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What type and size of cattle is more efficient? Small or large? Fast or slow growth?
Breeder, fattening, industry, market, for all matters, but not in the same way.
The issue of efficiency is not new, debates from the moment of the creation of livestock operations and the efficient livestock production has been studied for more than one century. However I think even a misunderstood topic. Understanding the pieces of the puzzle of efficiency is essential to maximize the profit of the specific operations of the farmer.
The overall efficiency meat production system is a combination of the biological efficiency, consumed food / meat produced, and the economic efficiency, weights returned invested/weights. The achievement of both at the same time can be a complicated process that is similar to the a puzzle-solving It requires understanding and manage the genetic potential of livestock, the environment in which they must produce and when decisions and product to produce according to market demand.
The quest of efficiency:
Dickerson (1970) I point out that in a field of breeding, a herd of cows efficient exhibits sexual maturity early, a high rate of reproduction, low rates of dystocia, longevity, minimum maintenance requirements, and the ability to convert the energy available, native forage or non-native, in the widest possible kg of weaned calves. Maximum efficiency in a context of breeding, It should aim at a cow's average growth, with early sexual maturity, to not increase the adult size.
Amyes and Morris (2009), they report that selection for early puberty meant a 26%, 12,2% and 2,2% most of pregnancy in entores of yearling heifers, in the bellies of two years and adult cows, respectively, in comparison to the baseline of late puberty. On all cows age groups, the line of early puberty obtained 10,3 points porcentualesmas of pregnancy than their counterparts. On the productive life of cows, those selected for early puberty had 1,01 more services and 0,87 more pregnancies than late age. In this work, the authors conclude that lowering the age to puberty in cattle, It leads to increase the pregnancy rate in cattle
The ability to reproduce is by far the most important factor of efficiency and the ability to reproduce in a pastoral setting is related to its adult size and milk production.
Cundiff (1986) compare suckler cow of pastoral environment with high producing cows of retail cuts and observed that they produce heavier calves at birth, they reach puberty at more advanced ages, they have a tendency to produce less marbling and maintenance requirements higher due to mature higher weights and a greater visceral mass.
This type of cattle began to develop in the USA in the Decade of the ´70 with the introduction of the continental races as a reaction to the industrial revolution which began in the Decade of the ´60. Technological changes in the industry favored higher slaughter weights (Ferrell and Jenkins, 2006). It rewarded the cattle with higher genetic potential to grow. Hanging heavy cattle, you produce as much meat as possible in the Assembly line, It is what makes this sector more efficient. Efficiency in plants of fattening and meat industry encourages the breeder to produce animals of high growth and high slaughter weight.
In the USA and most of the countries with important livestock purchase of finance is concentrated in few companies. In United States the 81 % commercialized heads it is purchased by single 4 companies. The 97 % the meat is sold as ” boxedbeef “and it goes to supermarkets. The Argentina does not happen, the 4 largest refrigeration companies operating not more than the 10 % offer. There are lot of cullers, each with its market niche. Supermarkets do not sell more than the 20% offer. This makes it difficult to define what quality of meat is required.
Select by weaning weight leads to an increase in the size of the mature cow, What, Depending on the availability of food, You may or may not be efficient in a pastoral setting (Kelley, 2002). This in our country is again very difficult since the kg of meat produced per hectare than those produced individually are more important. In the USA it is viable to the extent that you can supplement, which supplements are cheap and readily available more a good price of the product.
A herd of breeding efficiency goes through the best possible pregnancy percentage, There is no dystocia and is weaned the highest possible number of calves to the best weight possible in relation to the weight of his mother and producing the largest amount of kg of meat per hectare with a minimum amount of investment and costs.
BentonGlaze, 2011, reveals that Heifer suffering from dystocia the following year weaning a 14% less than calves result of postpartum anestrus longer and lower rates of conception.
In a fattening pen, the aim is simply to produce the greatest amount of kg of meat as possible in order to benefit from a margin above the cost of power. Given that the cost structure is different, the solution to the puzzle, an efficient animal, is different for one and the other.
Due to the segmentation of the livestock industry in three highly competitive sectors, the biological and economic efficiency does not always have a positive correlation. Breeder cattle must be efficient, often using a power limited, based on forage with a high investment by business unit. The second segment is fattening, today in a high percentage to corral, where must livestock be efficient in the use of high energy, usually grain-based, with low investment per unit and with a business based on the margin. The third, the cold storage industry, It is the one with the lower investment per unit and is also a margin-based business.
The reality is that the biological traits, where the breeder is supported, in the efficient use of the grazed forage are very different from the biological traits in which rests the fattening for efficient harvesting of concentrates (Notter, 2002). Interaction between the potential genetic and environmental
Biological efficiency depends on the interaction between the genetic potential and the environment, specifically with the availability and variability of feed resources.
Cow uses the energy according to the following order: maintenance, growth, lactation and reproduction. I.e., cares so same. Ritchie (2001) He described the cows of high maintenance as those that tend to have high milk production, high weight of the visceral mass, high lean body mass, low-fat in your body, need for high income and high yields. They also reach puberty at later age.
In our country with mixed and more diversified companies should wean early, stack cows, use stubble and deferred, i.e. , It has reduced availability and quality , so it is difficult to get any advantage to the higher milk production, and can endanger the State body and therefore the reproduction . Loses first pregnancy head and then points of pregnancy.
Low maintenance cows tend to be low in milk production, under the weight of its visceral mass, low lean body mass, high-fat in your body, low income and low yields. They reach puberty at an early age. Milk production is accomplished in part by mobilization of body reserves.
The concern of producers Australian at the loss of fertility of their cattle by the pursuit of animals with more growth and leaner, He took to his country researchers decided to study the effect of the genetic merit in fat in the reproduction. When two lines of heifers were grouped into an Australian site with genetic merit different fat, best pregnancy rates for the high line fat were found (95%) compared to that achieved in low line fat heifers (86%) (Pitchford and Graham, 2010). With these findings, evidence that the concern of the producers were contributed by the loss of fertility in cattle, by changes in the animal biotype (leaner animals) induced current selection programmes, had its foundations. In addition, It is appreciated to fat coverage as an important maternal characteristic in pastoral conditions, a concept that goes against the genetic trend of "modern" bovine populations be increasingly lean.
However, It is important not to confuse maintenance with efficiency requirements. Efficiency is a proportion of which goes to produce (exit), and maintenance power is an entry but not an indication of output.
In one of the most comprehensive experiments on efficiency of cow, the researchers of the Meat Animal Research Center (MARC) they studied the biological effectiveness of nine different races in a controlled energy supply system (Jenkis and Ferrell, 1994). They made a classification for efficiency between three British breeds and six continental depending on food intake. In lower power supply power consumption found that races moderate in the genetic potential for growth and milk production (Angus, Network Poll and Pinzgauer) they were more eficientesdebido to higher rates of conception. This highlights and clear, the importance of reproduction in a discussion of efficiency. In this proposal of low energy intake breeds with higher genetic potential for growth and milk production had problems because they could not commit themselves to reproduction. In a proposal of high consumption of energy the continental breeds, with the greatest potential to grow more efficient were that they were able to reproduce and the extra available energy became milk that resulted in heavier calves.
Think of our farming in marginal areas for farming conditions and this situation is power, already do not pass by individual production in a controlled environment but in kg of meat produced per hectare.
Metabolic vs weight. Live weight
The average weight of the elephants is 220.000 more than the average weight of mice. However the elephants require only about 10.000 times more energy than the mice. This is due to the mathematical and geometrical relationship between the body surface area and volume, that biology described by Kleiber's law, where the metabolic weight is equal to the high body weight to the 0,75 (Kleiber, 1932). This explains why the largest animal is more efficient in the use of energy. By ej.: 87 cows of 550 kg require the same amount of energy in maintenance 100 cows of 450 kg. Cycle
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The biology of maintenance energy requirements say that a larger cow consumes more food than a smaller, However their additional needs as a percentage are lower than their extra weight as a percentage. EJ.: a cow's 545 kg weighs a 20% more than one of 454 kg but their power requirements are only a 15% more. Equivalent size is important in order to accurately compare the efficiency of animals of different sizes and see how it impacts the size in profitability. Breeders with variable power environments may be benefited by one larger number of cows of lesser size due to the risk associated with low rates of reproduction of larger-sized cows if the supplementary feeding is not present or is very expensive.
The value of the ratio of the weight of the calf weaning weight of their mother is a useful index but has some observations. The production of cow's milk affects both the numerator and the denominator (is input and output is). The calf pasture intake is difficult to quantify, and the most important and greatest impact in that equation is the reproduction. Nothing is worth wean a high percentage of their weight but is pregnant.
Therefore when we talk about relationship weight calf at weaning/weight of the mother at that time, We must if or relate it to the reproductive State.
While it does not reflect the individual efficiency, the relationship between the total number of weaned kg divided the number of cows entoradas is a measure of the efficiency of all the rodeo. This equation recognizes the most important feature of efficiency that is the reproduction. The increase in this ratio without increasing the costs of inputs will result in an increase in net income.
The problem of the sacrifice of efficiency
Produce a genetic change through the sacrifice of the cow is not very effective in a commercial herd. These have a long generational interval so that progress is slow. Second, differential selection for efficiency within the same rodeo is generally small and difficult to measure. In third place, low heritability traits-based culling is ineffective. For all this, It is much more effective to select for efficiency by the side of the bull.
Optimizing the breeding
Is not a function of maternal breeds development, This is accomplished in other ways and the weight of the steer is regulated with growing speed, want to change this and make it giving cows growth speed, is to put the system at risk. To optimize efficiency should create a system enabling to use genetic potential in a market determined and given environment.
Improvement programs take advantage of the complementarity of the races and this form of meat production can be increased relatively quickly, example using a terminal "Bull" on a maternal breed can wean off up to a 28% more meat per cow served as if it were a single race (Fields and Taylor, 2003).
. The great variation between individuals within the same species still speaks of nature defines the "right" genetic efficiency differently in different environments.
Environments can be classified not only by the availability of food , but also by stress levels , cold, heat, parasites, diseases, mud and altitude (Bourdon, 1988)
A herd of cows efficient are those able to catch the greatest benefit while preserving marginal revenues above marginal costs.
Because the table of Kleiber, the size of the cow, in relation to the available food resources, determines the size of the breeding herd. The breeder can increase the size of your rodeo reducing the size of their cows to some extent, without increasing food production and fixed costs, but in doing so increase investment and variable costs.
Conclusions:
Efficiency in animal production is a measure of the cost of inputs to the total animal product.
Determine the correct size of the cow to any production system requires understanding of how the segmentation of the meat production industry affects the interaction of the biological and economic efficiency.
Antagonisms exist between ideal genetic traits in the different stages of the chain and the different environments. The energy of maintenance should not be confused with efficiency and should be calculated on the basis of the metabolic weight of the animal. Improving efficiency requires measuring and the relationship of the weight of the calf with respect to the of his mother only served if we attached it to the playback.
More efficient cow would be the one with the greatest potential for milk production without affecting the percentage of calves weaned successfully, weaned annually (reproduction) and accomplished with Bulls breeders of the growth and characteristics of the beef that most values the market.
The size of the cow, through the metabolic weight, will determine the size of the rodeo.
No race or particular size of cow will be highlighted in all the features or will be more efficient in all environments.
"Bulls terminals": primarily of continental races and today also we find them within a same breed as the Angus and Hereford where there are individuals who have been selected and behave how continental. Remember that these Bulls will give children of lower prematurity, increased age at puberty, higher requirements, tendency to have less marbling, less fat and are more efficient in the use of energy but not daughters will give us (cows) reset with the characteristics required by our system.
Terminals are called because all of its production is sold or entered for fattening in a proposal of full cycle.
Juan Martin Narbaïtz M.V.
Bibliography:
Dickerson (1970)
Amyes and Morris (2009)
Cundiff (1986)
Ferrell and Jenkins, 2006
Kleiber, 1932
Fields and Taylor, 2003
Bourdon, 1988
BentonGlaze, 2011
Pitchford and Graham, 2010
Producing Right Sized Cows
Cow Size and Efficiency: Solving the Puzzle
Jennifer J. Johnson, J.D. Radakovich, and Barry H. Dunn
King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management
Texas to&M University‐Kingsville
Silva Nava, William, DMV, MAgrSc (Hons)
Areco, Alberto, ING. AG., Cabin girls flowers, personal communication.
Comisso, Ricardo, ING. AG., Cabana Santa Elena, personal communication.
Sack, Ezequiel, Lic., The Emma cabin, personal communication
