Objective 5.02: Understand the process for producing, breeding and marketing agriculture animals.

 Process for producing & caring for animals varies greatly depending on: ◦ type of animals ◦ Location ◦ facilities ◦ overall producer goals.  There has been an increase in consumer demand for locally grown and organically raised products.

 Consumers have increased their awareness of how agriculture products are raised and manufactured.  Majority of livestock & poultry products still produced & sold to commercial corporations who re-distribute them through various outlets such as grocery stores.

 Goal of production and purpose of animals.  Type of breeding system to use based on how they elect to produce the animals.  How to market the animals.

 Beef cattle producers may specialize in one type of cattle operation or combine various types. ◦ Cow-Calf Producers ◦ Seedstock ◦ Cattle Feeders  Stocker Operations  Feedlot

 Herd of cows are bred each year to produce calves.  Calves are sold sometime after weaning. ◦ 6 months to 1 year

 Also known as purebred breeders.  Keep herds of purebred breeding animals & provide replacement bulls for cow-calf operations.  Focus specifically on genetic improvements within a given breed.

 Stocker Operations  Purchase calves from a cow-calf producer.  Care for them for approx. 5 months (12 months to 17 months of age).

 Feedlot  Raise large numbers of animals in a more confined area.  Animals fed to a “finished” market weight, then sent to be processed between months of age.  Purchased from stockers or cow-calf producers through various types of livestock markets.

 Feedlots sell animals to packing plants (slaughter houses). ◦ Process animals into primal cuts and subprimal cuts. ◦ Sold to retailers & foodservice companies.  Some packing facilities sell subprimals to meat processors who create value added products such as pre-cooked items, sandwich meat, etc.

 The amount of time involved in producing beef cattle is significantly longer compared to swine and poultry.  Most beef cattle are grown independently, not on contracts.

 Dairy cattle production in the US continues to shift towards larger herds, ◦ Allows producers to maximize production and profits

 Intensive Dairy Production ◦ Animals raised in more confined setting. ◦ Open lot or tie stall barn.  Pasture Dairy Production ◦ Cattle turned out on pasture continuously or for portions of day.  Some producers us a combination of both types.

1. Mature cows milked 2-3 times a day after they give birth & their lactation cycle begins. ◦ Calves removed from the cow 1-2 days after being born.  Male calves = used for veal or raised as slaughter steers.  Heifers = kept to become replacements or used for meat.  Replacement heifers raised in feedlot or pasture settings until they are ready to be moved in with the dairy herd.

 Replacement heifers are bred around 15 months of age. ◦ Begin producing milk 9 months later (2 years of age).

2. During lactation cycle, cows are re-bred. 3. Approximately 60 days before giving birth again, they are “dried off” (quit producing milk) in preparation for their next calf. 4. The average production cycle of dairy cattle is 5-7 years. Animals are then processed for their meat.

1. Milk is collected in large tanks at the farm & transported to processing facilities. 2. Fluid milk (cream & skim) is separated and re- blended to make skim, 2%, whole milk, etc. ◦ Fluid milk is pasteurized and homogenized.

 Fluid Milk: ◦ Pasteurization – rapid heating & cooling of milk to remove bacteria. ◦ Homogenization – dispersing fat droplets so milk says uniformly mixed.

 The excess fat removed from fluid milk to make low fat milk such as skim and 2% is used to make products such as eggnog, butter, whipping cream, etc.  Other dairy products made from fat and butterfat at value added facilities include ice cream, yogurt and cheese.

 Most swine are grown through vertical integration contracts: ◦ Two or more steps of production, marketing, and processing are linked together, usually by contract between,  Producers & feed manufacturers  Producers & processors  Or include all 3.

 A corporation such as Smithfield Foods, Inc. purchases feeder hogs from a producer & raises the animals to a market weight in their company owned finishing house.  Then they transport animals to the slaughter house that is also owned by Smithfield Foods, Inc.

 Sow: ◦ Maintains sows for breeding, gestation and farrowing. ◦ Manages piglets until they are weaned at ~21 days.  Nursery: ◦ Manages piglets after they are weaned until ~10 weeks or 50lbs.

 Grow-Finish: ◦ Manages barrows & gilts until ready for market.  Farrow-to-Finish: ◦ Manages group of breeding sows & maintains piglets to market weights. ◦ AKA Complete Sow & Litter Operation. ◦ Commercial operation = house animals in separate facilities to manage disease. ◦ Typical operation for small scale producer raising hogs for local markets.

 Finishing operations send animals to processing facilities. ◦ In many cases the finishing operation & slaughterhouse are vertically integrated.  Pork is processed into primal & subprimal cuts. ◦ These products are sold to retailers &foodservice companies.  Some packing facilities sell subprimals to meat processors who create value added products. ◦ Ham, bacon, pre-cooked items, sandwich meat, etc.

Most poultry in the United States is produced through vertical integration contract with large commercial operations.

 Laying hens are typically confined to cages or a floor- pen system.  Eggs are cleaned, graded and packed at the farm.

 Laying hens produce eggs for ~72 weeks and then sold for meat once production cycle is complete.  Over ½ of laying hens are raised through vertical integration contracts.

 Poultry fed high quality feed to maximize growth.  Hormones cannot be added according to USDA standards.  A producer will raise several flocks of birds each year.

 Broilers are processed into cuts of meat & value added products such as sandwich meat, pre-cooked products, etc.  Approximately 99% of broilers are raised through vertical integration contracts.

 Raising chickens to replace either egg production or broiler production operations.

 Various breeding systems exist due to the various types of livestock operations.  Factors that determine type of system: ◦ Size of herd ◦ Amount of money available ◦ Goals of producer

 Some farms use more than one type of mating system.  Cattle use all types of breeding systems.  Swine and poultry tend to use crossbreeding to develop industry owned hybrids.

 Mating animals of the same breed.  Types of straightbreeding systems: ◦ Pure-breeding ◦ Inbreeding ◦ Grading Up

 Mating registered purebred male and female of the same breed.  Animals are eligible for registry with a purebred association.  Example: Angus x Angus

 Mating closely related animals.  Increased the genetic purity of the stock produced, but not used as often by the typical producer. ◦ Two types of inbreeding:  Closebreeding: mating animals that are very closely related.  Example: son X mother  Linebreeding: mating animals more distantly related than closebreeding.  Example: cousin to cousin

The offspring of the 2 nd generation have received 75% of their genetic make-up from the sire A because he appears closer in the pedigree to the offspring than he does in linebreeding. They have received only 25% of their genetic inheritance from the female B. 2 nd Generation 3/4A 1/4B 2 nd Mating A1/2A 1/2B 1 st Generation ½ A ½ B 1 st Mating A (Male)B (Female)

The offspring in the second generation have received 50% of their genetic inheritance from the sire A because he appears twice in their pedigree. They have received only 25% of their genetic inheritance from each of the females B and C. 2 nd Generation ½ A ¼ B ¼ C 2 nd Mating 1/2A1/2 B x 1/2A/2C 1 st Generation ½ A ½ B½ A ½ C 1 st Mating A x BA x C

 Mating purebred males (sires) to grade, unregistered, or crossbred females (dams) to improve the herd.

3 rd Generation ½A 3 ¼A 2 1/8A 1 1/8G87.5% Purebred, 12.5% Grade 3 rd Mating A 3 x ½ A 2 ¼ A 1 ¼ G 2 nd Generation ½ A 2 ¼ A 1 ¼ G75% Purebred, 25% Grade 2 nd Mating A 2 x ½ A 1 ½ G 1 st Generation 1/2A 1 1/2G50% Pure 50% Grade 1 st Mating A 1 x G

 Mating a male and female of different breeds.  Usually results in improved traits of the offspring. ◦ Hybrid Vigor ◦ Example: Yorkshire boar x Yorkshire – Hampshire sow

 Terminal sire : Replacement females are bred to a sire and all offspring are sold.  Rotational : Uses 2, 3 or 4 breeds to rotate between sires and females.  Requires more intensive management.

 Terminal Markets: ◦ Central markets on public stockyards where livestock are consigned to a commission firm to bargain with purchasers or buyers for a certain fee.  Auction Markets: ◦ Public bidding with the animals selling to the buyer who bids the highest.

 Direct Selling: ◦ Farmer sells straight to buyer with no middle person or firm receiving commissions or fees.  Electronic Marketing: ◦ Auctioning online using computers.

 Futures Market and Hedging: ◦ Legal document calling for delivery in the future, locking in a future delivery price.  Vertical Integration Contracts: ◦ Animals are produced as well as marketed as a part of the vertical integration enterprise.

Tyson, Case, Purdue Poultry Farmer or producer Hatchery Grain producer