Sustainability defined and practiced in a modern cattle feeding enterprise

Abundant feed grains provided the opportunity for cattle feeders to create an industry that excels in developing light weight cattle produced from diverse pastureland into high quality finished beef. The collective knowledge and best management practices available to today’s commercial cattle feeding industry, developed through trial-and-error and formal research, supports a mature, competitive industry and efficient production. However, interested external groups and consumers have questioned whether cattle feeding satisfies the three pillars of sustainability: environmental, economic, and societal. The use of technology in animal agriculture faces special scrutiny from those who have idealized historical production practices. Technologies available to enhance production efficiency include those applied directly to the animal and those included in the feed. Growth promotion through hormone implants and beta-adrenergic agonists provide benefits through increased production, while ionophores improve efficiency through reducing inputs and increasing production. Reducing their use can have negative environmental impacts. In addition, antibiotic use from classes important to human medicine face pressures from many concerned about the increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria challenging both human and animal health. As these antibiotics are used to treat, control, and prevent disease, the most effective way to decrease use is by improving cattle health outcomes through other means. Alternative ration compositions can improve liver abscess outcomes, but result in increased feed usage and decreased HCW from each animal. Addressing Bovine Respiratory Disease in the feedyard is best accomplished through ensuring cattle are prepared prior to arrival. Finally, an effort to better understand contributions to resistance must accompany an antibiotic use strategy. Less controversial technologies support operational efficiency, data collection, and information utilization. Their challenges include demonstrating usefulness, implementation, and the possibility of discouraging skilled labor (animal husbandry) by relying on machines. Alteration of any production strategy challenges the economic status quo and introduces risk into the business.