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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