About Beef Cattle

Beef cattle are primarily used for meat. It has come to be one of the principle sources of protein for the Americas, Australia and Europe as well as other parts of the world. The muscle of beef cattle is generally cut into roasts, steaks, ribs or ground into ground beef. Blood can be utilized for a variety of blood sausages. The heart, tail, tongue and tripe also can be eaten. The brain is usually not used in geographic areas of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as mad cow disease. Bull testicles are also used, known in the United States as "Rocky Mountain oysters."
In addition to the meat, other parts of the beef cattle are used for other purposes. The bones are used for soup stocks, the leather is used for a variety of purposes from shoes to coats and the fat can also be used for shampoos and soaps.

Beef cattle have been raised in Europe for thousands of years. They were first brought to North America shortly after the New World was discovered by Spanish, Dutch, British and French immigrants as a way to raise a familiar food source.
During the 1800s, after the removal of the bison and Native American populations, people built large ranches to house and graze their cattle. Cattle rustling, the theft of cattle, became a common practice during this early period, ultimately leading to the creation of barbed wire. Soon, the homesteaders headed west and established private land. Ranching soon became limited to areas that were unsuitable for other farming.

While there are over 250 different breeds of beef cattle worldwide, less than 20 are generally available in the United States. The cattle industry within the United States has created a program of interbreeding that has created cattle that are larger and more durable to the elements. By combining hardier breeds, the growth rate and reproductive efficiency have been greatly increased from traditional breeds. In doing this, the United States has built an industry that is one of the most profitable and largest in the world, consolidating nearly 80 percent of the country's cattle into four corporations.

The life cycle of beef cattle is a carefully controlled process. Once the calf is born, it is weaned at around 6 to 8 months. Bull calves are then separated into two categories. Strong or genetically superior bull calves are put into a breeding cycle, while the other ones are castrated and fed until it reaches market weight. Heifers are separated from the bull calves and fed until they reach sexual maturity at 15 months. They are then bred with bulls and give birth around 24 months after a 9-month gestation period. The cows are then used for breeding for about 5 to 7 more years until they are sent to market.

There are a variety of controversies surrounding the production of beef cattle. Hot branding irons are still used to identify a company's herd. Opponents claim this is needlessly traumatic and painful, noting the noise the animal makes when it is burned.
During the last few months of their lives, most cows are placed into holding pens and force fed. This has been fingered as a reason for bacterial infections in meat as well as respiratory diseases that kill large swaths of herd before they are taken to market. The feed lots usually use feed that is implanted with growth hormones, which alters the development of the beef cattle at this point in their lives.