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Introduction

NAHMS Beef Feedlot 2021 Study Banner

Abstract

The National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) conducts national studies on the health and health management of U.S. domestic livestock populations. The Health Management on U.S. Feedlots 2021 study (Feedlot 2021) is the fourth NAHMS study of the U.S. feedlot industry, with previous studies being conducted in in 1994, 1999, and 2011. In the NAHMS Feedlot 2021 study, for feedlots that placed cattle not born and raised on the operation, slightly over half of cattle placed (51.1 percent) came directly from a cow-calf operation or a stocker or backgrounder operation while 41.2 percent came from a sale barn. Of the cattle placed in 2020, 85.1 percent were placed with the intention of meeting no specific marketing claims, 0.5 percent of cattle were placed to meet certified organic claims, 8.4 percent were placed to meet no or limited antibiotic use claims, and 10.2 percent were placed to meet no hormone use claims. About three-fourths (73.1 percent) of feedlots used antibiotics in any form in 2020. Of these feedlots: 22.4 percent gave injectable antibiotics to cattle as a group; 67.6 percent gave injectable antibiotics to sick cattle; 42.8 percent gave antibiotics in feed; and 4.5 percent gave antibiotics in water. Most feedlots (85.1 percent) used a veterinarian in 2020. About two-thirds of feedlots (64.2 percent) felt that on January 1, 2017, they had all the resources necessary to manage the VFD rule change.

The USDA’s National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) Health Management on U.S. Feedlots, 2021 study is designed to provide a snapshot of current feedlot cattle health management practices. From March through August 2021, NAHMS, in collaboration with the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), conducted a national study focusing on cattle health and management on U.S. feedlots with at least 50 head from 22 participating states.

The study is designed to provide stakeholders with valuable information about the U.S. feedlot industry and will

  • Describe health management practices on U.S. feedlots with 50 or more head,
  • Estimate the prevalence of important feedlot cattle diseases,
  • Describe antibiotic use and stewardship practices on U.S feedlots, and
  • Describe trends in feedlot cattle health management practices and important feedlot cattle diseases.

This study is composed of two parts, with a survey administered by data collectors under NASS, the results of which are summarized in the Report I: Management Practices, and a follow-up survey administered by data collectors under NAHMS, the results of which are summarized in Report II: Health and Management Practices. Key findings can be found in the Items of Note for each part of the study and the PDF file for each report can be found below.

If you encounter any challenges or issues while navigating the website, we recommend accessing the PDF reports as an alternative, especially for users utilizing assistive technology.

Report I: Management Practices

Report II: Health and Management Practices (Work in Progress)

  • Items of Note
  • PDF Version

Background

The National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) is a nonregulatory program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). NAHMS is designed to help meet the Nation’s animal health information needs and has collected data on animal health and management practices on U.S. feedlots via four previous studies.

The NAHMS 1994 Cattle on Feed Evaluation (COFE) provided the first national information on the health and management practices of feedlots in the United States. Data were collected from 3,214 feedlots from 13 major cattle-on-feed States, which accounted for 85.8 percent of the U.S. cattle-on-feed inventory on January 1, 1994.

The NAHMS Feedlot ’99 study was designed to provide participants and those affiliated with the cattle-feeding industry with information on the Nation’s feedlot-cattle population to be used for education and research. For Feedlot ’99, a statistically valid sample was selected so that inferences could be made to 100 percent of the cattle on feed in feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 head or more on January 1, 1999, in 12 participating States. These feedlots represented 82.1 percent of all cattle on feed on January 1, 2000, in the 50 States.

The NAHMS Feedlot 2011 study took an in-depth look at large U.S. feedlots (1,000 head or more capacity) in 12 States and small feedlots (fewer than 1,000 head capacity) in 13 States. Large feedlots accounted for 82.1 percent of the January 1, 2011, inventory in all U.S. feedlots but only 2.8 percent of all feedlots. The 12 participating States accounted for over 95 percent of the inventory in large feedlots (NASS, “Cattle on Feed” February 18, 2011).

The NAHMS Antimicrobial Use and Stewardship on U.S. Feedlots, 2017 study represented the first time that NAHMS conducted a targeted study on antimicrobial use and stewardship, and it was also the first time that NAHMS collected detailed information on antimicrobial use in feed and water on feedlots with a capacity of 50 to 999 head. The Antimicrobial Use and Stewardship on U.S. Feedlots, 2017 study was conducted in 22 top cattle-producing States. The 13 States from which small feedlots were selected represented 93.2 percent of U.S. cattle inventory on feedlots with 50 to 999 head and 91.3 percent of feedlots with a capacity of 50 to 999 head. The 16 States from which large feedlots were selected represented 92.8 percent of U.S. cattle inventory on feedlots with 1,000 or more head capacity and 92.3 percent of feedlots with 1,000 or more head capacity.

The NAHMS Health Management on U.S. Feedlots, 2021 study continued collecting detailed information on antimicrobial use and stewardship that began with the Antimicrobial Use and Stewardship on U.S. Feedlots, 2017 study. However, it also included questions on general management practices used on feedlots, similar to the NAHMS Feedlot studies conducted in 1994, 1999, and 2011. Many of the management practices on which data were collected could potentially relate to antimicrobial use. For example, if calves are preconditioned prior to placement in a feedlot, they are at lower risk of disease and may be less likely to require antibiotics in the feedlot, so some questions were asked about knowledge of preconditioning practices used on cattle prior to arrival at the feedlot. The study was initially to be conducted in 2020 but was postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19. Twenty-two States participated, with small feedlots selected from 18 States and large feedlots from 17 States. The 18 States for the small component represented 95.7 percent of the inventory on feedlots with 50 to 999 head and 94.0 percent of feedlots with 50 to 999 head. The 17 States for the large component represented 95.5 percent of the cattle on feed on feedlots with 1,000 or more head inventories and 94.4 percent of feedlots with 1,000 or more head inventory.