A., Beef Cattle Breeding & Management, Popular Books, 1990, ISBN   0-7301-0040-5
  7. 1 2 3 4 Gillespie, James R.; Frank B. Flanders (2009). Modern Livestock and Poultry Production. Cengage Learning. pp. 266–267. ISBN   978-1-4283-1808-3.
  8. ↑ "Agriculture - Beef Industry - Australia". Australian Natural Resources Atlas. Australian Government. Archived from the original on 22 August 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  9. 1 2 3 Mikesell, Robert; Meecee Baker (2010). Animal Science Biology and Technology. Cengage Learning. p. 190. ISBN   978-1-4354-8637-9.
  10. ↑ Behnassi, Mohamed; Draggan, Sidney; Yaya, Sanni, eds. (2011), Global Food Insecurity: Rethinking Agricultural and Rural Development, Springer, p. 18, ISBN   978-94-007-0889-1
  11. 1 2 Austin, Nigel (1986). Kings of the Cattle Country. Sydney: Bay Books. ISBN   1-86256-066-8.
  12. ↑ Chenoweth, Peter J.; Michael W. Sanderson (2005). Beef practice: cow-calf production medicine. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN   978-0-8138-0402-6.
  13. ↑ Cottle, David; Kahn, Lewis, eds. (2014). Beef Cattle Production and Trade. CSIRO Publishing. ISBN   978-0-643-10988-9.
  14. ↑ Mercer, Phil (2008-06-09). "Cattle farms lure Australian women". BBC. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
  15. ↑ "North Australian Pastoral Company". napco.com.au.
  16. ↑ "AACo". aaco.com.au. Archived from the original on 29 March 2007.
  17. ↑ "Heytesbury Cattle Company". heytesburycattle.com.au.

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