Finishing Cattle in All-Natural and Conventional Production Systems

Simple item page
dc.creatorSmith, Zachary K.
dc.creatorAnderson, Peter T.
dc.creatorJohnson, Bradley J.
dc.date.accessioned2021-08-12T15:57:28Z
dc.date.available2021-08-12T15:57:28Z
dc.date.issued2020
dc.descriptionCopyright © 2020 by author(s) and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en_US
dc.description.abstractBeef cattle producers in the North America have a variety of production and marketing options and must choose the best production system for their situation. This review describes considerations involved in choosing between feeding cattle conventionally versus feeding them in programs that prohibit the use of certain technologies. Data from peer-reviewed journals, extension publications, nutritional consultants, governmental organizations, and feed companies were used to construct this review. Most cattle in North America are fed in conventional production systems. Conventional beef production systems typically use steroidal implants, ionophores, and beta-adrenergic agonists to improve animal productivity; as well as feed grade and injectable antimicrobials to control, treat or prevent disease and improve animal health. These technologies have been shown to lower the cost of production, allowing for beef to be competitive in the global protein market. Some consumers have expressed a preference for beef produced without these technologies. These “All-natural” (AN) cattle may bring a premium price in the market. The economic impact of differing productions systems can be described in relation to 1) cost of production, 2) operating costs of the feedlot, 3) price paid for feeder calves, and 4) price received for fed cattle. Conventional production provides the most favorable outcome for factors 1, 2, and 3, while AN production provides the most favorable outcome for item 4. There are also industry wide and societal aspects related to differing beef production systems related to health and safety of beef, land use, and cost of production allowing for a greater share of the global protein market. Technologies used in conventional production are critical tools to North American beef production. Differences in efficiencies between each type of non-conventional production systems must be re-captured in added premiums when cattle are marketed and sold. Premiums for AN cattle are enticing, but the true differences in the cost of production between the AN and conventional cattle must be evaluated in order for a producer to make the correct decision for their operation.en_US
dc.identifier.citationSmith, Z.K., Anderson, P.T. and Johnson, B.J. (2020) Finishing Cattle in All-Natural and Conventional Production Systems. Open Journal of Animal Sciences, 10, 237-253. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojas.2020.102013en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.4236/ojas.2020.102013
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/2346/87623
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.subjectAll-Naturalen_US
dc.subjectBeefen_US
dc.subjectBeta-Adrenergic Agonisten_US
dc.subjectConventionalen_US
dc.subjectIonophoreen_US
dc.titleFinishing Cattle in All-Natural and Conventional Production Systemsen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

Files

Original bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
johnson_article.pdf
Size:
379.38 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Main article with TTU Libraries cover page
Download

License bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.57 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download

Collections

Faculty Research