ANSC 3600

Beef Cattle Production

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2025-2026 Catalog.

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.

Prerequisites ANSC 1101 and a course in biology and/or anatomy (e.g., BIOAP 1100). Recommended: ANSC 2120 and ANSC 2400.

Distribution Requirements (AFS-AG)

Exploratory Studies (CU-SBY)

Last 4 Terms Offered 2024SP, 2022SP, 2020SP, 2018SP

Learning Outcomes

• Create the framework of a production plan for cow-calf, stocker, and finishing systems, including enterprise budgets.
• Evaluate cattle from both genotypic and phenotypic perspectives to justify management decisions that complement production goals.
• Interpret how market conditions and feed resources impact short and long-term decision making and profitability. |Analyze how husbandry decisions affect carcass characteristics, the beef eating experience, and consumer valuation of beef.
• Define and interpret expected progeny differences as they relate to different production schemes.
• Discuss and describe in detail the different segments of the U.S. cattle industry, including specific challenges and profit incentives.

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