INTRODUCTION
You have finally bought that small farm in the country. There is about 30 acres of pasture on it and you are going to get those beef cows that you have always wanted. You need to figure out just what breed you want for the cows. You will also need a bull or at least a breed to A.I. the cows to. You want to sell the calves as feeder calves, so you have a lot of decisions to make.
TASK
As a finished product you are expected to have pictures of your cow breed and bull breed, with a picture of the specific bull if possible. The characteristics of the breeds and your reasons for selecting it as well as the price for the bull are expected to be included. Your selling price for calves and the market references must be documented. It can be in the form of a poster, booklet, or PowerPoint presentation. You will presenting your cow herd to the class.
PROCESS/RESOURCES
You need to research the following breeds to select your cow herd base. Find out their color, country of origin, size, and characteristics. Characteristics will include maternal, carcass quality, and disposition. Don't be afraid to look at EPD's. When you select a cow breed you need to justify why you have selected it.
Resources:
Now that you have your cow herd out on the pasture, breeding season is just around the corner and you need to find a bull to use on the cows. If you are going to A.I. you still need a breed and a bull. You are going to cross breed these cows so select the bull breed accordingly. Again you need to justify why you have selected that breed. To select a bull for your cow herd you need to access breeders home pages to look at their bulls or at bull studs web sites. You need to find out the price of the bull or the price of the semen you are going to use. Be aware that you are going to need two straws of semen per cow. Expect about two cows to not settle on the first breeding so get five to ten extra straws. If you need to e-mail breeders for information please check with me first so we do not inundate one breeder.
Resources:
By accessing the association websites from above you will have the ability in most to link to breeder web pages.
Jumping ahead in time, your first calf crop is on the ground and you just weaned ten calves from the ten cows. They are eating out of the bunks, have had all of their shots, and are ready to sell. You have to decide what these calves are worth so you can pay a few bills. You need to access auction websites to ascertain the current market price for your calves. Print out the page from the website that you are going to use for your selling price. Your calves average weights are going to be affected by the breeds that you have selected.
Resources:
EVALUATION
You are now ready to put your presentation together and boast about how much money you made and how great your calves looked!!!
Quiz
Click the link below for your quiz, and follow the instruction on the page.
Beef ID Quiz
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