Terms Used

Term	Description
Antibiotic	An antimicrobial that inhibits and/or kills certain bacteria. Appropriately utilized antibiotics are very effective against illnesses caused by bacteria.
Antimicrobial	Any substance of natural, semisynthetic, or synthetic origin that kills or inhibits the growth of microorganisms. All antibiotics are antimicrobials, but not all antimicrobials are antibiotics. For the purposes of this report, the terms “antimicrobial” and “antibiotic” are considered synonymous.
Antimicrobial stewardship and judicious use	Includes keeping records on antimicrobial use, offering employees training regarding use of antimicrobials, periodically undergoing facility audits or assessments, using a veterinarian for guidance on antimicrobial use, having a valid veterinarian-client-patient-relationship, and taking steps to prevent disease.
Antimicrobial use definitions	Excerpted from American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) website. Antimicrobial prevention of disease (prophylaxis): On a population basis, prevention is the administration of an antimicrobial to a group of animals, none of which have evidence of disease or infection, when transmission of existing undiagnosed infections, or the introduction of pathogens, is anticipated based on history, clinical judgement, or epidemiological knowledge. Antimicrobial control of disease (metaphylaxis): On a population basis, control is the use of antimicrobials to reduce the incidence of infectious disease in a group of animals that already has some individuals with evidence of infectious disease or evidence of infection. Antimicrobial treatment of disease: On a population basis, treatment is the administration of an antimicrobial to those animals within the group with evidence of infectious disease.
Backgrounder operation	Often used interchangeably with a stocker operation, a backgrounder operation is a farm or ranch that raises weaned calves prior to entering a feedlot. Calves that have spent time on backgrounder/stocker operations have recovered from the stress of weaning and tend to adapt more smoothly to a feedlot environment compared with freshly weaned calves. Sometimes, distinctions are made between backgrounder and stocker operations. For example, stocker operations are more likely to keep calves for longer periods than backgrounder operations, which typically keep calves just long enough for them to get over the stress of weaning or leaving the farm or ranch of origin before they enter a feedlot environment. In addition, backgrounder operations typically haul feed to the calves, while stocker operations expect calves to graze on pasture for most of their nutritional needs. In general, a backgrounder or stocker operation is an intermediate step for calves between the farm or ranch of origin and a feedlot.
Beef Quality Assurance (BQA)	A national program that raises consumer confidence by offering science-based management techniques and showcasing a commitment to quality through every segment of the beef industry. Nearly every U.S. State has an active BQA program. BQA’s mission is to guide producers towards continuous improvement using science-based production practices that assure cattle well-being, beef quality, and safety. The program links all beef producers with livestock production specialists, veterinarians, nutritionists, marketers, and food purveyors interested in continuously improving the quality of the beef they produce. BQA programs promote best practices and principles around cattle handling, facility management, cattle transportation, good record keeping, and protecting herd health, which all result in better outcomes for cattle and producers. In addition, BQA programming focuses on educating and training cattle producers, farm advisors, and veterinarians on animal husbandry practices, as well as issues regarding food safety and quality. The BQA program is executed through a State and National partnership to create standardized educational opportunities. Producers can obtain BQA certification by completing several hours of training, in person or online, and are required to recertify every three years. Information on resources and certification can be found at www.bqa.org.
BQA Feedyard Assessment	An onsite educational tool that allows for assessing and benchmarking key indicators of animal care and welfare as well as feedyard conditions. The assessment has areas of focus covering animal health records, animal handling observations, animal health and employee training protocols, and facilities/equipment evaluation. It is developed to be in close alignment with commonly used feedyard audit tools. Assessments might be utilized as a self-assessment, completed by a second-party, or conducted by a third-party assessor. It can be accessed at www.bqa.org.
Cattle on feed	Cattle being fed a high-energy ration consisting of components such as grain, silage, hay, and/or protein supplement before being sent to slaughter. Operations with cattle being “backgrounded only” for later sale as feeders or for placement in another feedlot were excluded from this study. This report is restricted to steers and heifers.
Cattle placed/placement	This report is restricted to steers and heifers placed in a feedlot and fed a ration that will produce a “select or better” carcass at slaughter. Placement refers to the time that cattle entered the feedlot.
Feeding period	The time span beginning when cattle enter the feedlot and ending when cattle are marketed (i.e., shipped for slaughter).
Feedlot	An operation that feeds cattle for the slaughter market.
Feedlot capacity	The total number of cattle that could be accommodated in the feedlot at one time. For this study, feedlots were categorized as small/medium or large/very large for sampling stratification and as small, medium, large, or very large for reporting: Small: Feedlot capacity of 50 to 499 head. Medium: Feedlot capacity of 500 to 999 head. Large: Feedlot capacity of 1,000 to 4,999 head. Very Large: Feedlot capacity of 5,000 or more head. Note: Although feedlots were selected from the NASS list frame based on having 50 or more cattle on feed, a small number of participating feedlots reported a feedlot capacity of fewer than 50 head on the day of the interview. These feedlots were included in the Small category (50-499).
Grow yard	Another name for backgrounding operation.
Heifer	A bovine female less than 3 years of age that has not borne a calf. Young cows that have had their first calf are sometimes called “first-calf heifers,” but for the purposes of this study, any animal that has had a calf is considered a cow.
Ionophore	A drug administered in feed that promotes the efficient use of feedstuffs by altering the fermentation pattern in the rumen. Monensin, lasalocid, and laidlomycin are the three ionophores approved for use in cattle. All three are approved for improving feed efficiency. Monensin and lasalocid are also approved for prevention and control of coccidiosis. Ionophores are categorized by the FDA as not medically important antimicrobials for humans.
Medically important antimicrobial	Any antimicrobial the FDA deems medically important with respect to the use of that class of antimicrobials for therapeutic use in human medicine. As of January 1, 2017, medically important antimicrobials are no longer approved by the FDA for use in food-producing animals for growth promotion purposes, and medically important antimicrobials used in animal feed or water require veterinary oversight. In addition, the FDA’s Guidance for Industry #263 requires, as of June 11, 2023, that all medically important antibiotics will be under veterinarian oversight for distribution and use.
Percent cattle	The total number of cattle on all feedlots with a certain attribute divided by the total number of cattle on all feedlots (or on all feedlots within a certain category, e.g., capacity).
Percent feedlots	The number of feedlots with a certain attribute divided by the total number of feedlots (or by the total number of feedlots within a certain category, e.g., capacity). Percentages will sum to 100 if attributes are mutually exclusive (e.g., percentage of feedlots within a capacity category). Percentages will not sum to 100 if attributes are not mutually exclusive (e.g., the percentage of feedlots using treatment methods in which feedlots might have used more than one method).
Placement weight	The weight of cattle at the time they enter (are placed in) the feedlot. Placement weight can give an idea of disease risk upon entering the feedlot. For example, cattle placed at less than 400 lb tend to have the highest disease risk while cattle placed at 900 lb or more generally have the lowest risk. Some data in this report were collected according to the following placement weights: Less than 400 lb at placement 400–699 lb at placement 700–899 lb at placement 900 or more lb at placement
Population estimates	Point estimates in this report (weighted percentages or averages) are provided with a measure of precision called the standard error. A 95-percent confidence interval can be approximated with bounds equal to the estimate, plus or minus two standard errors. If the only error is sampling error, the confidence intervals created in this manner will contain the true population mean 95 out of 100 times. An estimate of 7.5 with a standard error of 1.0 results in limits of 5.5 to 9.5 (two times the standard error above and below the estimate). When the estimates are reported as being “higher” or “lower”, a statistical difference is implied but not tested. Not all statistically different estimates are mentioned in the text of this report. All estimates in this report are rounded to the nearest tenth. If the estimate rounded to 0, the standard error was reported (0.0). If there were no reports of the event (0.0 percent) or if all operations reported the event (100.0 percent), no standard error was reported (—).
Preconditioning practices	Practices that help a calf become ready to leave the operation of origin and reduce the calf’s stress when adjusting to a new location, such as a feedlot. Typical recommended preconditioning practices include keeping the calf on the operation of origin for at least 45 days after weaning, dehorning (if horned), castrating bulls, administering appropriate vaccines, deworming, and getting the calf used to eating from a feed bunk and drinking from a water tank. Preconditioned calves are at lower risk of disease upon arrival at a feedlot.
Region	Some of the data in this report are broken out by region. For this study, feedlot regions were defined as follows: East: IN, MI, OH, PA, WI Midwest: IL, IA, MN, MO Central: CO, KS, NE, OK, TX West: CA, ID, MT, ND, SD, UT, WA, WY
Route of administration	Feed: Antimicrobials are added to feed for preventing, controlling, or treating disease, or for increasing rate of gain and/or improving feed efficiency. Water: Antimicrobials are added to drinking water for control or treatment of disease in a group of cattle. Injection (individual treatment): Individual sick animals treated with injectable antimicrobials for disease treatment. Injection (group treatment): For the purposes of this report, “treated as a group” means that the majority of cattle in a pen or group were treated with an injectable antimicrobial for preventing, controlling, or treating a disease outbreak, such as bovine respiratory disease or shipping fever.
Steer	A castrated male bovine.
Stocker operation	Often used interchangeably with a backgrounder operation, a stocker operation is a farm or ranch that raises weaned calves prior to feedlot entry. Calves that have spent time on backgrounder/stocker operations have recovered from the stress of weaning and tend to adapt more smoothly to a feedlot environment compared with freshly weaned calves. Sometimes, distinctions are made between backgrounder and stocker operations. For example, stocker operations are more likely to keep calves for longer periods than backgrounder operations, which typically keep calves just long enough for them to get over the stress of weaning or leaving the farm or ranch of origin before they enter a feedlot environment. In addition, backgrounder operations typically haul feed to the calves, while stocker operations expect calves to graze on pasture for most of their nutritional needs. In general, a backgrounder or stocker operation is an intermediate step for calves between the farm or ranch of origin and a feedlot.
Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD)	An authorization by a veterinarian to allow for use of a medically important antibiotic in animal feed. A prescription is used for medically important antibiotics given by injection or in drinking water, and a VFD is similar to a prescription except the VFD pertains to animal feed. Businesses selling prescription medicine typically require the presence of a licensed pharmacist due to pharmacy laws. The VFD was created by the FDA in the 1990s so feed mills would not need a licensed pharmacist or other medical professional to be present during dispensing of antibiotics in animal feed.