6 Basic Segments of Beef Cattle Industry - All You Should Know Before Raising Beef Cattle

The beef industry consists of various segments of
production. The function of this diverse industry
is to produce a live beef animal from which high
quality beef is ultimately delivered to the
consumer. They need to understand what takes
place in each step of the industry and how the
various segments mesh together. Newcomers to the
business should have some understanding of the
structure of the beef industry.

The beef cattle industry is composed of six
basic segments:
(1) the purebred breeder,
(2) the commercial producer,
(3) stocker or backgrounding operations,
(4) the cattle feeder,
(5) the beef packer and
(6) the retailer.

The purebred breeder maintains seed stock to
provide bulls and, occasionally, females for the
commercial producer. The commercial producer
provides feeder calves and yearlings to the
stocker operator who, in turn, furnishes the
cattle feeder who provides the packer with
finished cattle ready for slaughter. The packer
slaughters the cattle and provides the retailer
with either dressed carcasses or wholesale cuts
from these carcasses. The retailer cuts, trims
and packages the beef for the consumer.
Interdependence exists among these segments
because each affects cost of production or
desirability of product or both. The profits
that accrue to all segments of the beef cattle
industry depend on continued improvement in
productive efficiency and carcass merit.

All traits of economic value should be
considered when selecting beef cattle. The major
traits influencing productive efficiency of
desirable beef are:
• reproductive performance or fertility
• maternal ability
• growth rate
• feed efficiency
• body measurements
• longevity
• carcass merit, and
• conformation or structural soundness

Maximum production efficiency is not necessarily
related to maximum performance levels in all of
these traits due to unfavorable genetic
associations between certain traits. For
example, high levels of milk production and
large cow size are associated with rapid growth
rate in the calf but are not desirable when feed
supplies are limited because reproduction in the
cow is adversely affected.

Raising beef cattle involves a lot of resources.
The most basic requirements to this kind of
cattle farming for dummies include land and of
course a cattle breed. About an acre or two of
land would be good enough for your cattle to
have for good pasture. Make sure that you have a
fencing that is strong enough to hold your cattle
in. It would also be a good idea to have a few
trees on your pasture for some amount of shade.
Now, choosing your cattle breed is more
challenging.

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Farming cattle can improve quality of life and
provide great satisfaction and responsibility
for families. Explore your options and then
decide. If you would like more tips on raising
beef cattle, please visit
http://www.howtoraisecattle.com

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