Beef Cattle Production

3.0 credits · Undergraduate

Building upon concepts in animal science to incorporate multiple disciplines into a systems-based approach focusing on beef cattle production in the U.S. Students will use critical thinking to evaluate how cattle anatomy and physiology, behavior, growth and development, immunology, nutrition, genetics, and reproduction all interact to influence management and husbandry decisions made from a manager’s perspective. Topics include the organization of the U.S. beef industry, comparisons between intensive and extensive management systems, the soil-plant-animal interaction, endpoint marketing strategies within the beef cattle industry, and how both domestic and international consumer perceptions can influence all segments of the U.S. beef industry. Cost-benefit analysis is also incorporated throughout the course so students learn to optimize time, labor, resources, and production outcomes from an economic perspective.