Complete Solutions
Genus
Bos
Species
Taurus or indicus
Beef Cattle Industry
Largest single money-generating commodity in all of U.S. agriculture - $68 billion
Beef accounts for ____ of animal agriculture's share of total farm cash receipts
39%
The U.S. has about ___ of the world's cattle, but we produce nearly ___ of the world's beef and veal.
6%, 18%
Purposes of U.S. Beef Cattle
Make use of natural resources indigestible by humans (grass & other forages)
Make use agricultural wastes & by-products
Rugged & adaptable to topography & climate
Structure of the U.S. Beef Industry 4 major sectors
seed stock producers, commercial cow-calf producers, yearling or stocker operators, feedlot finishing
operations
Unlike poultry & pork industries, the beef industry is
highly fractured
The primary goal of seed stock production segment is to produce
breeding stock
Commercial Cow Calf Production goals are to produce the
heaviest calves possible with the least cost.
Yearling or Stocker Operators goals are
growing calves to heavier weights on low-priced forage before the calves enter the feedlot
Feedlot Operations
"Finishing phase"; 600- to 850-lb cattle are finished to market weight and condition in confinement
Cow-calf production is found in
every state
, Location generally depends on the
availability of low-cost forage
Top 5 States of Beef Cow Inventory
Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska, South Dakota
3 general categories dominate Beef Industry
British breeds (Bos taurus)
Continental breeds "exotic" (Bos taurus)
"American" (Bos indicus)
British Breeds
Angus, Red Angus, Hereford, and Shorthorn
MATERNAL
Angus
Largest breed registry in the U.S.
Imported from Scotland
Red Angus
Developed in the United States
Horned Hereford
Imported from England
2nd largest registry in the U.S.
Shorthorn
Imported from England
Charolais
Imported from France
4th largest U.S. registry
Chianina
Imported from Italy
Gelbvieh
Imported from Germany
Developed as a dual purpose breed, leaned towards beef production
Limousin
Imported from France
3rd largest U.S. registry