Module 3 Assignment  

                                                                            February 7 2020

1. Why would a livestock manager need to use a production calendar?

A livestock manager need to use a production calendar to properly manage the ranch into
a more profitable production. By being able to plan properly and coincide your production
calendar to when there is abundance of forage, marketing channels, different demands and
resource limitations, you end up with a better outcome including reduced cost, and a higher
animal unit production. This is extremely important in the context of the production and
implementing good agribusiness principles.
2. How is the cycle of total cattle inventory useful to a ranch manager?
This is important for a ranch manager to fully understand the supply and demand for
cattle and how this should affect management decisions throughout the years. The cycle where
roughly peaks every 10 years, provide the necessary information on the prices and demand that
will peak and then reduce. This can be used for ranch managers for example when understanding
when to expand or buy more cattle. The most opportunity during the peak of the cycle where
there are more cattle available and you can buy cattle for a cheaper price.
3. According to the study one by Allender, on the beef production calendar and
nature's cycle, when is the best season to calve and at what level of
supplementation? Explain.
The study by Allender indicates that the best season to calve during the March to March
period. This was determined basis on the fact that during this period, it has the highest pregnancy
rates even with the lowest supplementation, and the requirements for forage is much higher that
is supported by the peak of the forage production. Ultimately, this is to reduce cost by being able
to increase your pregnancy rate and also lower the supplementation required for this high rate.
4. Looking at the work from Allender, how do levels of supplementation affect the
profitability of the enterprise? What about weaning age of offspring? Explain.
The level of supplementation affects the profitability of the enterprise due to amount of
supplement needed to increase the pregnancy rate. To get the most optimum pregnancy rate, you
need to increase the weight of the cows. By being able to reduce the supplement rate, and just
rely on the forage availability, you are reducing your cost and thus increase profit. This is also
true for the weaning age of offspring. By being able to wean at a perfect timing from late winter
and early spring this means the cows are not putting their energy to milk production, therefore
can focus on the gaining of weight that will ultimately increase the pregnancy rate.

5. Since Allender did his work in eastern Colorado on short-grass prairie, his research
findings may not be true to ever environment. Name a couple of principles you can
take away from his research to apply to any livestock enterprise.
The two take away from his research are to properly understand your production system
and the environment where you function. This means understanding your resources properly and
your production requirements means you can properly use your production calendar to minimize
cost. Second is understanding your environment meaning being able to match the proper breed
that can utilize the environment properly in terms of the resources such as forage availability, the
weather, and altitude.
6. How do breeds of livestock relative to environment influence profitability?
The breed of livestock ultimately influences profitability due to the fact if the breed is
adaptive or suitable to the environment where you grow them. The environment brings different
variables that has an effect on how the livestock grows. For example, some breeds are not
suitable to warm or cold weather. Additionally, some breeds are not good with areas of drought.
The concept is to fully understand if the breed you have is suitable to grow in the environment
you function in, to be able to produce the required output to profit.
7. Explain why unusually high temperatures have an adverse effect on the productivity
of animals. (Ch. 11 Animal Science and Industry)
Unusually high temperature have an adverse effect on the productivity of the animals due
to the physiological responses the animal have to cope and adapt to the high temperature. During
heat stress, the thyroid gland secretes less thyroxine and the adrenal gland secretes lower levels
of corticoids to lower heat production of the animal. The heat stress also have a significant effect
on their reproductive efficiency. The heat stress can result in panting which increases caloric
requirement for their maintenance. Additionally, animals that are exposed to the heat stress will
eat less, this ultimately decreases the energy available to gain weight.
8. Define in your own words trait, phenotype, and genotype. (Ch. 1 Understanding
Animal Breeding)
In describing animals, we characterize them in different ways in terms of appearances,
performance or a combination of both. A trait is anything you can observe or measurable
characteristic within an individual. These can include the appearance where coat, color, size,
muscling, leg set, head shape and so on are examples of observable traits. The measurable traits
on the other hand include things that you can measure such as weight, time to run a mile and so
forth. A phenotype on the other hand, is the observed category or the measured level of a trait.
This for example looks at the actual categories of an individual. This could be the actual weight
and color red. Lastly, the genotype is the genetic makeup of an individual meaning the actual
genetic makeup that brings out the phenotypes.
9. For a species of your choice, list five traits and at least two phenotypes for each trait.
(Ch. 1 Understanding Animal Breeding)
For a cow, the five traits can include the (1) presence of horns, (2) quarter mile time, (3)
yearling weight, (4) fur color, (5) calving ease. For each of these traits, the phenotypes are as
follows: (1) horned, polled and dehorned, (2) 15 seconds, 18 seconds etc. (3) 850 lbs and 1000
lbs, (4) brown, white, black and (5) assisted and unassisted.
10. Why are the mating systems used by seedstock breeders so often different from
those used by commercial breeding? (Ch. 2 Understanding Animal Breeding)
The main difference is due to the fact that they have different goals and targets. The
mating systems used by seedstock breeders will often practice inbreeding while commercial
producers will not. The main difference stems from the commercial breeders want to take
advantage of all breeding methods to increase their efficiency and profit, and want breed
complementarity and hybrid vigor for their production. The seedstock are not concerned about
these as purebred animals do not exhibit these qualities themselves as this will not reduce the
value of their production.
11. Contrast selection and mating. (Ch. 2 Understanding Animal Breeding)
Selection is the process that determines the breeds from which parents are selected while
mating is the process that determines which males are bred to which females. The main
difference is that in the selection tool, you choose the group of animals you want to be parents
while in mating you match males and females from the selected group.