Beef Farm Research Paper

Words: 1008
Pages: 5

I have lived on a ranch my whole life. My dad has worked on a ranch for over 30 years and he has taught me many valuable lessons. Starting at a young age, I would go with him to feed the cows and check on their water. I thought being a rancher was a really easy job because you just go out and check on the cows; but really there is a lot hard work that comes along with the job. You have to gather the cows up, and then you have to brand them. You need to make sure to keep them fat and looking healthy so when the buyer goes and looks at them they appear healthy. You need to make sure that you have enough trucks to fit all of the calves in. After you find out how many trucks you need, then you need to ship them. Is beef cattle production important? …show more content…
This is so that the calves can be born outside and both the cow and calf can benefit from fresh pasture and decent weather. The majority of beef farmers uses natural breeding methods by letting bulls live in the pasture with a herd of cows. Heifers are normally bred at 12 to 17 months of age, and ideally they should calve for the first time by 24 months of age. After a gestation of nine months the cow will usually give birth to one calf that weighs around 30 to 45 kg, depending on the breed (“Basic Beef Production”).Cows may be kept in calving areas during the calving period so that farmers can keep a close watch over cows and calves during this critical period. Cows will remain active in the breeding herd for about seven years. A calf is weaned at six to seven months of age, and at a weight of about 227 kg (“Basic Beef Production”). Once calves on the grass pasture are weaned off of their mother, they are sorted into groups and sold to the next producer. For the next stage of the beef production cycle, the beef animal will typically be thought of a finished market weight of approximately 550 to 700 kg in specialized …show more content…
The cattle are greeted with a bunk full of feed, and hay and a smaller pen that opens in shelter from the elements. The smaller pens help keep them their food and water so they know where to find it. Within the next week, calves are typically vaccinated to help prevent them from possible sickness during their stay. Each day, cattlemen will survey each animal to determine if they are sick. If cattle happen to get sick in a feedlot, they will be administered antibiotics to help them fight the sickness. They then will be separated from the rest of the herd until they recover. The risk of sickness is more common in a feedlot compared to on grass, but only a small minority of the animals ever has to deal with sickness. When cattle are at a finished weight they are taken to a processing plant to be harvested and made into beef as well as many other products. It takes about 2-3 years to bring beef from farm to fork (“Animal Welfare Information,”). There are many different kinds of cattle, but beef cattle are a big part of it. Calves are bought and sold all over the country, which provides a very competitive market, resulting in lower