| CALENDAR OF EVENTS | |
|
September | |
| 2-3 | Florida Cattlemen's Association - Fall Quarterly Meeting - Fort Myers |
| 6 | Labor Day Observed - Extension Office Closed |
| 16 | Winter Supplementation Program - Sarasota |
| 25 | Florida Santa Gertrudis Association - Cattlemen's Kind Sale - Bartow |
|
October | |
| 1 | 5th Annual Florida Cattlemen's Association - Replacement Heifer Sale - Hardee County Livestock Market, Wauchula, 1:00 p.m. |
| 14 | Herd Bull Selection Program - Wauchula |
| 19-21 | Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition - Moultrie, Georgia |
| 28 | Hay Production Field Day - Bradenton |
| 28 | DeSoto County Cattlemen's Association Annual Meeting - Family Service Center Annex, 7:00 p.m. |
|
November | |
| 8 | ABC Bull Sale, Angus, Brangus and Charolais - Arcadia State Livestock Market, 1:00 p.m. |
This year's 4-H Pancake Breakfast will be on Saturday, November 6 at the Golden Corral from 7:00 - 10:00 a.m. Tickets will be $3.00 again this year and include "all-you-can-eat" pancakes, coffee, juice, and sausage (limited). This is one of our major fund raisers for 4-H, so please come!
The 1999 DeSoto County Cattlemen's Association Annual Meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, October 28 at the Family Service Center Annex. All members long with their family are invited to attend. Members are asked to bring a covered dish. You may bring one guest to the steak dinner. Members bringing more than one guest will be asked to pay $10.00 per each additional guest.
The Winter Supplementation Seminar presented by the South Florida Beef/Forage Program is being offered in Sarasota on September 16, 1999 at the Ken Clark Auditorium located at 3000 Ringling Blvd. 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. The agenda will be as follows:
- 4:00 When and What (energy vs. Protein) to Supplement
Dr. Bill Kunkle, Animal Science Dept., UF/IFAS, Gainesville, FL - 4:30 Use of Liquid Feeds and Strategic Supplementation
Terry Weaver, Beef Specialist, US Sugar Corp. - 5:00 Supplementing Alternatives, Cost and Specific Examples
Dr. John Arthington, Range Cattle REC, UF/IFAS, Ona, FL -
6:00 Dinner (R.S.V.P. required)
-
6:30 Supplementing with Forages
Dr. Carrol Chambliss, Agronomy Dept., UF/IFAS, Gainesville, FL -
7:00 Standing or Stored Forages as a Supplementation?
Dr. Martin Adjei, Range Cattle REC, UF/IFAS, Ona, FL
To make dinner reservations, please R.S.V.P. to Jennifer Myers, Sarasota County Extension Livestock Agent at (941) 316-1000 or your local County Extension Livestock Agent by September 9, 1999.
The Herd Bull Selection presented by the South Florida Beef/Forage Program is being offered in Sarasota on October 14, 1999 at the Hardee County Cattlemen's Arena located on Rodeo Dr. in Wauchula 3:00 - 6:15 p.m. The agenda will be as follows:
- 3:00 Florida's New Bull Test Station
Dr. Bob Sand, Animal Science Dept., UF/IFAS, Gainesville, FL -
3:10 Breeding Soundness Examinations (BSE's)
Structural Soundness in Beef Bulls
Dr. Owen Rae, Veterinary Medicine, UF/IFAS, Gainesville, FL -
3:50 Libido Test in Beef Bulls
Lockie Gary, Hardee County Extension Service UF/IFAS, Wauchula, FL -
4:10 The Use of Records and EPD's in Herd Bull Selection
Willard Lemaster, Animal Science Dept., UF/IFAS, Gainesville, FL -
4:40 Producer Panel - How I Select My Herd Bulls
John Burtcher, Heritage Farms
Gene Lollis, Buck Island Ranch
Duck Smith, Bar Cresent "S" Ranch -
5:30 Breeding Soundness Examinations (BSE's)
Ultrasound Demonstration
Dr. Owen Rae, Veterinary Medicine, UF/IFAS, Gainesville, FL
Willard Lemaster, Animal Science Dept., UF/IFAS, Gainesville, FL - 6:30 Dinner (R.S.V.P. required)
To make dinner reservations, please R.S.V.P. to Lockie Gary, Hardee County Extension Director at (941) 773-2164 or your local County Extension Livestock Agent by October 6, 1999.
With the breeding season approaching in the next 3-4 months, this is the time of the year not only to purchase replacement bulls, but it is also a time to conduct a Breeding Soundness Exam (BSE) of your current bull inventory. A BSE should be the minimum test performed annually on all breeding-age bulls. Sub-fertile bulls generate low calf crop percentages, and could also be responsible for low weaning weights. Evidence shows that, for every estrous cycle during which a female fails to conceive, there is a corresponding 25-45 lb decrease in the subsequent calf's weaning weight. Examinations should be conducted 60 days before the breeding season begins. This allows time to replace bulls if necessary, but also minimizes the time between the examination and the start of the breeding season. Veterinarians can perform a BSE, which includes:
- Visual assessment of eyes, teeth, feet, legs and external genitalia;
- Internal palpation of accessory sex organs;
- Electroejaculation for semen sample collection and sperm evaluation;
- Scrotal Measurement; and
- Physical exposure and examination of genitalia.
In the visual examination, structural soundness is an important part of the exam. Poor feet and legs on the best bull will spell major problems. Research has shown that good vision is the most important sense a bull uses to detect estrus (heat).
Yearling bulls should have a minimum scrotal circumference of 30cm. Better quality bulls would be represented by circumferences of 34cm or greater at 12 months of age. Larger scrotal size has been shown to have a direct correlation to age of puberty in resulting daughters. This is especially important in females of brahman or brahman crosses, in order that sexual maturity is reached at a younger age. Mature bulls should have scrotal measurements of at least 34cm and a higher standard would be in a range of 38cm or greater.
Use of frame score and or mature cow weight, in selection of breeding stock, is not a common practice among commercial cattlemen. Often it is because frame scores are not available from the seedstock producer. In this article, I want to show you the relationship of cow size and projected slaughter weights of their offspring. First though lets look at what the beef industry considers the most desirable slaughter animal:
| Characteristics | Target | Acceptable Range |
| Slaughter Weight | 1225 | 1025-1350 |
| Carcass Weight | 775 | 650-850 |
| Ribeye Area (sq. in.) | 14 | 11-15 |
| Ribeye Area/ cwt. of Carcass wt. | 1.8 | 1.7-1.9 |
| Yield Grade (1-5) | 2 | 1-3.5 |
| Backfat Thickness (in.) | .4 | .3-.6 |
| Guality Grade | Choice | Prime-Select |
| Marbling | Small | Slight-Abundant |
| Maturity | A | A |
Next lets look at the relationship of frame size to expected mature weight of cows and resulting carcass weight of offspring of the same frame size. Factors such as calves shipped directly to the feedlot versus yearlings on grass and then going to the feedlot, can alter this projected end weight.
| Frame Score | Mature Weight | Slaughter Weight | Carcass Weight | |||
| Cow | Bull | Steer | Heifer | Steer | Heifer | |
| 1 | 850 | 1400 | 850 | 700 | 540 | 445 |
| 2 | 955 | 1530 | 955 | 810 | 606 | 514 |
| 3 | 1000 | 1600 | 1000 | 875 | 635 | 556 |
| 4 | 1110 | 1775 | 1110 | 945 | 705 | 600 |
| 5 | 1200 | 1920 | 1200 | 1020 | 762 | 648 |
| 6 | 1295 | 2070 | 1295 | 1100 | 822 | 699 |
| 7 | 1400 | 2240 | 1400 | 1190 | 889 | 756 |
| 8 | 1515 | 2425 | 1515 | 1285 | 962 | 816 |
In the above table, body weights are based upon cows and bulls in a Body Condition Score of 5 (moderate flesh). At that BCS, cows and steers weights match together. From this and the first table that shows the industry targets for carcass characteristics, we can see that we are looking to produce frame 5 steers. Frame 5 cows mated to frame 5 bulls will give us steers that will be in the right target range. However, that means a cow size of approximately 1200 lbs. With our environment, smaller mature cow weights are often a better choice. We can mate smaller framed cows to larger framed bulls and still achieve the desired slaughter weights of their offspring. One of the problems that we face though with this system is that non-replacement heifers will often not achieve acceptable weights without them being maintained to older ages. These heiferettes are in danger of being classified as "b" maturity at slaughter and would only qualify for a standard grade. This would result in a significant discount at the packing plant. Usually discounts such as these are passed down to the cow-calf producer. However, when environmental adaptability is considered against producing the "ideal" slaughter heifer, adaptability should be sought first and a heifer produced that will fit our environment.
Standardized Frame Scores have been set by the Beef Cattle Improvement Federation and is simply a correlation of age and hip height ( in inches). For example:
| Mature Cow | Mature Bull | 10 Month Heifer | 11 Month Heifer | |
| - inches - | ||||
| FS 3 | 48.2 | 52.3 | 41.6 | 42.3 |
| FS 4 | 50.0 | 54.1 | 43.7 | 44.3 |
| FS 5 | 52.0 | 55.9 | 45.7 | 46.4 |
| FS 6 | 53.9 | 58.0 | 47.7 | 48.4 |
| FS 7 | 55.8 | 60.0 | 49.7 | 50.4 |
There are complete tables of the BIF Frame Scores that begin with age 5 months for males and females and continue through maturity. Some breed associations have developed there own Frame Score tables that vary slightly from the BIF guidelines. Should you like a copy of the BIF tables we have them available in the Extension Office. The goal though is to produce as desirable calves as we possibly can within the limits of our environment.
If you have any comments or need additional information, please contact the DeSoto County Extension Office at (941) 993-4846.
Sincerely,
James F. Selph
DeSoto County Extension Director, IV, Livestock
James F. Selph
Back to the Cooperative Extension Newsletters Page
Back to the South Florida Beef-Forage Program HomePage
