Beef Cattle Management

This popular course gives students the opportunity to learn the principles of beef cattle management, breeding and production. While no one course can be expected to deal in comprehensive detail with all aspects of the beef industry, this course provides a detailed overview of the necessary subject matter for students who are already in the industry or those who are new to the industry. Elements such as nutrition, production, reproduction, and disease recognition, control and treatment, are dealt with in detail.

Beef Cattle Courses are again in strong demand thanks to the recent trade deal with China.

Challenging conditions have plagued the Beef Cattle Farming industry over the past five years. Varying weather patterns, fluctuating turnoff rates and government policies have influenced industry performance over the period. Industry revenue is forecast to decline by 1.4% annualised over the five years through 2014-15. However, strong demand for Australian cattle and beef in export markets is expected to boost the industry over the two years through 2014-15. Industry revenue is forecast to grow by 25.6% in 2014-15, to reach $5.5 billion, boosted by a 19.1% jump in saleyard prices.

Rainfall is the primary determinant of industry performance. Beef cattle farmers have suffered through varying weather conditions over the past five years have positioned Operators in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria to dominate the industry.

The nature of beef cattle farming varies across the country, but occurs in all Australian states and territories. The industry is typically discussed according to regions (northern and southern) since operations differ dramatically across the two.

Course Aim:

To help students to analyse and make informed decisions about the management requirements of beef cattle. On completion of this course you should be able to describe and explain the principles and practices of beef cattle husbandry and management.

There are 10 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction to beef cattle and beef cattle breeds
   • The role of beef cattle in agriculture
   • Scientific classification
   • Examples of breeds worldwide
   • British Beef breeds - Angus, Hereford, South Devon, Sussex, Red Poll
   • U.S. Developed Beef breeds - Santa Gertrudis, American Brahman, Amerifax, Beefmaster
   • Eurpean Beef breeds - Salers, Charolais, Simmental, Gelbvieh
   • Australian Beef breeds - Braford, Beefmaster, Droughtmaster, Murray Grey, Australian Lowline
   • South African Beef Breeds - Salorn, Tswana, Tuli, Africkander,
   • Breed selection considerations - horned vs poll, colour, gestation length, birth weight, mothering ability, post weaning growth, meat quality etc
2. Beef Cattle Production Systems
   • Various systems of production - extensive, intensive, semi-intensive
   • Choosing a suitable system - considerations include size, climate, soils, transport, markets etc
   • Cattle handling facilities
   • Materials used in cattle handling
   • Cattle identification - branding, ear marking, tattooing, ear tags
   • De-horning - chemical and mechanical methods
   • Castration, dips and dipping, and injecting cattle
3. Beef Cattle Breeding
   • Heritability, performance testing, progeny testing, selection
   • Pure versus cross breeding - advantages and disadvantages
   • Calving percentage
   • Management factors to improve calving percentage
   • Weaning calves
   • Factors affecting calf weaning
   • The anatomy of the male reproductive system
   • The physiology of the male reproductive system
   • Fertility problems in the male
   • The anatomy and physiology of the female reproductive system
   • Fertility problems
   • Pregnancy and partition
   • The structure of the mammary glands
   • Secretion of milk
   • Growth and development
   • Post natal growth
   • Compensatory growth
4. Diseases in Beef Cattle - Viral and Bacterial
   • Determining health status of the animal
   • Signs of a healthy animal
   • Causes of ill-health
   • Injury, poor nutrition, poisoning, parasites, hereditary conditions etc
   • Preventing ill-health
   • Correct feed and nutrition, insect control, parasite control, vaccinations, control stress etc
5. Parasitic and Other Diseases in Beef Cattle
   • Some parasitic diseases
   • Other ailments of cattle - actinobacillosis, anaplasmosis, arthritis, beef measles
   • poisoning, pink eye, milk fever, bloat etc
6. Nutrition in Beef Cattle
   • Feed type - roughages and concentrates
   • Carbohydrates, protein, fats
   • Grass or grain feeding
   • Rations for beef cattle - maintenance or production rations
   • Maintenance rations
   • Procedure for calculating a ration
   • Supplementary feeding of protein
   • Lot Feeding
   • Minerals
   • Common macromineral deficiencies
   • Common trace mineral deficiencies
   • Diagnosis of trace mineral deficiencies
   • Vitamins
   • Water for farm animals
   • Protein
7. Commercial Herd Management
   • The breeding herd
   • Production systems
   • Cow-calf herd
   • Beef production systems using dairy stock
8. Feed Lot Management
   • Lot feeding - types of feedlot
   • Managing cattle in a feedlot
   • Feedlot Records
   • Article on pen feeding in South Africa
9. Stud Herd Management
   • Time of calving
   • Feeding
   • Fertility
   • Indicators of fertility in bulls
   • Indicators of fertility in cows
10. Management, Economics and Marketing
    • Profitability
    • Factors affecting gross output
    • Factors affecting variable costs

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

For more information on this course, please request your free course information pack.