Beef Cattle Management and Health

This unit develops practical skills for managing pasture, water, and manure resources; selecting and purchasing animals; applying low‑stress handling; and maintaining herd health. Students build on foundational knowledge to make informed production decisions and prepare for advanced management and marketing topics in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• Apply principles of pasture, water, and manure management to design a basic grazing and nutrient management plan that meets herd needs and environmental best practices
• Analyze cattle conformation, body condition scoring, health records, and market criteria to make objective purchase and culling decisions
• Demonstrate safe, low‑stress cattle handling techniques and proper use of handling facilities and equipment during routine management tasks
• Evaluate herd health indicators and implement appropriate prevention and treatment strategies, including vaccination, parasite control, and on‑farm biosecurity measures