Download Grade 1 What do cattle eat? Why are cattle called ruminants? Grade

AGRIBITION BEEF INFORMATION BOOTH QUESTIONS
Answers to be adapted by teachers to meet their classroom expectations. Students may benefit
from additional research.
Grade 1
What do cattle eat?
Grass, hay, silage, feed quality grains, special formulated rations. Cattle require a diet
with a lot of fibre like grass for their digestion to work properly. They do not do well on
all grain or high fat diets.
Why are cattle called ruminants?
Instead of one compartment to the stomach they have four. Of the four compartments
the rumen is the largest section and the main digestive centre. The rumen is filled with
billions of tiny microorganisms that are able to break down grass and other coarse
vegetation that animals with one stomach (including humans, chickens and pigs)
cannot digest. Ruminant animals do not completely chew the grass or vegetation they
eat. The partially chewed grass goes into the large rumen where it is stored and
broken down into balls of “cud”. When the animal has eaten its fill it will rest and “chew
its cud”. The cud is then swallowed once again where it will pass into the next three
compartments to complete the digestive process.
Grade 2
What nutrients does beef give us?
In the most basic terms, beef gives us ZIP – Zinc, Iron and Protein. Zinc to support our
immune system, Iron for energy and protein to build healthy tissue.
Beef actually supplies 12 essential nutrients. Beef is an excellent source of protein,
niacin, vitamins B6 and B12, phosphorus and zinc. It is also rich in iron, riboflavin,
magnesium and potassium.
The iron in beef is in a form called “heme” iron, which the body more readily uses than
the iron found in plant foods (e.g. spinach, cereals, legumes) or eggs.
Grade 3 / 4
How do cattle benefit the grassland?
Cattle grazing stimulates the grass plants to grow healthy roots which hold the soil in
place reducing erosion. Cattle graze land that is not suitable for crops to grow on or
land that needs rest from annual cropping; they eat the grass and plants which keep
the range healthy; Healthy rangeland is able to absorb rainfall and support a healthy
water cycle. Cattle provide manure, a natural fertilizer that adds nutrients back into the
land, this is part of a properly functioning mineral cycle. Good range management
ensures the maintenance of natural ecosystems.
Grade 5
Why is beef important in a healthy diet?
Beef supplies 12 essential nutrients. Beef is an excellent source of protein, niacin,
vitamins B6 and B12, phosphorus, iron and zinc. Zinc plays an important role in the
proper functioning of the immune system in the body. It is required for the enzyme
activities necessary for cell division, cell growth, and wound healing. It plays a role in
the acuity of the senses of smell and taste. Zinc is also involved in the metabolism of
carbohydrates. Beef is also rich in iron, riboflavin, magnesium and potassium.
The iron in beef is in a form called “heme” iron, which the body more readily uses than
the iron found in plant foods (e.g. spinach, cereals, legumes) or eggs. The mineral iron
is an essential nutrient for humans because it is part of blood cells, which carry oxygen
to all body cells. Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency worldwide.
Choline, an essential nutrient for humans, plays a vital role in cognition and long- and
short-term memory functions. Does that mean what you eat can help make you
smarter? The answer is “yes.” Along with its many other nutrients, beef contains a
significant amount of choline.
Most people get enough protein, but meeting iron and zinc needs can be more of a
challenge - especially for women, children and older adults. Choosing your protein
choices wisely can help you get the iron and zinc
you need. Iron and zinc are found in a wide variety
of foods. However, the iron and zinc in meat,
poultry and fish is absorbed more easily than the
iron and zinc from plant foods. Plus, including
meat with meals helps boost iron and zinc
absorption from plant sources.
Grade 6
Explain how cattle contribute to the stability of the grassland
ecosystem.
To ensure the coexistence of species, total environment management is the focus of
producers. Before cattle, bison grazed the Prairies and parts of the aspen parkland. Removal
of grazing animals would lead to significant habitat changes and the loss or decrease of many
prairie plant and animal species. Improved grazing management, more widely available
watering sites and improved winter feed supplies has increased wildlife numbers in many
areas.
Grazing decreases soil erosion because it increases the root growth of plants. Cattle manure
is a valuable source of soil organic matter and nutrients. When recycled, it improves soil
structure and increases water retention.
Species within an ecosystem live interdependently. The endangered burrowing owl lives
happily with cattle because they line their nests with cow dung. The endangered Mountain
Plover (a small shorebird) prefers to live on flat heavily grazed grasslands which is a suitable
area for nesting. The threatened Western Blue-flag plant benefits from moderate grazing
because cattle prefer eating other plants.
Cattle are part of the carbon cycle. Carbon in the atmosphere is taken in by plants and
converted to cellulose and starch during the photosynthesis process. This plant material is
then digested by cattle who release some of the carbon contained by the plant back into the
atmosphere in the form of methane.
Grassland Ecosystem Additional information:
“Research shows that, on average, greater diversity leads to greater productivity in plant
communities, greater nutrient retention in ecosystems and greater ecosystem stability. For
instance, grassland field experiments both in North America and across eight different
European sites, ranging from Greece in the south and east to Portugal and Ireland in the west
and Sweden in the north, have shown that each halving of the number of plant species within
a plot leads to a 10–20% loss of productivity. An average plot containing one plant species is
less than half as productive as an average plot containing 24–32 species. Lower plant
diversity also leads to greater rates of loss of limiting soil nutrients through leaching, which
ultimately should decrease soil fertility, further lowering plant productivity. The greater
stability of more diverse ecosystems seems to result from three processes. The first is
comparable to the economic process that causes a more diverse investment portfolio to be
less volatile. Because species, like corporations, differ from each other, they tend to respond
somewhat independently to environmental variability. The more species that such variability is
averaged across, the less variable is their total11. Second, species within a given trophic level
often compete with each other, which causes their abundances to negatively covary. When
one species declines, another is freed from competition and increases. This negative
covariance reduces the variability of the community as a whole. Finally, measures of temporal
stability compute variability relative to mean abundance, such as by using the ratio of
community abundance to its temporal standard deviation. The tendency for community
abundance to increase as diversity increases thus causes this ratio, which is a measure of
stability, to increase as diversity increases. In total, biodiversity, which ten years ago was
considered unimportant by most ecosystem ecologists, has now been shown to impact
significantly upon many aspects of ecosystem functioning. Diversity must now be added to
the list of factors — including species composition, disturbance regime, soil type and climate
— that influence ecosystem functioning. The recent rediscovery of the importance of
biodiversity highlights an under-appreciated truth — although society is dependent on natural
and managed ecosystems for goods and services that are essential for human survival, we
know all too little about how ecosystems work. The processes that allow interacting species
to coexist in an ecosystem simultaneously influence the productivity, nutrient dynamics and
stability of that ecosystem.”
Causes, consequences and ethics of biodiversity David Tilman
Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, Minnesota 55108, USA (e-mail: [email protected])
The cost of poorly managed grazing is high which is why producers work hard to ensure total
environment management. The following excerpt illustrates the potential cost of poor
management.
“Livestock grazing is the most widespread land management practice in western North
America. Seventy percent of the western United States is grazed, including wilderness areas,
wildlife refuges, national forests, and even some national parks. The ecological costs of this
nearly ubiquitous form of land use can be dramatic. Examples of such costs include loss of
biodiversity; lowering of population densities for a wide variety of taxa; disruption of
ecosystem functions, including nutrient cycling and succession; change in community
organization; and change in the physical characteristics of both terrestrial and aquatic
habitats. Because livestock congregate in riparian ecosystems, which are among the
biologically richest habitats in arid and semiarid regions, the ecological costs of grazing are
magnified in these sites. Range science has traditionally been laden with economic
assumptions favoring resource use. Conservation biologists are encouraged to contribute to
the ongoing social and scientific dialogue on grazing issues.”
From abstract of Ecological Costs of Livestock Grazing in Western North America by Thomas L. Fleischner
Prescott College Environmental Studies Program 220 Grove Avenue Prescott, AZ 86301, U.S.A.
Grade 7
How do cattle convert roughage into protein for human
consumption?
This ruminant digestive process provides the animal with energy to grow and build muscles.
These muscles become the various cuts of beef, steaks, roasts and ground beef which
provide us with high quality protein and other essential nutrients.
Ruminants eat fast and store large quantities of grass or foliage in the rumen, where it
softens. Many species of minute protozoans and bacteria live without free oxygen in the
rumen. These little animals and bacteria digest the cellulose in the plant material, thereby
releasing the contents of the plant cells for digestion by the cow. Large amounts of saliva get
secreted into the rumen to further the digestion.
The action of the various microbes produces various substances, including fatty acids which
are absorbed through the rumen wall. In addition, any protein is converted into fatty acids and
ammonia; the ammonia and other simple nitrogen-containing substances are used by the
micro-organisms for their own cell-protein synthesis.
After the plant material is processed in the rumen, it is later regurgitated. This material is now
called cud, and the ruminant chews it again. The additional chewing breaks down the
cellulose content, which is difficult to digest, even more. The regurgitation and chewing of the
cud is called rumination. The chewed cud goes directly to the other chambers of the stomach
(the reticulum, omasum, and abomasum, in that order). Additional digestion, with the aid of
various essential microorganisms, continues in these other chambers. For example, in the
omasum, some fatty acids and 60-70 percent of the water are absorbed. In the abomasum
gastric juice containing hydrochloric acid is secreted, as in an ordinary mammalian stomach,
further digesting the food. Also, those micro-organisms that used the ammonia and other
nitrogen substances from protein in the rumen, actually get digested by the ruminant in the
abomasum and small intestine, thereby providing the cow with protein.
Source: Encyclopedia Brittanica online at http://www.brittanica.com, entries Ruminant and Artiodactyl, digestive system
This digestive process provides the ruminant with energy to grow and build muscles. These
muscles become the various cuts of beef, steaks, roasts and ground beef which provide us
with essential nutrients.
Grade 7 / 8
Why are cattle an important component of a sustainable
environment?
Many of the plants that grow on earth cannot be used directly by humans as food. Over 50
percent of the energy in cereal crops that are grown for food is inedible to humans.
Ruminants have the ability to convert these plants and residues into high quality protein in the
form of meat and milk. In addition they feed on the rejects and cutting from fruit and vegetable
farming and the by-products from food processing plants
Worldwide, grazing more than doubles the land area that can be used to produce food for
people. In Canada, about 68 million hectares of land is classified as “agricultural land”.
Approximately 30% of Canada’s farmland is NOT considered to be economically or
environmentally suitable for cultivation, but does support sustained ruminant livestock
grazing. Because of climate, topography, access, or land owner choice, almost 24% of
Canada’s agricultural land is uncultivated native grasslands. Another 6% is maintained as
tame grass pasture land.
Cattle are an important element in a balanced and sustainable agriculture system. They utilize
the forages and legumes which are part of a crop rotation system to improve soil fertility and
decrease soil erosion. Forage crops used for cattle feed are an important part of most
sustainable cropping systems. They help to decrease soil erosion, improve soil fertility, and
assist in pest management. 80% to 85% of the feed consumed by cattle is made up of
grasses and forages that are inedible by people. The type of grain fed to cattle (normally
barley or corn) is generally not the same quality as that used for human consumption. Cattle
often provide a market for weather damaged cereal grains originally grown for human
consumption.
Cattle are raised on hay and pasture, crops that create soil and do not require fertilizer and
herbicides. They make use of feed grains and weather damaged grains that otherwise would
be a direct loss to the farmer. Pasture and native grasslands constitute the best wildlife
habitat that we have in our agricultural sector. The conversion of such areas to cropland
would result in the loss of wildlife and a huge increase in soil erosion. The best action for an
urban resident concerned about soil loss and chemicals in food is taken at the meat counter.
Buying a steak supports the most sustainable agricultural practice that we have.
Grade 10 – Research question
Describe the mechanisms in place in Canada to ensure the
safe production & delivery of beef to the consumer. Compare
with one other developed country. Identify deficiencies and
recommend solutions.
Suggested resources www.cattle.ca;
http://www.beef-catt;e.ca
Both the above sites have information and links providing information about the Canadian system and
the regulations in place to ensure food safety
CFIA – Canadian Food Inspection Agency
CCIA – Canadian Cattle Identification Agency
BIC – Beef Information Centre
QSH - Quality Starts Here http://www.cattle.ca/qsh/qsh/default.htm
CMC – Canadian Meat Council