DOMESTICATION AND IMPORTANCE OF LIVESTOCK

Downloaded from national ag ed site. Author unknown. Edited by Jaime Gosnell and Dr. Frank Flanders, Georgia Agricultural Education Curriculum Office, to accompany lesson 01.432-1.1

OBJECTIVES

• Define livestock
• Explain why animals were domesticated
• Explain the uses of livestock
• Describe the scope of the livestock industry in the United States
• Determine modern consumption trends

LIVESTOCK DEFINED:

• The term livestock is normally defined as animals raised to produce milk, meat, work, and wool.
• It includes beef and dairy cattle, swine, sheep, horses, goats, and poultry.
• Other animals used in agriculture such as emus, bees, fish bait, etc. are considered alternative animal agriculture and are not covered here.

WHAT DOES THE DOMESTICATION OF ANIMALS MEAN?

• To adapt animals for use by humans
• Animals taken from nature and raised under the care of humans

WHY WERE ANIMALS DOMESICATED?

To Provide a Steady Food Supply

To Provide Transportation

To Perform Work

To Provide Raw Materials for Clothing

TO INCREASE DESIREABLE CHARACTERISTICS

To Provide Pleasure and Recreation

WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION IN THE U.S.?

CATTLE

• Cattle were on the the first ship to arrive in Jamestown in 1607
• There are about 115 million head of cattle in the U.S.
• Cattle are divided into beef and dairy breeds
• Angus is the most popular beef breed and holstein is the most common dairy breed

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SWINE

• Swine were on the first ship in Jamestown in 1607
• Wild hogs are the descendants of escaped domesticated hogs
• Today’s trend in the industry is to produce lean hogs as opposed to the fatter hogs that were grown in the early and middle 1900’s

SHEEP

• Sheep were domesticated about 8,000 years ago
• They are raised for meat and wool
• There are over 200 breeds of domestic sheep
• The management of sheep is more complex than the management of most animals

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GOATS

• Goats were one of the first animals to be domesticated, about 9,000 years ago
• They are raised for meat, milk, and clothing
• Goats are excellent scavengers
• There are 300 breeds of domestic goats
• Production of meat-type goats are a current trend

HORSES

• In the 1800’s and early 1900’s, horses were used for power and transportation
• Most horses are owned for recreation and personal pleasure
• There are about 6.6 million horses in the U.S.

CHICKENS

• Chickens are the most important poultry species
• They are raised for meat and eggs
• Today chicken production is a large commercial industry as opposed to the small flocks seen in early America

WHAT ARE THE COMMON FUNCTIONS OF LIVESTOCK IN TODAY’S SOCIETY?

CONVERTING GRAIN AND ROUGHAGE INTO MEAT

CLOTHING

POWER

RECREATION

PRODUCTS

HOW HAVE LIVESTOCK CONSUMPTION TRENDS CHANGED?

CONSUMPTION TRENDS

• The consumption of beef has declined since 1970 from about 79 pounds to about 65 pounds per person per year.
• Pork consumption has remained relatively stable at just under 50 pounds per person per year.

CONSUMPTION TRENDS

• The consumption of lamb and mutton has declined from 1.9 pounds per person to 0.9 pounds per person per year since 1970.

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Chicken Consumption Trends

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• Chicken consumption had steadily increased from 27 pounds to about 50 pounds per person per year

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Dairy Consumption Trends

• The consumption of all dairy products has slightly increased from 554 pounds in 1970 to 585 pounds per person per year

Turkey Consumption Trends

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• Turkey consumption has increased from 6.71 pounds to 14 pounds per person per year.

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Consumption Trends

• The increase in the consumption of poultry and the decrease in the consumption of beef can be explained by new health concerns such as high cholesterol

WHAT IS THE ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF THE LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY IN THE UNITED STATES?

MEAT ANIMALS: production and income in the U.S. 1997 - 1999

THE BEEF INDUSTRY

• Beef accounts for 6% of all supermarket sales
• Beef cattle and calves accounted for $31,376,515,000 of gross income in the U.S. in 1996
• Texas is the leading state in beef cattle production

THE DAIRY INDUSTRY

• The U.S. produced $23,057,197,000 worth of milk
• California is the leading dairy producing state, whereas Wisconsin produces the most cheese.
• Milk is produced in all 50 states

THE SWINE INDUSTRY

• The U.S. ranks second to China in the number of hogs produced
• Iowa is the number one hog producer in the U.S.
• In 1997 the U.S. had a gross income of $13,246,479,000 from the hog industry

THE SHEEP INDUSTRY

• Colorado is the number one sheep producing state
• In 1997 sheep had a gross value of $645,941,000 in the U.S.

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THE GOAT INDUSTRY

• Texas is the number one goat producing state

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THE POULTRY INDUSTRY

• Chicken, turkey, and eggs account for a high percentage of farm income for all products
• In 1997 the value of poultry production in the U.S. was $21,635,976,000
• Georgia is the number one broiler producing state and Ohio is the number one egg producing state

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THE HORSE INDUSTRY

• There is no accurate count of the number of horses in the United States
• It is estimated that over 16 billion dollars is spent in the horse industry every year.
• Most horses and mules are owned for pleasure however, they are a major factor in creating jobs in vet services, feeds and feeding, and equine equipment and supplies

REMEMBER

• Livestock was domesticated for convenience of humans
• The term livestock generally refers to horses, cattle, swine, poultry, sheep, and goats
• Livestock production is a major economic factor in the U.S. economy
• Consumption of poultry has increased in recent years while red meat consumption has declined or remained stable