What are beef cattle are used for?

What are the differences between the feeds typically used for beef cattle and dairy cows?

• Answer:

  Beef cattle normally need just roughage to subsist. Beef cows do considerably well on just grass and hay, though some producers like to give them a taste of grain or silage or alfalfa cubes if the hay quality is poorer than necessary. Finishing beefers are typically fed a grain-based diet, though the natural-way of finishing beefers involve mostly grass and legumes. Grass-finishing is a niche market comparted to grain-finishing. Beef cattle have less nutritive requirements than dairy cows. Dairy cattle need a feed that is high in energy, protein and calcium to be able to produce good milk. Since dairy cows are quite thin, they need this feed for both bodily maintenance and lactation, as thin cows need a higher quality feed to meet maintenance needs. Grain and silage (grass, cereal grain and/or alfalfa) is the primary diet that dairy cows are fed.