> What is the difference between
> seedstock, stockers and feeders?
> Thank you..
I will give you a simplified answer and perhaps others can expand on it if necessary. Seedstock animals are those raised primarily for breeding stock. They are usually purebred animals but may be crossbred with specific breeds to take advantage of desirable genetic characteristics. one example would be the Brangus breed which was developed from Angus and Brangus to use the best traits of each breed. Stocker cattle are those which are too young to be of much use without furthur growth and developement. After a calf is weaned, it is put on grass with enough supplimental feeding to insure proper nutritional development. During this time they are allowed to grow to maturity and then they usually go either to feed yards or are sold as replacement heifers to commercial producers. Feeder cattle are those which went from stockers to the feed yard. They are then placed on a finishing ration to flesh them out and prepare them for market. These are the cattle that will wind up in the meat market and on your plate at your favorite resturant. Hope this has been helpful to you.
