What Is It Worth to Manage a Beef Herd
In the beef production industry, productivity and sustainability are among the main objectives of successful beef cattle management. Facilities, health, nutrition, breeds, reproduction, and marketing are some of the factors underlying profitable cattle-raising operations.
On this site, you will learn in detail all there is to know about managing a beef cattle herd.
Beef Production and Cattle Management
Keeping your herd healthy is especially important to any management operation. Key practices include maintaining adequate cattle nutrition, investing in vaccinations, and decreasing stress on the herd. To further improve herd profitability, it's essential to make efficient use of on-farm resources, such as land, feed, and facilities.
If you're new to the cattle-raising business or want to refresh your knowledge and skills, you may find Penn State Extension's Beef Production and Management course helpful. The online course will discuss topics such as beef production basics, breed characteristics, animal health, beef cattle reproduction, product marketing, and financial planning.
Raising a Small-Scale Beef Cattle
Before starting a beef herd, you need to select the type of operations you'd like to run. The most popular options are cow-calf, backgrounding, and feedlots.
With a cow-calf operation, your herd serves the purpose of producing and weaning calves. Backgrounding cattle operations purchase the calves and raise them until they reach approximately 900 pounds. A feedlot will then buy the weaned/backgrounded calves and feed them to their final weight.
Beef Cattle Types
Choosing a beef cattle type is an essential part of setting up your operation. If you wish to run a cow-calf operation, you'll also need to decide whether you want to raise purebred or commercial cattle.
Keep in mind that purebred animals must be registered with a beef cattle association and calves are often sold for breeding purposes. Commercial cattle don't require registration, are primarily raised for meat and can be crossbred.
Some of the most popular breeds in the US include Black Angus, Hereford, Limousin, and Charolais. Once you've selected a breed, building a reproductive plan should be your next step.
Grain-Fed and Grass-Fed Beef Production
In the cattle-raising world, beef production is roughly separated into grass-fed and grain-fed programs. Before you get into the business, however, it might be worth familiarizing yourself with the terms grass-finished and grain-finished, as well.
Generally speaking, grass-fed beef is meat from cows raised on forages. Bear in mind that this may be different from grass-finished beef. With grass-finishing, cattle are fed grains during the backgrounding phase and forage during the finishing period.
In a grain-fed system, beef producers opt for feeds combined with grains. Cattle are fed grains from weaning to harvest, though they may also be fed pastures for up to six months before entering the feedlot phase.
Find the Right Beef Cattle Production Educational Resources
Overall, it's important to remember that beef is a good source of high-quality protein, iron, zinc, and a number of important vitamins. Grass-fed beef contains slightly higher amounts of certain antioxidants; however, both grass- and grain-fed beef are highly concentrated sources of nutrients.
Starting a beef herd can be a challenging process if you're new to raising cattle. Penn State Extension's educational videos, articles, and courses are specially designed to help you build a solid foundation and gather the information you need for running a profitable beef cattle operation.
Workshops Learn about breed selection, calf health, nutrition, and economics from birth to harvest. More
Articles Interest in grazing crop residues and cover crops is increasing. What is the potential benefit and what about its effects on soil? More
Articles You have probably seen the word 'regenerative' lately in articles in the ag popular press. What exactly does regenerative mean and how can it pertain to your farm? More
Articles Field work slows down in the winter. Learn what can be done during the winter months to be better prepared and less stressed during busy, growing season. More
Articles Contracting cattle is a way to mitigate the financial burden that can result from volatility in cattle prices More
Videos In recent years, the use of beef semen to breed dairy cows has increased at a dramatic rate. This video will explore a research program designed to investigate the outcomes of those crossbred matings, the calves. More
Articles Topics covered include contemporary groups, breeds, Holstein, and purchasing. More
Articles Overcrowding can have negative effects on animal performance and efficiency. To maximize growth performance, producers should ensure the pen and bunk space are adequate. More
Webinars Join Extension specialists for the Living on a Few Acres webinar series to learn all about butchering at home. More
Articles The beef cow-calf business is well adapted to small-scale and part-time farmers who have land suitable for pasture and hay production. More
Articles In the 4th year of the calf-fed Holstein trials at Penn State, Holsteins were fed either dry rolled corn or whole shelled corn and growth performance did not differ. More
Videos Implants are a technology used to enhance growth and improve the net profitability of beef cattle. This video will review the fundamentals of good implanting technique. More
Workshops Are you a beef cattle producer? Join us to learn new strategies in beef heifer management. More
Articles This invasive weed is taking over Pennsylvania pastures. Learn how to control it. More
Articles Knowing the income and costs of an operation are critical to the financial success of that operation. Use this article as a guide to help determine the financial success of your beef production enterprise. More
Articles Steroidal implants have been used in beef cattle for over 60 years. The improvements in feed efficiency when using implants make them effective tools to increase net profitability in the beef cattle industry. More
Articles Frost seeding may be the way to improved pastures on your farm. More
Articles The PA Beef Producers Working Group (PABPWG) commissioned this survey with two purposes: create baseline data to help the working group characterize the beef industry in Pennsylvania, and identify specific challenges and opportunities for producers. More
Video Series These videos will provide information regarding the practice of rearing Holstein calves for beef. Management and nutrition of calf-fed Holsteins from birth to finish will be emphasized. More
Articles The calf-fed Holstein Initiative wrapped up its third year in 2018. Implants successfully increased average daily gains and feed efficiency. More
Online Courses $74.25
Learn how to sustainably manage beef cattle, sheep, and meat goats on pasture. Understand the variables concerning grazing systems, paddocks, fencing, and forage quality. More
Workshops Meet in-person with fellow beef producers to discuss topics pertinent to beef production in Pennsylvania. More
Articles What is the right size for a cow? That depends on your resources, your environment, the market that you sell to and your goals. More
Articles It is the right time to be scouting and managing multiflora rose in your pasture. More
Videos Grass-fed beef production in the United States is on the rise. However, there are important management and forage quality factors that must be considered. More
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Source: https://extension.psu.edu/animals-and-livestock/beef-cattle/production-and-management
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