Cattle - Feeding Analysis
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Science Concept & Application
I chose beef cattle as my concept. And the experiment I chose to do was with grain and the preferences of a beef cattle and how that would help them grow over the years. When I completed my experiment I found that my beef cow preferred the original 12% mixed grain over cattle cubes and plain corn.
This grain helps beef cattle grow to where we get that maximum weight with the most meat. I hope that my information helps other farmers as well and saves money for farmers. I also chose a concept. Animal husbandry. That is the study of cows and other animals, like horses, pigs, and poultry. With cows, they focus on identifying ways to improve conditions in the womb, to ultimately enhance calf health. It takes 2 to 4 years to complete a husbandry degree. They make about 80K a year. Animal Husbandry is not very common, but very high in demand. I would recommend you study Animal Husbandry if you are interested in becoming one, and studying animals or if you are wanting to become a beef cattle farmer. It is nice to have that knowledge, in case anything was to happen on the farm, you would then properly know how to take care of it. It is important that you become prepared for the unexpected. |
Career
My career is a Rancher, which sounds pretty basic, but actually entails a lot. You do not have to go to college or get a degree. It just takes practical education. An average Rancher in Missouri makes 20 dollars an hour and makes about 42K a year.
Ranchers control breeding of the animals, work the animals, keep them up to date on vaccines and is incharge of buying and selling the animals. For all the work you put into the job, it is not a huge money maker, but most do it for the passion. Scientist
There is a man by the name of Robert Bakewell, in 1725, he was a farm manager and was the first to improve the quality of the beef cattle meat to become edible. He also did this for sheep. He also improved the carcass quality.
Robert was one of the first men to breed different species of animals. Creating new different looking animals. He was very secretive about his work, and almost no one knew what he was doing. Without him we would not have a lot of the different breeds that we now have today. |
Essay
I chose beef cattle for my presentation because I am passionate about animals, and live on a farm with my own cow. So I figured that she would be a perfect example. For my experiment, I chose an idea that would benefit me as well as my fellow co-workers also. This data would be more helpful for a larger body of cattle, but I unfortunately could only do this experiment on my cow at home.
I chose to experiment with different grains and minerals, and which ones my cow favors versus their nutrition facts and which one is the healthiest versus unhealthiest, also which one is true to what it says or recommended. I went to my local feed store to search for grains and found that most say commodity mix instead or just corn or wheat, (which we will be trying later). The first bag I found was Producer’s Pride, which is 12% all stock feed. It contains wheat, corn, mineral mix, and needed salts. This was the healthiest bag of them all. It provided all the needed items for a cow's daily diet. It also was recommended by other nearby farmers. For 50 pounds we paid $16 even.
Next bag is Producer's Pride whole grain chopped corn grains, for 50 pounds it costs us $10. Much cheaper than the first option. Both of these kinds are for all animals and not just cattle, so the minerals inside are for all animals, not especially formatted to fit cows. The third and final bag is Producer’s Pride %20 cubed cattle blocks, and for 50 pounds it cost $11.50. So in the middle range for our prices. Notice how this one is formatted to especially fit cattles needs, therefore they can add the specific minerals and amounts cattle need.
The total for these three bags came to $37.58 after tax. When we got home I started a feed plan. I feed my cattle each kind of grain/corn that we picked out for that following week. One kind for an entire week till she had tried all three brands over a course of three weeks. We started off the three weeks strong with Producer’s Pride %20 cubed cattle blocks, this was a less healthy one, it had been processed and was less natural. Over the course of the week I could tell less excitement during feeding time and she left some in the bottom of the tub. This was clearly not her favored grain, but she did eat some, so in the end if she does eat at least half it might be worth it pricewise.
The next week we tried Producer’s Pride %12 all stock, this grain is for all larger animals, it is more versatile and less specific. With this grain we saw very different results. During feeding time she became very excited and ate it immediately, leaving none. I even found her standing by the fence in not feeding time. This was clearly her favorite. But this grain was also the most expensive costing us a total of $16, but she left none. None was wasted. So far this is the winner.
Next we tried the last grain, Producer’s Pride cracked corn grains, this was also for all animals. This was one of the unhealthiest bags because it was just straight corn. While it still provided the nutrients like normal corn, it did not provide the minerals like in the other bags. When we put this in her tub she did not eat it at all. She did not like this one, each day we refilled her bin but the corn ended up being wasted. This cost us $10. Which was a waste of money at the end of the week. After going inside and gathering all our information I learned that the clear winner here is Producer’s Pride %12 all stock, but I totaled up the costs just to make sure that even with her eating it all, that it was our best option. After dividing it up, Provider’s Pride %12 all stock was the best option costing a total of $0.22 a day/feeding. Some farmers choose to feed their cows twice a day but we do not, therefore it would cost more for them.
If we were to total up the other grains and what she ate, the Producer’s Pride %20 cubed cattle feed cost us $0.14 a day. But only $0.07 of the food she is eating. Therefore we would be wasting $0.07 a day on wasted feed. And finally I calculated the cost for the Producer’s Pride cracked corn grains and it was the same as the previous grain, but this time there was something slightly different. Instead with this we wasted a total of $0.14 on corn grains, since none was eaten.
Therefore with the new data we have collected we can clearly see that the Producer’s Pride %12 all stock was the best choice. While it did not provide as much protein as the Producer’s Pride %20 cubed cattle pellets, it is still a better choice provided that she ate it all willingly. I did some more calculations, and I summed up and multiplied the price for the Producer’s Pride %12 all stock. For one cattle to be fed this specific feed it would cost $24 or $0.77 a day, or $281.05 a year for one cow to be feed the average serving size, and of course it would cost a little bit more for larger cattle like bulls and steers therefore the daily cost would go up.
I also added what we would have spent versus saved to feed the Producer’s Pride %20 cubed cattle pellets. It would cost $117.74 a year, and $58.87 of that would have been wasted on the food left behind. I know personally that we will be going with the Producer’s Pride %12 all stock in the future. And at the end of the year you should get major results like weight gain and more energy.
I chose to do this project because I believe that the cattle industry is expanding and growing rapidly. And I think that this information could greatly help me and my fellow co-workers now and in the years to come. If we know this crucial information then it could help not only us currently but also the farmers to come. It could save money for new farmers or give them a place to start, or just a refresh for old farmers.
I hope in the future that farmers like me will continue to do this research, even if it is the little stuff. There is still an impact that some don't notice. Thankyou and have a nice day!
I chose to experiment with different grains and minerals, and which ones my cow favors versus their nutrition facts and which one is the healthiest versus unhealthiest, also which one is true to what it says or recommended. I went to my local feed store to search for grains and found that most say commodity mix instead or just corn or wheat, (which we will be trying later). The first bag I found was Producer’s Pride, which is 12% all stock feed. It contains wheat, corn, mineral mix, and needed salts. This was the healthiest bag of them all. It provided all the needed items for a cow's daily diet. It also was recommended by other nearby farmers. For 50 pounds we paid $16 even.
Next bag is Producer's Pride whole grain chopped corn grains, for 50 pounds it costs us $10. Much cheaper than the first option. Both of these kinds are for all animals and not just cattle, so the minerals inside are for all animals, not especially formatted to fit cows. The third and final bag is Producer’s Pride %20 cubed cattle blocks, and for 50 pounds it cost $11.50. So in the middle range for our prices. Notice how this one is formatted to especially fit cattles needs, therefore they can add the specific minerals and amounts cattle need.
The total for these three bags came to $37.58 after tax. When we got home I started a feed plan. I feed my cattle each kind of grain/corn that we picked out for that following week. One kind for an entire week till she had tried all three brands over a course of three weeks. We started off the three weeks strong with Producer’s Pride %20 cubed cattle blocks, this was a less healthy one, it had been processed and was less natural. Over the course of the week I could tell less excitement during feeding time and she left some in the bottom of the tub. This was clearly not her favored grain, but she did eat some, so in the end if she does eat at least half it might be worth it pricewise.
The next week we tried Producer’s Pride %12 all stock, this grain is for all larger animals, it is more versatile and less specific. With this grain we saw very different results. During feeding time she became very excited and ate it immediately, leaving none. I even found her standing by the fence in not feeding time. This was clearly her favorite. But this grain was also the most expensive costing us a total of $16, but she left none. None was wasted. So far this is the winner.
Next we tried the last grain, Producer’s Pride cracked corn grains, this was also for all animals. This was one of the unhealthiest bags because it was just straight corn. While it still provided the nutrients like normal corn, it did not provide the minerals like in the other bags. When we put this in her tub she did not eat it at all. She did not like this one, each day we refilled her bin but the corn ended up being wasted. This cost us $10. Which was a waste of money at the end of the week. After going inside and gathering all our information I learned that the clear winner here is Producer’s Pride %12 all stock, but I totaled up the costs just to make sure that even with her eating it all, that it was our best option. After dividing it up, Provider’s Pride %12 all stock was the best option costing a total of $0.22 a day/feeding. Some farmers choose to feed their cows twice a day but we do not, therefore it would cost more for them.
If we were to total up the other grains and what she ate, the Producer’s Pride %20 cubed cattle feed cost us $0.14 a day. But only $0.07 of the food she is eating. Therefore we would be wasting $0.07 a day on wasted feed. And finally I calculated the cost for the Producer’s Pride cracked corn grains and it was the same as the previous grain, but this time there was something slightly different. Instead with this we wasted a total of $0.14 on corn grains, since none was eaten.
Therefore with the new data we have collected we can clearly see that the Producer’s Pride %12 all stock was the best choice. While it did not provide as much protein as the Producer’s Pride %20 cubed cattle pellets, it is still a better choice provided that she ate it all willingly. I did some more calculations, and I summed up and multiplied the price for the Producer’s Pride %12 all stock. For one cattle to be fed this specific feed it would cost $24 or $0.77 a day, or $281.05 a year for one cow to be feed the average serving size, and of course it would cost a little bit more for larger cattle like bulls and steers therefore the daily cost would go up.
I also added what we would have spent versus saved to feed the Producer’s Pride %20 cubed cattle pellets. It would cost $117.74 a year, and $58.87 of that would have been wasted on the food left behind. I know personally that we will be going with the Producer’s Pride %12 all stock in the future. And at the end of the year you should get major results like weight gain and more energy.
I chose to do this project because I believe that the cattle industry is expanding and growing rapidly. And I think that this information could greatly help me and my fellow co-workers now and in the years to come. If we know this crucial information then it could help not only us currently but also the farmers to come. It could save money for new farmers or give them a place to start, or just a refresh for old farmers.
I hope in the future that farmers like me will continue to do this research, even if it is the little stuff. There is still an impact that some don't notice. Thankyou and have a nice day!
