MPR News: Minnesota cattle producers to vote on proposed increase in beef checkoff fees Schmidt’s Meat Market in Nicollet, Minn. Cattle producers will vote on whether or not to raise beef checkoff fees. When it comes to staying informed in Minnesota, our newsletters overdeliver.

Understanding the Context

Sign-up ... Minnesota cattle producers to vote on proposed increase in beef checkoff fees Noozhawk: Saving Lives, One Paw at a Time: How SBC Animal Care Foundation Champions Countywide Animal Welfare Saving Lives, One Paw at a Time: How SBC Animal Care Foundation Champions Countywide Animal Welfare Cattle (Bos taurus) are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus Bos. Mature female cattle are called cows, immature females are called heifers, mature intact males are called bulls, castrated males are called steers or oxen, and young animals of either sex are called ...

Key Insights

Cattle are domesticated bovine farm animals that are raised for their meat, milk, or hides or for draft purposes. The animals most often included under the term are the Western or European domesticated cattle as well as the Indian and African domesticated cattle. Learn what cattle are, the main types of cattle, common beef and dairy breeds, and how cattle are used in modern livestock farming. With so many breeds available, how do you choose which is best for you? Here are common beef cattle breeds.

Final Thoughts

Cattle were originally identified by Carolus Linnaeus as three separate species. These were Bos taurus, the European cattle, including similar types from Africa and Asia; Bos indicus, the Zebu or humped cattle found in India; and the extinct Bos primigenius, the aurochs. The aurochs are considered ancestral to both Zebu and European cattle.