This decision can depend on feed sources (pasture or feedlot), where the cows calve (either indoor or outdoor), and just personal preference of the producer. Calves can be born in the spring or the fall. Heifer is pronounced “heff-er”.Ī calf is a baby! Calf isn’t a gender specific term. Heifers can have two purposes they can either be kept for breeding purposes, or they can be raised for meat, like steers. Bull meat tends to be pretty tough, and not as good to eat.Ī heifer is a young female bovine. High levels of testosterone make an animal’s meat very unpalatable. This is an especially big deal in the dairy industry, where cows are really the main focus.Ī steer is also a male, but he has been castrated in order to promote meat quality. However, with artificial insemination today, farmers can purchase semen from a variety of bulls instead. In the past, each cattle farm would have at least one bull of their own. Farmers try to have their cows calve (have a baby) every year.Ī bull is, you guessed it, a male bovine. A cow’s job is to be a good mama to her calves. In technical terms, a cow is a female that has given birth. While most of the time that’s okay, they do mean different things technically. Many people use the terms “cows” and “cattle” interchangeably. Both bovine and cattle are used to talk about groups of cows without being specific about gender. Types of Cattle:īovine is the scientific name for cattle! Like dogs are canines and horses are equine. For instance, what’s a heifer? What’s the difference between a pasture and a paddock? Let’s beef up your cattle lingo. Sometimes it can be hard to keep up with. There’s a lot of lingo in the agriculture industry.
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