Production and Management

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.