Castration- a male bovine “ouchy” i.e. removing the testicles of the male calf to make him into a steer. Male calves which have their testicles intact are bulls. Only those animals that are genetically superior are left bulls so those qualities can be passed on improving the rancher’s cattle herd. Steers are usually fed out or fattened to send to a feedlot.
Feedlot- A place where cattle are “fed alot”. Feedlots are located all across the U.S. but the largest concentration of them are in central U.S. as this is where the feed supply is grown, usually corn, and usually the packing plants are located in this vicinity as well.
Bull- A male bovine. When old enough- around 1 year of age- the bull can service or breed a heifer or cow.
Cow- A female bovine. Usually 2 years old or older. She has usually had more than one calf. In a cow’s lifetime she may have 12- 15 calves, sometimes more.
Heifer- A female bovine. Usually younger than 18 months -2 years. She may have had a calf. Genetically superior heifers are kept as “replacement heifers” being used to replace older cows that are culled from the rancher’s herd.
Packing Plant- A facility where live cattle are taken to be harvested. After harvesting, the meat is packed and shipped across the nation and world to be safely enjoyed by millions of consumers.