Breeding Beef Cattle - 6 Essential Tips on How to Effectively Breed Beef Cattle

There are many things to consider when raising cattle, particularly beef cattle, and one of these is actually breeding beef cattle. Many cattle farmers spend a certain amount of their time trying to breed their cattle not only to be able to increase the herd but to also produce high quality, healthy, and close-to-perfect calves. They know that consumers and other cattle breeders only want the best in their herd, so breeding beef cattle should be a major addition to one's agenda when engaged in cattle farming. Unfortunately, some farmers tend to forget the most basic tips and techniques to breeding cattle of high quality and have failed to renew the expenses made for ill-fitted cows and calves with health problems at birth.

To be able to avoid this, here are some helpful tips on how to effectively breed beef cattle:

1) Breeding beef cattle means knowing how to balance between genetics and herd management. With this in mind, remember to be selective with one's own herd by learning how to distinguish the good animals from those with health and bone structure problems. Keeping the best and raising the best is the key to successful breeding because it not only produces cows with the best meat but also reduces the time, effort, and money spent on work at breeding time.

2) Bulls and heifers should be examined once in a while, especially when the cows are starting to show pregnancy signs and are ready to conceive. Try certain techniques to increase your chances of producing well-rounded cattle. For example, make sure to choose heifers with large pelvises and a bull whose mother also had a large pelvis.

3) There are two ways to go for when breeding beef cattle depending on what your preferences are. You can either artificially inseminate the cows or keep a good bull to breed with your cows.

4) If you've chosen the second method, have your bull/s examined for STDs, health problems, and once in a while for general physical check-ups, sperm count, and scrotum circumference to be sure that your cows will easily conceive.

5) Choosing the bulls for breeding also means choosing those that have been known to produce well-rounded calves. You can go around, ask other cattle farmers, and see if they have good bulls up for sale that you can keep in your herd.

6) Never forget to maintain cleanliness in the cattle's environment and to keep your cattle always in good condition.

Learn more tips here

Important Cattle Farming Equipment

Important Cattle Farming Equipment

Your cattle farming venture is more than just a business, it is a lifestyle. Unlike other businesses, your work doesn't just revolve in going to some office or some manufacturing plant. In a ranch, you do have paperwork, and you do run a production, but everyday, there are dozens of chores for you to work on - fence mending, feeding, vehicle maintenance, grazing management. The list goes on.

That is why your operation should be as efficient as possible. This way, you can be more productive, and you will find more time for yourself, your friends and your family. Cattle equipment makes your operations run efficiently. A tractor can help you drive a trailer that carries feeds, eliminating the need to drag around bins and all. An auger add-on to your tractor can help you with chores that require digging such as fence post repairs and mending. Another add-on can help you churn up soil in your land so that grass can grow again.

Here are the usual cattle equipment groups that most cattle farmers have on their farm. Note that most of these equipment are those you cannot do away with, others have cheaper alternatives - those than you have to assemble or build yourself. You can look up detailed information in cattle equipment vendor sites, cattle farming review sites and how-to sites.

Cattle Handling Equipment

These are the equipment necessary when moving, weighing and inspecting cattle. The cattle equipment under this list are calf tables, cattle headgates, squeeze chutes, loading chutes and cattle handling accessories such as weighing scales, head chains, and squeeze chute adaptors.

Corral Systems

Corral systems are smaller enclosures that you might want to use for animals whenever you do not want them moving around. These are commonly used for horses but they can be used for cattle as well. Corral systems are either permanent or portable. Its price depends on the number of cattle it can hold, as well as the additional features. Some corral systems have adjustable alley sections, arena panels, a smaller holding pen, adjustable alley gates and alley frames that can connect directly to a squeeze chute.

Cattle Feeders

These are the equipment needed for cattle feeding. They are a must in feedlot settings and are highly recommended for ranchers raising grass-fed cattle. In feedlots it is where cattle are entirely fed; for pasture cattle, it is also needed for giving supplements. The standard plant protein supplement needed is around 11%. These cattle equipment can be creep feeders, bale feeders, bull mineral feeders or bunk feeders.

Waterers and Water Tanks 

Large livestock need large amounts of water. Surely, everyone agrees that cattle are huge (or at least, they were supposed to be). That's why you are going to need water tanks. Waterers are cattle equipment with trough bowls. Material ranges from galvanized iron to Rubbermaid to concrete waterers.

Your cattle equipment can help you in raising and breeding cattle as well as keeping the property. In cattle ranches, the best way to do a chore is with the right equipment.

Raising Beef Cattle - Suggestions On Where To Get Your Cattle

Raising Beef Cattle - Suggestions On Where To Get Your Cattle

Market reports are provided on the radio and can be checked on a daily basis, along with local auction market prices on the Internet. Following the market for a couple of weeks before you purchase will help you insure that you are paying a fair price for your cattle. If you have done your homework it will assist you in purchasing at a fair price whether you purchase from a local auction or an individual.


Within Utah there are also livestock auction markets in certain municipalities. Here livestock producers bring their animals and exhibit them through an auction ring and sold to the highest bidder. It is a system where potential buyers and sellers are brought together and a fair price established. In order to determine what may be fair, however, the potential buyer must have some idea of local market conditions and a predetermined animal type that they wish to purchase.

Market reports are provided on the radio and can be checked on a daily basis, along with local auction market prices on the Internet. Following the market for a couple of weeks before you purchase will help you insure that you are paying a fair price for your cattle. If you have done your homework it will assist you in purchasing at a fair price whether you purchase from a local auction or an individual.

Market prices are quoted on the basis of the weight and sex of the animal sold. Generally nothing is reported about the condition or quality of the animals.

The correct size for your enterprise

If you want stocker cattle to put on grass, calves that weigh less than 450 pounds perform poorly on grass pasture. If cattle weigh over 750 pounds in the spring, they should not be fed on pasture. It is recommended that they be placed in a confined situation and fed a higher proportion of concentrate feeds, such as barley or corn. Make sure you have animals that fit your enterprise. Learn more tips about raising cattle with the right steps here.