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Wild West District Extension Blog

Tag: Livestock

How Much Meat to Expect from Your Animal

Posted on by Lacey Noterman

By: Lacey Noterman, Livestock Extension Agent

Have you ever taken your steer to the butcher at 1,300 pounds and been disappointed when you only got 500 pounds of cut and packaged beef?  You are not alone, there are many consumers are unaware of the steps in animal processing that result in changes in product weight.

The first step is to convert the live animal to a carcass.  The amount of the live animal to a carcass.  The amount of the live animal’s weight represented by the carcass, or dressing percentage, can be calculated as follows:

Dressing percentage: (carcass weight/live weight) x 100

Next, the animal’s blood, hide, and internal organs are removed, which results in weight loss.  The amount of weight lost is highly variable and can be affected by many characteristics, including:

  • Mud or manure on the hide of the animal
  • The amount of food in the animal’s stomach
  • Bruises that must be trimmed from the carcass

The dressing percentage varies for each species because animals carry body weight differently.  Pork has the highest dressing percentage (70-75%) because skin and feet remain on the carcass.  Hogs are monogastrics meaning they have a single-compartment stomach, which results in less weight compared to cattle that a 4-compartment stomach.  Lambs have the lowest dressing percentage (54-59%) because of their heavy hides and less muscling on the carcass.  The beef dressing percentage (60-64%) fall between pork and lamb.

Estimating the carcass weight of an animal is fairly easy because the process is standard across the industry.  Predicting the weight returned as cuts of meat is much more difficult.  A carcass can be processed into cuts (steaks, roasts, and ground meat) in multiple ways.  The final weight varies depending on the processing style and cuts requested.  Customers have many options and may be able to customize their order, adding even more variability to the equation.  Here are a few choices that can affect the weight of the finished product:

  • Bone-in vs boneless cuts: Removing the bone results in less weight returned as product.
  • Fat percentage in the ground product: A leaner product produces fewer pounds of ground meat.
  • Aging: Longer aging periods improve meat tenderness but lead to moisture loss and less weight returned.
  • Type of aging (dry-aged vs wet-aged): Dry-aged products result in more moisture loss due to dehydration and additional trimming losses due to surface crust removal.
  • Further processing: Having cuts processed into cooked sausages, hams, bacon, corned beef, and similar products results in fewer pounds of returned product of the moisture lost during the cooking process.

 

Proper Vaccine Storage and Handling

Posted on by Lacey Noterman

As a producer, you should make it a priority to establish a relationship with your veterinarian.  A lot of vaccines and medications require a prescription.  Once you have your animal health products, read the label to find the proper storage temperatures.  Storage is extremely important to ensure the effectiveness of the vaccine.  Make sure you have a process in place to keep the products at the proper temperature from the time of arrival to the actual use of the product.

It is critical, especially for products requiring refrigeration that the medication is kept at the appropriate temperatures.  When storing your products in the refrigerator it is recommended to have a thermometer in the refrigerator to monitor the temperature.  The University of Nevada conducted research on 20 ranches and 4 feed stores.  Through that research, 25% of the refrigerators failed to maintain vaccines in the safe zone (35 degrees – 45 degrees F).  Be sure to make it a priority to double check the temperature of your refrigerator periodically.

Processing and treatment records should be kept with each product.  These records should include: date given, animal or group, products utilized, dose and withdrawal time.  Everything should be recorded every time you administer an animal health product.  It’s also a good idea to record the lot number on the vaccine.   If there happens to be an issue with injection sites, blemishes, or reactions it’s important for you to reference to those records as well as your veterinarian.

When handling vaccines at the chute, make sure you protect the vaccines from sunlight.  Coolers with ice packs are a good way to help protect them from the sunlight and still keep them cool.  Make sure you have a barrier between the vaccine and the ice pack so the vaccine doesn’t accidentally freeze or get too cold.  It’s important if you’re working in the winter months that you don’t let your vaccine freeze.

Do not mix different vaccines together.  Only mix vaccines that are required to be, such as modified live products.  Be sure to only mix enough vaccine that you can use up in one hour.  If it’s mixed for over an hour, the live virus will start to break down and the vaccine will not work properly.  Be sure to keep your vaccine thoroughly mixed.  Make sure the vaccine stays mixed and is not separated when drawing up for use. If using modified live vaccines, make sure to use a transfer needle and to enter the diluent first.  After re-hydrating, gently roll.  Do not shake the bottle.

Mark syringes for different vaccines to prevent a mix up.  A piece of tape around the syringe with the drug name is one way or colored tape abound the bottle matching the colored tape around the syringe.  Be sure to always use products from the original container and never re-enter a bottle with a used needle.  Make sure to keep equipment clean.  DO NOT use disinfectant with modified live or killed vaccines as it can cause damage to the vaccine.

 

So You Want to be a Goat Rancher?

Posted on by Lacey Noterman

By: Lacey Noterman, Livestock Extension Agent

The meat goat industry is an expanding U.S. business.  Estimates indicate approximately 50 million pounds of goat meat are consumed each year.  Imports from other countries total 23.7 million pounds.

The increasing popularity of goats is due to serval reasons.  The biggest reason is the increased demand.  A large number of ethnic groups whose members prefer goat meat have settled in the U.S. Outside of the U.S., goat meat is the meat protein highest in demand.  Another reason is the attraction of goat production as a sustainable enterprise for producers.  Goats can be a very profitable enterprise for producers with limited resources, time, and capital.

One type of enterprise to raise goats is for brush control: to clean up woody areas.  Producers who use goats for brush control generally are not concerned about overall goat production.  They only are interested in the effectiveness of goats in controlling or removing brushy plant material.

Another type is multi-species grazing operation.  This producer would start a goat operation to compliment other animal enterprises, normally cattle.  When goats are grazed simultaneously with cattle, a higher percentage of the pasture production is utilized.  Goats typically eat weeds and forbs that cows will not eat, which leaves the grass for the cows.

A third type would be raising purebred meat goats and or show goats, such as the Boer goat.  Although this type of operation seems to be the most profitable due to the higher prices received for such animals, it is also the type of operation with the highest start-up costs and the highest percentage of failure. These producers typically are required to purchase higher-priced full-blood does and bucks for this type of operation.

The final type is a commercial meat goat operation.  This type of operation, the goal should be to produce the optimal number of goats to maximize profits.  The optimal number of goats will depend on the resources available.

To determine which operation is the best for an individual producer, the critical factors are the producer’s needs, objectives and resources.  Resources such as available land, capital, management capabilities, fencing, and marketing channels all need to be evaluated.  Once the producer’s resources are determined and matched with the production goals, a long-term business plan can be developed.

For more information about starting your own goat operation, contact Lacey Noterman with the K-State Research and Extension Wild West Extension District.  Feel free to stop at your local Extension Office or email lnote@ksu.edu.

 

Housing Tips for Small Poultry Flocks

Posted on by Lacey Noterman

By: Lacey Noterman, Livestock Extension Agent

Raising chickens in the United States dates back to the 17th century when the English first brought them here.  The chicken was originally domesticated by the English for cock fighting which was considered a spectator sport.  Since then chickens have been grown for showing, meat and egg supply or just the pure pleasure of having birds running around in the yard.  Whatever your reasons for having a flock of birds in your yard, consideration should be given to where and how the birds will be housed.  In evaluating plans, here’s what you need to consider to keep your flock safe, healthy, and productive.

When designing a structure for your flock, it is very important to design something that keeps your birds in as well as keeping predators out.  Neighborhood dogs have probably killed more chickens in the suburban areas than any other predator.  Coyotes, skunks, foxes, raccoons, and hawks may try to steal an easy meal.

Management Guide for the Backyard Flock | The Poultry Site

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Integrated Resource Management (IRM) Redbooks

Posted on by Lacey Noterman

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has developed integrated Resource Management (IRM) Redbooks for more than 20 years in order to help cattlemen and women keep better production records and enhance the profitability of their operations.

Promotional Items

These Redbooks are small enough to fit in your pocket and are extremely handy to use whenever you need to record important information.  They are an inexpensive way to keep your business on track.

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Meet Lacey Noterman

Posted on by Lacey Noterman

lacey noterman

Introducing-Lacey Noterman, Livestock Production Agent
Lacey grew up on a farm right outside of Dighton, Kansas. She graduated from Dighton High School. Lacey was a 12-year member of the Eager Beavers 4-H Club in the Walnut Creek District. After high school Lacey attended Fort Hays State University. At FHSU, Lacey was a member of the Livestock Judging team. Lacey received her bachelor’s degree in Animal Science and a certificate in Leadership Studies.

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