FEEDLOT OPERATIONS

By: Mary McElligott

Purpose

Feedlots are a place were cattle owners bring their cattle to fatten them up for market

Cattle owners will also leave their heifers there until they decide which ones they want to keep for replacements

Some feedlots also own their own cattle these cattle are called the company cattle

Most cattle are put in feedlots at the age of 16 months

Types of Feedlots

Horses CattleGoats PigsBirds

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBLITIES

Putting together a feeding schedule Regular checking of the animals to

make sure they are all healthy Vaccinating and doctoring Getting ready to sale

Feeding

Fed once, twice, or three times a day depending on how fast they want them to gain weight

Once or twice a day has been recorded to have the same results

Diet is 70% to 90% grain

Cattle gain 1 pound for every 6 pounds of feed they consume

No ruminant by-products are fed

Cattle are fed mostly corn

Cattle gain around 2.5 to 4 pounds a day

PERMITS Smaller feedlots having 300 cattle or less are not required to have permits to operate

Large feedlots having over 300 cattle have state and federal permits

Permits Continued… • Feedlot Interim Permit - Interim permits are issued for facilities that are creating ground or surface water problems, for which solutions will be developed and implemented within two years or the feedlot will be shut down.

• A general permit can apply to all livestock facilities • National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits - regulate wastewater discharges to lakes, streams, wetlands and other surface waters.

• State Disposal System (SDS) permits - regulate the construction and operation of wastewater disposal systems, including land treatment systems.

Other

Some feedlots also grow crops such as corn, alfalfa, and soybeans.

Most feedlots are smaller then 1,000 head

5% of feedlots are bigger then 1,000 head

The bigger feedlots finish more then 80% of all cattle that are sold for market

Advantages/Disadvantages Feedlots keep cattle safe from predators this and regular doctoring

makes the death loss less then range fed cattle

Cattle are ready for slaughter faster

The meat produced is less healthy because corn is not good for cattle and if fed corn for more then 6 months it will kill the liver so the cattle are fed a constant dose of antibiotics to keep the healthy

Its worse for the environment because the runoff of water from the feedlots sinks in to the surrounding area killing plants

The beef industry branded "corn fed" beef as superior to all other forms of beef due to it's tenderness and flavor. It is true that a corn-fed cow develops well-marbled flesh which is the primary factor used in the U.S.D.A.'s grading system. Yet this meat is less healthy to eat since it contains much higher amounts of "bad" fat and less "good" fat.

"Cattleman's Guide to Feedlot Lingo." 301 Moved Permanently. Web. 18 Apr. 2012. http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/ansci/beef/as1161w.htm

"Feedlot Permit Info." South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. <http://denr.sd.gov/des/sw/cafoPermitInfo.aspx>.

"Corn, Cows, Feedlots & Your Health." OnlyGrassfed.com. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. <http://onlygrassfed.com/pasture-vs-feedlot.html>.

Bibliography