Role of Beef Cattle

1
Role of Beef Cattle

• agriculture 17.5 of GNP.
• beef industry single largest money
  making-generating commodity in all of
  agriculture.
• Beef accounts for 40-45 of cash receipts from
  animal agriculture.
• 35 billion

2
Role of Beef Cattle

• 1.2 billion acres of agricultural land in the 48
  contiguous states.
• 801 million acres of this is grazed.
• Vast supplies of waste materials from
• Agronomic crops
• Corn stalks
• Wheat straw
• Food by products
• Cannery waste
• Brewers grains, Distillers Grains
• Sugar beet pulp
• Corn Gluten, Soybean Hulls, Cottonseed Hulls

3
Historical Evolution

• Origin of todays breeds?
• Bos Taurus
• Aurochs extinct in 1627
• Celtic Ox (mixed in with Aurochs)
• Bos Indicus
• Tropical Zebu cattle

4
Historical Evolution

• First cattle producer of the Western Hemisphere
• Christopher Columbus
• brought cattle to the West Indies in 1493
• Cortez
• brought cattle to Mexico in 1519
• Longhorns were distributed by Spanish
  missionaries.

5
Historical Evolution

• Shifts in U.S. cattle industry
• Post Civil War
• Longhorn gtgtgtgt Shorthorn
• Shorthorn gtgtgtgt Shorthorn X Hereford
• Winter of 1886
• Shorthorn X Hereford gtgtgtgt Angus X Hereford
• Post World War II
• Angus X Hereford gtgtgtgt Breeds
  Revolution

6
Historical Evolution

• Breeds Revolution period of great expansion
  in numbers of breeds of beef cattle.
• Demand for grain-fed beef
• Meat from cattle which have undergone a
  significant grain feeding.

7
Beef Cattle Breeds

• See web site http//www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/i
  ndex.htm
• Breed animals of common origin with
  characteristics that distinguish them from other
  group of same species
• - gt 300 world-wide

8
Beef Cattle Breeds

• Purebred purity of ancestry pedigrees recorded
  in their breed registry
• Commercial livestock not registered or
  pedigreed crossbred

9
Beef Cattle Breeds (identify know purpose)

• 3 general categories
• British breeds (Bos taurus) Angus, Hereford,
  Shorthorn
• maternal fertility, longevity, milk production
• earlier maturity (puberty) less muscular
• Exotic or Continental breeds (Bos taurus)
  Simmental,
• Limousin, Charolais, etc.
• paternal (terminal) - growth rate, muscular,
  lean large mature size
• dual purpose (maternal and paternal traits)

10
Beef Cattle Breeds (identify know purpose)

• Brahman (Bos indicus) Zebu is main strain
• greatest genetic influence world-wide
• heat and insect tolerant adaptable to warm
  environments
• later puberty, low growth rate, less muscling

11
Angus

• British breed
• 1st in US registrations
• black polled
• moderate size
• MARBLING
• Hereford x Angus
• black baldy (white face)
• - good mothers
• Red Angus 6th

12
Hereford

• British breed
• red body white face polled horned
• 2nd in registrations
• moderate size
• major breed influence in commercial cows (esp.
  western range)
• Polled and horned

13
Shorthorn

• British
• Prominent US breed in 1800s, early 1900s
• red, white, roan
• horned/polled
• excellent milk production
• 8th most popular today

14
Simmental

• Continental (Europe)
• Switzerland
• red, yellow, black/white
• dual-purpose
• growth, carcass
• milk production
• large mature size
• Dual purpose 4th most popular
• Others Gelbvieh (7th)

15
Limousin

• Continental
• France
• red, gold, black
• lean, muscular
• excel in yield grades
• terminal sire
• 5th most popular

16
Charolais

• Continental
• France
• white with pink nose
• large size
• lean muscular
• terminal sire
• 3rd most popular
• OthersChianina

17
Brahman

• Bos indicus
• hump loose hide long ears
• heat/insect tolerant
• southern US 13th popular
• late maturity, less muscling
• tenderness problems
• Beefmaster is most common breed 10th most
  popular
• Developed in USA, combination of Brahman,
  Hereford and Shorthorn
• Others are Brangus 9th
• Simbrah, Santa Gertrudis
• Braford, Charbray, etc..

18
Beef Breed Registrations in the USA, Table 16-3
2
1
1
2
10
9
3
3
7
2
2
1
1
5
6
8
3
6
4