Beef Cattle

All cattle are herd animals. In bad weather, or at night, they tend to group together. During the day, they usually spread out to graze.

Cattle are ruminants; they can digest fibrous plants that are not edible by humans. All ruminants, such as cattle, goats, and sheep, have a four-chambered stomach. They eat grass by wrapping their tongues around the grass and pulling it into their mouths. The animal does not chew the grass completely. It goes down into the large where it is stored and broken down into balls of cud. When the animal has eaten its fill, it rests and "chews its cud." The balls of cud are brought back into the mouth, chewed into pulp and swallowed again. The chewed feed then goes through the other three stomach chambers, where it is digested.

Major Cattle Breeds

Major breeds of beef cattle in Canada* include: Angus, Charolais, Hereford, Simmental, Limousin, Maine-Anjou, and Shorthorn. Some cattlemen raise purebreds, but others have herds consisting of one of more breeds. These crossbred animals have more vigor and help produce calves that grow more quickly.

What's The Difference.

Dairy and beef cattle are fed and bred differently. Beef animals are smooth, well-muscled animals with strong legs. They are fed to produce high quality lean meat, with a minimum of bone or fat waste. 
The dairy animals are more angular in shape than beef animals. The udders of dairy cows are often large and may hang lower. Dairy cows are fed more grain to increase milk production. The main breed of dairy cows is Holstein; other breeds in Ontario include Jersey, Ayrshire and Guernsey.

Health and Nutrition are important

Beef farmers (or cattlemen as they are called), enjoy working with animals and care about their welfare. Most cattlemen place a numbered ear tag on each animal for easy identification. They must pay a great deal of attention to the health of their animals to help them grow and to ensure their welfare. The farmers work along with the local veterinarian to ensure that the animals are vaccinated to help prevent disease. Working together, the farmer and veterinarian pay special attention to the rations of the animals to ensure proper nutrition to keep them strong and healthy.

Cows receive a nutritionally balanced mixture of hay, grasses, clover, alfalfa and (usually corn), that is stored in silos. Cattle in the feedlot receive silage, hay and rolled grain such as barley, corn, wheat and oats. Much of the grain used for cattle feed is not suitable for human consumption. The feed is mixed together so it looks like granola. The cattle can also be fed food manufacturing by-products. Minerals and vitamins are added to complete the balance. It takes approximately 4.5 kg of feed to produce 1 kg of edible beef. Each mature beef animal will drink between 35 and 65 litres of water every day, depending on the feed they receive and the outside temperature.

The Ontario Cattlemen's Association helped to develop a Code of Practice for the care and handling of beef cattle to help cattlemen care for their animals. Cattlemen also show concern for the environment. They use the animal waste as . Looking after beef properly requires a great deal of dedication and work every day of the week.

* There are many different breeds of beef cattle and each has an "association". The names and addresses of the various associations can be accessed through OAFE or the Ontario Cattlemen's Association.