Chapter 3 – The Beef Industry

Objectives of the Chapter:•How beef has influenced the

American diet•Location of the beef industry•Beef cattle breeds•4 major segments of the beef

industry•Meat Science

Important Terminology:• Veal• Sire Breeds• Dam Breeds• Exotics• Purebred Operations• Cow-calf Operations• Stocker Operations• Feedlot Operations• Stocker

How has beef influenced the American Diet?

• Americans are beef eaters!– The average person consumes 67.5

pounds of beef and veal each year!– Buy more beef than poultry,

seafood, and pork combined!– Beef accounts for 6% of grocery

sales– Currently an increase in beef sales

at commercial restaurants

•The US exports over a million metric tons of beef each year – 2,204,600,000 pounds of beef!

•This amount represents approximately $2.5 billion!

So, what’s in it for us?• Beef is one of the most

nutritionally complete foods a human can consume

• Very dense in nutrients– Actually more nutritious than the

feed the animal ate to produce the meat!

– Meat contains approximately 88% of our daily B12 requirement – a vitamin difficult to obtain through plants

History of Beef in America• Cattle was brought over by

Europeans to feed the American settlers

• Until the Civil War, cattle was prominently raised on family farms for consumption

• This ended with urbanization – more difficult to raise their own meat/easier to purchase

Current State of the Beef Industry

• Over a 100 million head of cattle in the US on over a million farms/ranches

• Largest segment of all agriculture in US

• 80% of farms have been owned by the same family for 25+ years

• US produces ~25% worlds beef w/less than 10% of the cattle

Location of the Beef Industry

•Western US land used to graze cattle

•Southern US used to produce grass/hay, or milder climate crops to feed the cattle

Why the Beef Industry is Good (even though there are constant critics!)

•The facts:–Beef cattle are fed 6-9 pounds of feed for 1 pound of gain

•Is this wasteful?–Land used to graze beef cattle has little, if not any other use

But what about all that feed?–Livestock are finished (or fattened) on grain that is not considered good for human consumption

–Cattle also make use of by-products that can not be fed to humans (beet pulp, citrus pulp, soybean/cottonseed by-product)

Beef Cattle Breeds•Average size production herd is around 100 head

•Over 40 different breeds grown in US, as well as multiple cross combinations

•Producers choose their breed on:–Type of market where the animal will be sold

–Type of environmental conditions in which the animal will be produced

–Personal likes and dislikes of the individual producer

What type of differences are there in breeds?– Large/small carcass– Maturity size– Adaptation to various types of

weather – Temperament– Sire breed vs. Dam Breed

•Sire: use the sire in crossbreeding•Dam: use the dam in crossbreeding•Helps producers get the best of both

worlds

Three broad classification of beef breeds grown in the US:

•British Breeds•Continental European Breeds•Zebu Breeds

British Breeds include:

•Angus•Hereford•Shorthorn

Why choose British breeds?•Generally docile•High-quality production

carcass at a medium size

Continental European Breeds include:

•Limousin•Simmental•Charolais•Chianina

Why choose CEB? (also known as exotics)

• They brought size and ability to grow

• Very large mature size• A Chianina bull may reach 4,000

pounds at maturity• Tend to cross with British breeds

Zebu Breeds• Classified as Bos indicus, a

separate species from the other breeds, Bos taurus

• Characterized by the large fleshy hump behind the shoulder and loose folds of skin

• Very tolerate to heat and humidity, and resistant to pests

Common Zebu breeds:

•Brahman•Santa

Gertrudis•Brangus•Beefmaster

Four segments of the Beef Industry:

•Purebred operations•Cow-calf operations•Stocker operations•Feedlot operations

Purebred Operations• Purpose to produce seed stock

cattle – or the cattle that is to be used as sires and dams of calves that will be grown out for market

• Different breeds have different advantages – purebred stock breeders look to improve and accentuate

•Purebred operations often compete in numerous shows across the nation

•Shows serve to educate and to make improvements in cattle industry

Cow-calf Operations•This is where the calves that will eventually be grown out and sent to market are produced

•Most of these calves are crossbred animals from purebred parents

•Calves are usually sold upon weaning

•Calves are weaned around 300 to 500 pounds

•Buyers prefer calves castrated and vaccinated, in good condition to handle a change in environment

Stocker Operation•Step between the weaning

and finishing (or fattening) prior to slaughter

•In order for the animal to start developing fat in the right places, the animal should be mature enough and stopped growing

•Cattle is placed on pasture land and fed a ration designed for skeletal and muscular growth

•Fed a high roughage and properly balanced diet that ensure the animal will make gains to be placed in a feedlot

Feedlot Operation•Final phase before animal is

sent to slaughter•Animals are fed a high

concentrate ration to gain fat•Many feedlots are found in the

Midwest because of high grain operations

• Feedlots vary in size from feeding a 100 head/year to over a 1000/year

• When animals reach the proper degree of finish, they are quickly moved to the slaughterhouse

• When slaughtered, the cattle are usually between 18-24 months and 800-1,500 pounds