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Backgrounding is an intermediate stage sometimes used in cattle production which begins after weaning and ends upon placement in a feedlot.Background feeding relies more heavily on forage (e.g., pasture, hay) in combination with grains to increase a calf's weight by several hundred pounds and to build up immunity to diseases before putting them in a feedlot in preparation for slaughter.
Feedlots producing live cattle for slaughter will typically purchase 500–850 pounds (230–390 kg) feeder cattle calves and feed to grow the animals into 850–1,400 pounds (390–640 kg) cattle. [3] [2] Backgrounding operations will typically purchase 300–600 pounds (140–270 kg) feeder cattle calves and feed to grow the animals into 650 ...
Beef cattle are cattle raised for meat production (as distinguished from dairy cattle, used for milk production). The meat of mature or almost mature cattle is mostly known as beef. In beef production there are three main stages: cow-calf operations, backgrounding, and feedlot operations. The production cycle of the animals starts at cow-calf ...
Feeder cattle or store cattle are young cattle soon to be either backgrounded or sent to fattening, most especially those intended to be sold to someone else for finishing before butchering. In some regions, a distinction between stockers and feeders (by those names) is the distinction of backgrounding versus immediate sale to a finisher.
Cattle are not often kept solely for hides, and they are usually a by-product of beef production. Hides are used mainly for leather products such as shoes. In 2012, India was the world's largest producer of cattle hides. [114] Cattle hides account for around 65% of the world's leather production. [115] [116]
The cattle industry takes the position that the use of growth hormones allows plentiful meats to be sold for affordable prices. [24] Using hormones in beef cattle costs $1.50 and adds between 40 and 50 lb (18 and 23 kg) to the weight of a steer at slaughter, for a return of at least $25. [25]
Anna Creek Station in South Australia, Australia is the world's largest working cattle station. [14] The North Australian Pastoral Company Pty Limited (NAPCO) is now one of Australia's largest beef cattle producers, with a herd of over 180,000 cattle and fourteen cattle stations in Queensland and the Northern Territory. [15]
Intensive animal farming, industrial livestock production, and macro-farms, [1] also known as factory farming, [2] is a type of intensive agriculture, specifically an approach to animal husbandry designed to maximize production while minimizing costs. [3]