Animal Production

1. Animal Production Beef Cattle Slide 1

2. Introduction • The beef industry in Ireland is the largest sector of the Irish Agricultural Economy • There are 4.5 million beef animals in the country, producing 0.5 million tonnes of beef per year, of which 80% is exported. • The main export countries are the UK, Germany, Egypt & Iran. • In Irish farms, most beef animals originate from the dairy herd. • These animals originate mainly from Munster and are relocated around the country. • Beef farming, however, has the lowest income per hectare in Irish farms in comparison to other types of farming. • It relies on the use of good spring grass and good silage.

3. Beef Production Systems in Ireland • Calf to beef in two years • Suckler herd • Bull beef production • Heifer beef production • Culled cow finishing

4. Beef Facts • Recommended age of mating - 15 months • Recommended body weight at mating - 300 –320kg • Gestation Period - 283 days • Oestrous Cycle - 21 days • Duration - 18 hours • Put in calf no later than 2.5 months after calving. • Spring calving system • At least 1 calf per year= Reproductive Efficiency: this is the number of calved weaned per 100 cows served • Phylum Chordata • Even toe ungulates (hooves).

5. Breeds of Beef • British • Hereford • Aberdeen Angus • Continental • Limousin • Simmental • Charolais • Dual Purpose • Friesian • Dairy Shorthorn

6. Comparing bodily characteristics of beef and dairy

8. Beef Breeds in Ireland • Most beef animals in Ireland are Friesian or Friesian crosses. • These are usually from high quality Friesian bull by AI. • These give excellent quality dairy animals as well as good quality bull calves for beef. • Poor yielding dairy cows are usually crossed with true beef breeds like Charolais, whose offspring are all used for beef.

9. Common Beef Breeds - Charolais • Introduced to Ireland in the 1960’s due to the demand for continental style beef. • Most popular sire in Ireland due to ability for fast growth and high weights and production of lean meat • Large animal with excellent conformation, deep body and heavily muscled • They are usually white, but this is incompletely dominant and other variations do arise. • They are frequently calving difficulties and a Charolais should not be served to any cow that has not had two calves at least. • However, Charolais bulls in Artificial Insemination stations are known for easy calving.

10. Common Beef Breeds - Charolais

11. Common Beef Breeds - Hereford • The Hereford are a typical British breed, bred in Ireland for over 200 years. • They are distinguished by their white heads, white stripe on the back of their necks and white underbelly, throat and legs (with a predominant brown / red body) • As well as providing beef, the Hereford is useful as a sire. • The Hereford, when crossed with the Friesian produces the Black White-head, a popular breed for the British market. • Have good conformation, well-muscled, strong legs and feet, early maturing and easy calving

12. Common Beef Breeds - Hereford

14. Common Beef Breeds – Angus • The Angus is smaller than Herefords and are considered the best example of a British breed. • They have the typical barrelled shaped body, small head, short leg and highly developed hind quarters. • They are black in colour and are hornless. These are dominant characteristics when crossed with other breeds. • The meat quality is extremely good, but tend to be quite fat when young. • This affects their selling quality in the continental market. • Friesian heifers are often serviced with an Angus.

15. Common Beef Breeds – Angus

17. Common Beef Breeds – Limousin • This breed is increasing in popularity as a sire for dairy herds, as there is infrequent calving problems. • The Limousin also is known as having an excellent carcase quality, and the ability to put on masses of lean meat quickly. • The Limousin / Friesian offspring are ideal suckler dams. • The red colour of the Limousin is recessive to black colours of Friesians so little red appears in the offspring of such a cross.

18. Common Beef Breeds – Limousin

19. Common Beef Breeds - Simmental • The Simmental is an example of a triple purpose animal (Beef, Dairy and Working) but is most noted in Ireland as a beef breed. • Good milk producers and ideal for suckler herds • The Simmental is a native of Switzerland, and may be yellow with white or red in colour, also with a dominant white head. • Simmentals have a very high growing rate (over 10% more than Friesians, Hereford crosses or Angus crosses) • Have deep muscled back and loin, top beef quality • Simmental bulls should never be used as sires for heifers.

20. Common Beef Breeds - Simmental

22. Belgian Blue • Originated in Belgium • Usually have a whitish blue coat but sometimes can be black and white • Have a double muscle gene with a high growth rate • Have a high kill out percentage and produce a high percentage of lean meat on the carcass

24. Target Weights for Beef Production • At Birth = 40Kg • At Turnout 1st Summer = 90-100Kg • At Housing 1st Winter = 200Kg= Weanling • At Turnout 2nd Summer = 275-300Kg Yearling • At Housing 2nd Winter = 470-500 Kg • At finishing= 550 – 750Kg • Depends on Breed & Sex

25. Slaughter weight varies with Breed • Aberdeen Angus: 450 – 500 Kg • Continental Beef breed: 650 – 800 Kg

26. Principles of Beef Production Growth Rates • Two varying growth patterns • Constantly fed at a high level of nutrition • Over winter store animals • The most common in Ireland are the store animals. • These animals exhibit compensatory growth after each store period, which can be higher if fed constantly on a high plane of nutrition. • This system keeps down winter feed costs and can be very profitable.

27. Compensatory Growth in beef animals • Compensatory growth is the increase in growth that occurs when animals are fed well after a period of restricted feeding • Over the winter, animals are only fed silage for maintenance. During this period their frame grows but they put on little meat; this is known as a store period • The following spring, they experience an increased growth rate when put out to grass.

28. (a) High plane of Nutrition Puberty

29. Compensatory growth curve Compensatory growth Store period 2 Store period 1

30. Animal Growth & Development Tissue Development and Composition • The levels of body tissue vary throughout the cows life. • The most significant development is the sharp increase in body fat after 2 years old. • Therefore if the farmer notices excess fat in the abdominal area, he / she should not continue to feed the animal on such a high plane of nutrition. • The time at which this fat deposition occurs varies amongst different breeds.

31. Animal Growth & Development Conformation • Refers to the shape of the animal & to the distribution of muscle on the body. • Good conformation = where the muscle is concentrated on parts of the carcase which has most value • These areas are the hindquarters (round steak and roasting beef) and the back (Sirloin, rib - roasts and T-bone steaks) • Carcass are assessed using the the EUROP scale • E= BEST P WORST (think of E for excellent, P for Poor) • 12345 scale grades carcasses for Fatness • 1 = leanest 5=Fattest

33. Grading Carcase Quality • Most Irish Beef falls into the category of A. • This is moderate quality beef that can be exported to less sensitive markets for a low price. • Beef in category B is excellent quality and can be exported to markets like Germany and France. • Use of continental breeds and early slaughtering can help improve the grade of the carcase.

35. Factors that affect conformation • Breed: Continental breeds are the most superior, followed by traditional beef breeds (see next slide) • Sex: Young bulls steers heifers cows • Nutrition level: The more restricted the feeding during the growth period, the greater the effect on conformation

36. Animal Growth & Development Conformation (Best to Worst) Continental breeds (Charolais etc.) British Breeds (Hereford etc) Dual Purpose (Friesian) Dairy Breeds (Jersey)

37. Animal Growth & Development Influence of Sex Status on growth • Bulls, castrated males (Steers and Bullocks) and heifers are the most common used in beef production in Ireland. • Bulls have the fastest growth rates but can be violent. • They may also try to serve cows and disrupt the farmers breeding plans. • Steers do not produce testosterone, the male sex hormone, which inhibits their growth.

38. Animal Growth & Development • Almost all males used in the Irish beef industry are castrated, as they are much tamer. • Heifers have lower growth rates than bulls and steers. • Weight at Slaughter: • Bull – 750Kg • Steer – 550Kg • Heifer – 450Kg

39. Bull beef V Heifer Beef Bull Beef • Male animals only • Reared without castration • Reared to about 16 months. • Better Growth Rates due to testosterone. • Need high quality feed. • Small market here due (meat is strong) • 1-1.25kg gain per day after weaning. Heifer Beef • Female Animal • Smaller • Don't kill out as well. • Take longer to mature • Heifer calves are cheaper. • 0.6/0.7 kgs gain per day

40. Parts of animal that supply meat

41. Development in Animals • Nervous Tissue first • Then Bone • Then Muscle and • Finally FAT • From 2 years old there is a sharp increase in fat % • Wasteful to feed. • Early Maturing Breeds: Hereford (1.5-2.0) • Intermediate Maturing Breeds: Hereford X Friesian • Late Maturing Breeds: Charolais (2.5 years)

43. Condition Scoring • This is carried out by farmers to assess if an animal is ready for slaughter or fit for mating. • It is carried out by running a hand along the rib cage and back bone to assess the level of fat cover. • In a scale of 1 to 5, 1 is extremely thin and 5 is extremely fat. Scores in the middle are most desirable. • It is very subjective and requires a lot of experience.

45. Beef Production Systems • In Ireland, there are two main types of Beef Production, producing beef animals from the Dairy Herd (Calf to Beef in Two Years) and producing beef animals from the Suckler Herd. • Production from the Dairy Herd is more common in Ireland as Friesen calves are suitable for the continental market. • Suckler herd animals account for 25 – 30% of the beef production in Ireland.

46. Calf to Beef in Two Years • These calves are bought from dairy farmers and are usually male calves. • Dairy farmers will cross some of their herd with a beef bull to improve the conformation of the offspring • The beef farmer purchases the calves every year and rears these animals to their finishing weight at two years old

47. Purchasing Calves • Points to look for when purchasing calves at the mart: • Conformation: • Shoulders wide • Wide Hind Quarters • Deep Barrel • Health: • Eyes Bright and Clear (no discharge) • Ears Pricked Up • Nose Clear (no discharge) • Naval clean, no swelling • Anus should show no sign of scour. • Generally lively and alert.

48. Care of Calves After Purchasing • Care should be taken not to stress the calve during transport. • Calves should only be fed water and glucose for the first 24 hours. • This is done to clear the contents of the stomach. • After 6 days the calve should be on full strength Milk Replacer. • The calf will subsequently weaned onto Hay and Concentrates and later grass when available!

49. Weaning onto hay/grass etc • A calves rumen is not fully developed, hay/silage/conc. Should be introduced gradually as soon as possible. • The silage/hay introduce micro-organisms into their rumen which digests the cellulose • His consumption of grass will increase as he gets older • 4 weeks old= 500g/day

50. The Calves first summer on Grass (Do not write, summary table later) • Calves should not be allowed onto grass until the weather is warm. • The change from warm housing to cold outdoor conditions can cause a shock and can disturb the calf’s growth. • Meals should be fed for 2 – 3 weeks after being put onto grass, to help the calf adjust to the new diet. • Calves are selective grazers, and should always be kept on fresh, palatable grass and certainly should not be left graze pastures bare.