A feedlot or feedyard is a type of Confined Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) (also known as "factory farming") which is used for finishing livestock, notably beef cattle, prior to slaughter. Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domesticated Ungulates a member of the Subfamily Bovinae of the family The Texas Panhandle is a region of the US state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state Factory farming is the practice of raising Farm animals in confinement at high stocking density where a farm operates as a Factory &mdash a practice typical in Factory farming is the practice of raising Farm animals in confinement at high stocking density where a farm operates as a Factory &mdash a practice typical in Beef is the Culinary name for Meat from Bovines especially domestic Cattle (cows Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domesticated Ungulates a member of the Subfamily Bovinae of the family They may contain thousands of animals in an array of pens. Most feedlots require some type of governmental permit and must have plans in place to deal with the large amount of waste that is generated. Long-running feedlots are often exempt due to various "grandfather clauses", which allow feedlots to wait until a change of ownership before obtaining permits and designing formal waste management plans.
Prior to entering a feedlot, cattle spend most of their life grazing on rangeland or on immature fields of grain such as green wheat pasture. Pasture is land with Herbaceous vegetation cover used for grazing of Ungulate Livestock as part of a Farm or Ranch. Once cattle obtain an entry-level weight, about 650 pounds (300 kg), they are transferred to a feedlot to be fed a specialized diet which may be made up of hay, corn, sorghum, various other grains, by-products of food processing, such as sugar beet waste, molasses, soybean meal, or cottonseed meal, and minerals. Hay is a generic term for grass or Legumes that have been cut dried and stored for use as animal feed, particularly for grazing animals like Maize (ˈmeɪz ( Zea mays L. ssp mays) known as corn in some countries is a cereal grain domesticated in Mesoamerica Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, some of which are raised for grain and many of which are used as Fodder plants either cultivated or as part Food processing is the set of methods and techniques used to transform raw Ingredients into Food or to transform food into other forms for consumption by Sugar beet ( Beta vulgaris L a member of the Chenopodiaceae family is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of Sucrose. Molasses or Treacle is a thick Syrup by-product from the processing of the Sugarcane or Sugar beet into Sugar. Soybean meal is an ingredient found in some Dog food and Cattle feeding. Cottonseed meal is the Byproduct remaining after Cotton is ginned and the seeds crushed and the oil extracted In the American northwest and Canada, barley, low grade durum wheat, chick peas (garbanzo beans), oats and occasionally potatoes are used as feed.
Feedlot diets are usually very dense in food energy, to encourage the deposition of fat, or marbling, in the animal's muscles; this fat is desirable as it leads to 'juiciness' in the resulting meat. Food energy is the amount of Energy in food that is available through Digestion. In modern English usage meat most often refers to Animal tissue used as food mostly Skeletal muscle and associated Fat, but it may also refer The animal may gain an additional 400 pounds (180 kg) during its 3-4 months in the feedlot. [1]
Aside from ethical and environmental concerns, feedlots have come under criticism for human health reasons. The tissues of feedlot-raised cattle have far more saturated fat than that of grass-fed cattle, some sources say up to 500 percent more. [2] Feedlot-raised beef may after long periods on feed have reduced healthy omega-3 fatty acids because of the corn-and-grain diets of the cattle. n −3 fatty acids (popularly referred to as ω−3 fatty acids or omega-3 fatty acids) are a family of unsaturated Fatty acids that [3]
Once cattle are fattened up to their finished weight, the cattle are transported to a slaughterhouse. A slaughterhouse, also called an abattoir (from the French verb abattre, "to strike down" or freezing works ( New Zealand
See also
References
- ^ Harris Ranch Beef Company. Livestock is the term used to refer (singularly or plurally to a Domesticated Animal intentionally reared in an agricultural setting to produce such as Food Management Intensive Grazing ( MIG) is the practice of using rotational Grazing and careful usually daily management to get optimal production "Harris Ranch Feedlot. . . Beef the Way Nature Intended It to Be!" Company official site, accessed September 1, 2006 [1]
- ^ Hyman, MD, Mark, Ultrametabolism: The Simple Plan for Automatic Weightloss, Scribner (2006), pp. 35-36.
- ^ www. grassrootsbeef. com[2]
External links
- Texas Cattle Feeders Association
- Harris Feeding Company, California's largest cattle feeder
- Clean Water and Factory Farms - Inhumane Treatment of Farm Animals
- Australian Lot Feeders Association
- "Power Steer", Michael Pollan, New York Times, March 31, 2002
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