Some very heavy calves go directly into feedlots, but most pass through stocker operations. Six to eight months of age: Calves typically weight 500 to 600 pounds at this stage.Over time, ranchers supplement this nutrition with grass feeding and eventually with grain. First six months: Calves remain with the cow and receive their initial nutrition from nursing.The timeline for raising cattle is as follows: The remaining calves are raised for eventual slaughter. Once the calves are born, a certain number of females are held back to replace the cows that are culled. The most common reasons for culling a cow include: Not all cows conceive weather, disease and nutrition can all affect conception rates.Įach year ranchers typically cull about 15 to 25% of the cows in their herd and send them to slaughter. Each cow generally gives birth to one calf, although some may occasionally produce twins. In the United States –the top cattle-producing nation in the world – the stocking rate can be as low as five acres per cow-calf pair in high precipitation regions of the East to 150 acres in dry, arid regions of the West and Southwest.Ĭows Grazing – Image by Free-Photos from PixabayĪ group of cows on a ranch is called a herd. This is known as the stocking rate, and it varies from region to region based on weather conditions and maintenance procedures. Ranchers allocate a certain amount of acres of pasture or grazing land for each cow and its calf offspring. because they can better control the genetics of the calves. Cows bred in the summer will produce calves in the spring.Ī natural breeding process generally requires one bull for each 20 to 25 cows. Production of live cattle begins with breeding cows (females) with bulls (males) either naturally or with artificial insemination (A.I.). Some industrial oils, lubricants, soaps, lipsticks, face creams, hand creams, chemicals, pesticides and detergents derive from beef fat products.īuttons, piano keys, glues and fertilizers are some of the many products made from bones, horns and hooves of cattle.īeef and Veal Produced per Year (1,000 Metric Tons) Non-Food Uses (Beef Fats and Fatty Acids)
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