363:, in which prices are determined the same way but are not directly influenced by market demand fluctuations. Forward contracts determine the selling price between the two parties negotiating for a set amount of time. However, this method is the least used because it requires some knowledge of production costs and the willingness of both sides to take a risk in the futures market. Another method, formula pricing, is becoming the most popular process, as it more accurately represents the value of meat received by the packer. This requires trust between the packers and feedlots though, and is under criticism from the feedlots because the amount paid to the feedlots is determined by the packers’ assessment of the meat received. Finally, live- or carcass-weight based formula pricing is most common. Other types include grid pricing and boxed beef pricing. The most controversial marketing method stems from the vertical integration of packer-owned feedlots, which still represents less than 10% of all methods, but has been growing over the years.
350:, crop management, and how to manage labour costs. From the early 60's to the 90's feeding beef cattle in the feedlot style showed immense growth, and even today the feedlot industry is constantly being upgraded with new knowledge and science as well as technology. In the early 20th century, feeder operations were separate from all other related operations and feedlots were non-existent. They appeared in the 1950s and 1960s as a result of hybrid grains and irrigation techniques; the ensuing larger grain crops led to abundant grain harvests. It was suddenly possible to feed large numbers of cattle in one location and so, to cut transportation costs, grain farms and feedlot locations merged. Cattle were no longer sent from all across the southern states to places like California, where large slaughter houses were located. In the 1980s, meat packers followed the path of feedlots and are now located close by to them as well.
269:
protect them against potential sickness that may arise in the first few weeks in the feedlot. These entrance protocols are usually discussed and created with the farm's veterinarian, as there are numerous factors that can impact the health of feedlot cattle. One challenging but crucial role on a feedlot is to identify any sick cattle, and treat them in order to rebound them back to health. Knowing when an animal is sick is sometimes difficult as cattle are prey animals and will try and hide their weakness from potential threats. A sick animal will generally look gaunt, may have a snotty nose and/or dry nose, and will have droopy ears, catching these symptoms early may be the key to successfully treating an animal. The best indicator of health is the body temperature of a cow, but this is not always possible when looking over many animals per day.
25:
173:. These producers are called cow-calf operations and are essential for feedlot operations to run. Once the young calves reach a weight between 300 and 700 pounds (140 and 320 kg) they are rounded up and either sold directly to feedlots, or sent to cattle auctions for feedlots to bid on them. Once transferred to a feedlot, they are housed and looked after for the next six to eight months where they are fed a
81:
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Many feed companies are able to be prescribed a drug to be added into a farms feed if required by a vet. Farmers generally work with nutritionists who aid in the formulation of these rations to ensure their animals are getting the recommended levels of minerals and vitamins, but also to make sure the
184:
in butchered meat). The marbling is desirable to consumers, as it contributes to flavour and tenderness. These animals may gain an additional 400-600 pounds (180 kg) during its approximate 200 days in the feedlot, depending on its entrance weight into the lot, and also how well the animal gains
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A feedlot is highly dependent on the health of its livestock, as disease can have a great impact on the animals, and controlling sickness can be difficult with numerous animals living together. Many feedlots will have an entrance protocol in which new animals entering the lot are given vaccines to
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Most feedlots require some type of governmental approval to operate, which generally consists of an agricultural site permit. Feedlots also would have an environmental plan in place to deal with the large amount of waste that is generated from the numerous livestock housed. The environmental farm
371:
The alternative to feedlots is to allow cattle to graze on grass throughout their lives, but this is not efficient and can be very challenging. For Canada and the
Northern USA, year round grazing is not possible due to the severe winter weather conditions. Controlled grazing methods of this sort
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to regulate all animal feeding operations in the United States. This authority is delegated to individual states in some cases. In Canada, regulation of feedlots is shared between all levels of government. Certain provinces are required by law to have a nutrient management plan, which looks at
319:
There are a few common methods of waste recycling within feedlots, with the most common being spreading it back on the cropping fields used to feed the livestock. Generally, feedlots provide bedding for their animals such as straw, sawdust, wood shavings, or other byproducts from crops (soybean
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The basic purpose of the feedlot is to increase the amount of fat gained by each animal as quickly as possible; if animals are kept in confined quarters rather than being allowed to range freely over grassland, they will gain weight more quickly and efficiently with the added benefit of
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Cattle feeding on a large scale was first introduced in the early 60's, when a demand for higher quality beef in large quantities emerged. Farmers started becoming familiar with the finishing of beef, but also showed interest in various other aspects associated with the feedlot such as
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everything the farm is going to feed to their animals, down to the minerals. New farms are required to complete and obtain a license under the livestock operations act, which looks at proper manure storage as well as proper distance away from other farms or dwellings. A mandatory
913:
Augustenborg, C.A.; O.T. Carton; R.P.O. Schulte; and I. H. Suffet (2008)'Silage Dry-Matter Yield and
Nitrogen Response following Land Application of Spent Timber Residue from Out-Wintering Pads to Irish Grassland',Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis,39:7,1122—1137.
336:
plants are also able to use livestock manure to create biofuels, and these anaerobic digestion systems are known to capture methane in a usable form, while concentrating nitrogen, a valuable nutrient found in the manure which they then use to spread on their fields.
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is a major controversy towards farms today as consumers have shown their concern for the welfare of these animals. Indoor feedlots with concrete surfaces can cause leg problems including swollen joints. On outdoor feedlots, welfare issues include mud in rainy areas;
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There are many methods used to sell cattle to meat packers. Spot, or cash, marketing is the traditional and most commonly used method. Prices are influenced by current supply & demand and are determined by live weight or per head. Similar to this is
289:. Too much grain in the diet can cause cattle to have issues such as bloating, diarrhea and digestive discomfort, which is why close monitoring of the animals, as well as working with ruminant nutritionists is very important for farmers.
272:
The diet of the animals and the different ingredients within the ration are controversial. Cattle in feedlots are fed grain rather than more natural forage. This is designed to make them gain weight faster, but it leads to internal
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chaff, corn chaff), which are then mixed in with the manure as the livestock use the bedding. Once the bedding has outlasted its use, the manure is either spread directly on the fields or stock piled to breakdown and begin
205:(TMR) consist of forage, grains, minerals, and supplements to benefit the animals' health and to maximize feed efficiency. These rations are also known to contain various other forms of feed such as a specialized
153:
tag is required in every animal that passes through a
Canadian feedlot, these are called CCIA tags (Canadian Cattle Identification Agency) which is controlled by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
1028:
731:
Friend, Catherine. The
Compassionate Carnivore: Or, How to Keep Animals Happy, save Old MacDonald's Farm, Reduce Your Hoofprint, and Still Eat Meat. Philadelphia, PA: Da Capo Lifelong, 2008.
233:, fermentation products, micro & macro minerals and other essential ingredients that are purchased from mineral companies, usually in sacked form, for blending into commercial rations.
165:
The cattle industry works in sequence with one another, prior to entering a feedlot, young calves are born typically in the spring where they spend the summer with their mothers in a
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which is where minimal bedding is found in the manure, so it stays a liquid and is then spread on the fields in a liquid form. Increasing numbers of cattle feedlots are utilizing
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In a typical feedlot, a cow's diet is roughly 62% roughage, 31% grain, 5% supplements (minerals and vitamins), and 2% premix. High-grain diets lower the pH in the animals'
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made of timber residue bedding in their operations. Nutrients are retained in the waste timber and livestock effluent and can be recycled within the farm system after use.
119:(CAFO) in the United States and intensive livestock operations (ILOs) or confined feeding operations (CFO) in Canada. They may contain thousands of animals in an array of
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plan is set in place to raise awareness about the environment and covers 23 different aspects around the farm that may affect the environment. The
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Ward, Clement. 2005. “Captive Supply Price
Relationships and Impacts.” Oklahoma State University Oklahoma Extension Service. Bull. No. F-598.
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260:. Due to the stressors of these conditions, and due to some illnesses, it may be necessary to give the animals antibiotics on occasion.
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in feedlots that are not shaded; insufficient water to drink; excessive cold, and problems with cattle handling (e.g.
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115:, but also swine, horses, sheep, turkeys, chickens or ducks, prior to slaughter. Large beef feedlots are called
34:
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Clark, Georgia and Jaime Malaga. 2005. “West Texas
Feedlots: Reality and Perspectives”. Texas Tech University.
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473:"The Application of the Minimum Distance Separation (MDS) for Siting Confined Feeding Operations in Alberta"
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animals are not wasting feed in their manure. In the
American northwest and Canada, barley, low grade
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and discomfort. Grain-based diets can also lead to the growth of harmful bacteria such as
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Feedlot diets encourage growth of muscle mass and the distribution of some fat (known as
157:. In Australia this role is handled by the National Feedlot Accreditation Scheme (NFAS).
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822:"Diet and Disease in Cattle: High-Grain Feed May Promote Illness and Harmful Bacteria"
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Water troughs shared among many cattle can increase the spread of diseases including
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which consists of corn, corn byproducts (some of which is derived from ethanol and
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necessitate higher beef prices and the cattle take longer to reach market weight.
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824:. American Association For The Advancement Of Science. May 11, 2001 – via
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603:"Livestock Identification and Traceability Program (TRACE) newsletters"
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865:"Evaluation of the welfare of cattle housed in outdoor feedlot pens"
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Rasby, Rick J.; Anderson, Bruce E.; Randle, Richard F. (May 2010).
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MacDonald, James M. (15 February 2020). Hazlett, Richard W (ed.).
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muscle. Once cattle are fattened up to their finished weight, the
646:"Cow-calf Production » the Canadian Cattlemen's Association"
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963:"What's the Beef? The Pros and Cons of Grass Fed vs. Grain Fed"
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250:
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112:
85:
1018:
1024:"Power Steer", Michael Pollan, New York Times, March 31, 2002
779:"CAFOs: Farm Animals and Industrialized Livestock Production"
324:. A less common type of recycling in the feedlot industry is
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238:
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An array of pens for feeding livestock for human consumption
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Broken Bow South Lot, possibly the world's largest capacity
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678:"Steer Feeding Guidelines Based on Hip Height Measurements"
522:"EPA - Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations - Final Rule"
154:
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45:
1000:
984:
Encyclopedia of
Oklahoma History and Culture – Feedlots
585:"How Radio Frequency Identification Technology is used"
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Ontario
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
424:. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Archived from
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2008 Final CAFO Rule, USEPA, Office of Water, 2009.
221:, and various grains. Some rations may also contain
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225:such as corn stalks, straw, sorghum, or other hay,
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229:, premixes which may contain but not limited to
719:R. A. Zinn University of California, Davis
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841:"Bloat Prevention and Treatment in Cattle"
48:. Please do not remove this message until
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616:Cottle, David; Kahn, Lewis, eds. (2014).
68:Learn how and when to remove this message
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44:Relevant discussion may be found on the
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117:concentrated animal feeding operations
589:Canadian Cattle Identification Agency
1015:– Inhumane Treatment of Farm Animals
791:10.1093/acref/9780190496616.001.0001
760:"Identifying Sick or Injured Cattle"
547:"Part 7 - Nutrient Management Plans"
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863:Grandin, Temple (1 December 2016).
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1019:Australian Lot Feeders Association
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571:"Licensing of Livestock Operation"
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620:Beef Cattle Production and Trade
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142:Environmental Protection Agency
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697:. 6 March 2005. Archived from
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1006:Clean Water and Factory Farms
869:Veterinary and Animal Science
660:"Feeding total mixed rations"
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785:. Oxford University Press.
746:Canadian Cattle Association
742:"Feedlot Health Management"
422:"Animal Feeding Operations"
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50:conditions to do so are met
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309:bovine respiratory disease
882:10.1016/j.vas.2016.11.001
503:"Environmental Farm Plan"
397:Managed intensive grazing
264:Animal health and welfare
695:"Harris Feeding Company"
211:high fructose corn syrup
144:has authority under the
106:intensive animal farming
102:animal feeding operation
280:Clostridium perfringens
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104:(AFO) which is used in
721:A Guide to Feed Mixing
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969:. September 22, 2023.
764:www.thecattlesite.com
189:are transported to a
88:in a feedlot in Texas
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927:"History in Alberta"
624:. CSIRO Publishing.
591:. 30 September 2020.
507:ontariosoilcrop.org
382:Intensive fish farm
361:forward contracting
37:of this article is
1059:Cruelty to animals
1011:2006-06-03 at the
559:on March 11, 2014.
330:out-wintering pads
253:are used as feed.
245:(garbanzo beans),
203:total mixed ration
175:total mixed ration
129:economies of scale
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1054:Intensive farming
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207:animal feed
1038:Categories
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458:2012-04-27
408:References
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243:chick peas
187:fed cattle
161:Scheduling
135:Regulation
108:, notably
35:neutrality
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392:Livestock
354:Marketing
275:abscesses
171:rangeland
98:feed yard
46:talk page
1009:Archived
967:truLOCAL
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705:15 April
487:15 April
376:See also
251:potatoes
223:roughage
182:marbling
39:disputed
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432:20 June
341:History
286:E. coli
167:pasture
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219:barley
169:or on
113:cattle
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681:(PDF)
258:rumen
84:Beef
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808:2021
795:ISBN
707:2018
626:ISBN
489:2018
434:2010
283:and
247:oats
215:milo
197:Diet
155:CFIA
151:RFID
121:pens
110:beef
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887:PMC
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873:1–2
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