Look Inside
Learn Cattle Farming
- Learn the fundamentals
- Start your career or improve employment prospects
- Training for farm workers, new farmers, hobby farmers
- A starter course, refresher or taster - a useful and achievable study program whatever the circumstance.
Being a livestock farmer takes grit, commitment, knowledge and skill. Learn how to raise cattle, within the flexibility of an online self-paced course!
You will learn:
- rural land management,
- livestock health and husbandry,
- feeding and pasture management,
- breeding and more.
COURSE STRUCTURE & CONTENT
This course covers the following lessons:
LESSON 1 INTRODUCTION – TRENDS AND TECHNOLOGIES IN FARMING
Domesticated Cattle In Human History
Commercial Herds Today
Technology In Agriculture
Using Drones In Cattle Farming
Marketing And Sales
Surveying
Monitoring Livestock
Asset Management
Types Of Aircraft
Fixed Wing Drones
Vtol Drones
Multirotor Drones
Rotary Drones
Sensors
Big Data
Regulations & Liability
Using Artificial Intelligence To Revolutionise Farming Practices
Review What You Have Been Learning
LESSON 2 NUTRITION, HEALTH AND DISEASE
External Anatomy Of Cattle
Common Nutrition And Feed Related Definitions
Palatability
Intake
Feed Stuff
Ration
Maintenance Ration
Balanced Maintenance Ration
Roughage
Concentrates
Basal Feeds
Supplements
Nutrient
Calorie
Digestibility
Anti- Quality Forage
Animal Performance
Meeting Nutritional Requirements Of Cattle
Energy As Tdn
Protein
Minerals
Vitamins
Calculating A Maintenance Ration
Feeding Beef Bulls
Reference Guide For The Beef Producer
Recognising When Cattle Are Unwell
Metabolic Disease In Cattle
Milk Fever (Hypocalcaemia)
Grass Tetany (Hypomagnesaemia)
Ketosis
Pregnancy Toxaemia (Fat Cow Syndrome)
Review What You Have Been Learning
LESSON 3 PASTURE AND FORAGE MANAGEMENT
Grasses As Pasture
Sour Pasture
Sweet Pasture
Mixed Pasture
Applying Grassland Management Principles
Running Herds On Pastures
Continuous Light Stocking
Split - Season Systems
One Herd, Four Paddock System
Intensive System
Running Stock On Grazing Forage
Continuous Grazing
Rotational Grazing
Creep Grazing
First Last Grazing
Sequence Grazing
Strip Grazing
Buffer Grazing
Frontal Grazing
Factors Affecting Natural Forage Quality
Environment
Insect And Disease Damage
Maturity
Harvesting And Storage
Grass Legume Mixtures
Fertiliser Effect
Leaf : Stem Ratio
Landscape Type
Plant Species
Plant Morphology
Hay And Silage
Silage Production
Harvesting
Quality Control Of Silage
Storage And Handling
Pits And Bunkers
Tower Silos
Roundbale
Silopress
Basics Of Harvesting Hay
Review What You Have Been Learning
LESSON 4 COMMERCIAL HERDS – MANAGING AND MAINTAINING
Cattle Management
Permanent Fencing
Temporary Fencing
Cattle Handling -Facilities And Yard Design
Handling Facilities
Dips And Spray Races
Spray Race
Plunge Dip
Weighing Scale
Cattle Bail
Calf Bail
Cattle Operating Table
Materials Used In Cattle Handling
Identification
Branding
Ear Marking
Ear Tags
Ear Tattoo
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
Transponder
Reader (Transceiver/Interrogator/Scanner)
Data Accumulator
Software And Data Management Systems
Vaccination
Drenching & Dehorning
Drenching/Deworming
Mechanical Dehorning
Review What You Have Been Learning
LESSON 5 PROCESSES AND WELFARE CONSIDERATIONS
Integrated Farm Management
Elements To Be Considered In An Integrated Farm Plan
Know The Production System - The Principles And Practicalities
Extensive System
Semi-Extensive System
Semi-Intensive System
Intensive System
Law And Welfare
Animal Welfare During Transport
Welfare Concerns And Challenges
Beef Cattle
Dairy Cows
Calves
Veal Calves
Simple Tagging Methods
Review What You Have Been Learning
LESSON 6 PRODUCING QUALITY STOCK
Characteristics Valued In A Cattle
Breeding Farms
Breeding Herds
Indicators Of Fertility In Bulls
Indicators Of Fertility In Cows
Artificial Insemination
The Technique Of Artificial Insemination
Steer Fattening
Lot Feeding
Production Systems
Cow-Calf Herd
General Note On Biology & Behaviour
Review What You Have Been Learning
LESSON 7 BREEDS GUIDE
Why Have Different Breeds?
Breed And Species Registration
Breeds: Beef Production
Angus (Also Known As: Black Angus, Aberdeen Angus)
Braford
Brahman
Charolais
Galloway
Gelbvieh
Hereford And Poll Hereford
Limousin
Piedmontese
Red Angus
Simmental (Also Known As: Fleckvieh, Fleckvieh Simmental, Or Pie Rouge).
Wagyu
Breeds: Dairy Production
Ayrshire
Blaarkop (Also Known As: Groningen, Groninger Blaarkop)
Brown Swiss
Dutch Belted (Also Known As Lakenvalder)
Guernsey
Holstein
Jersey (Also Known As Alderney Cattle)
Norwegian Red
Shorthorn
Review What You Have Been Learning
Final Assessment
Learn to Develop and Manage a Profitable Herd
A commercial herd usually consists of two parts:
1. The breeding herd,
2. Stock for sale.
A breeding herd is needed to produce sale stock. Stock may be sold off as either:
- Weaners – Calves at 6-9 months of age.
- Yearlings – cattle 1 ½ years old or long weaners for growing and finishing off on another property.
- Two-and-a-half-year-olds - for slaughter, or as feeder that are finished off on another property.
- Two-Four-year-olds - for slaughter.
The system followed by an individual farm will depend on the following factors:
- The rainfall on that farm.
- The type of pasture on the property.
- The size of the property.
- The breed of cattle on the property.
- The calving percentage of the breeding herd (i.e., how many calves are born).