Review: the effects of dust on feedlot health and production of beef cattle

Figures & data

Table 1. Percentage^a of death loss in cattle (n = 910,965) recorded from 30 feedlots during 2015–2017 and their attributable causes.

Month	Respiratory^b, %	Digestive^c, %	Other^d, %	Total, %
January	0.26	0.06	0.08	0.42
February	0.21	0.05	0.08	0.34
March	0.19	0.05	0.07	0.32
April	0.18	0.06	0.08	0.32
May	0.22	0.07	0.1	0.39
June	0.4	0.06	0.11	0.57
July	0.44	0.06	0.11	0.6
August	0.42	0.05	0.11	0.58
September	0.38	0.05	0.09	0.53
October	0.37	0.06	0.08	0.52
November	0.38	0.06	0.08	0.53
December	0.38	0.07	0.1	0.55
Average	0.32	0.06	0.09	0.47

^a Koers-Turgeon Consulting Service, Inc. Amarillo, TX 79118, USA.

^b Respiratory deaths are a combined sum of respiratory diseases including pneumonia, chronic pneumonia, bovine respiratory disease, bovine virus diarrhea, bovine respiratory syncitial virus, acute interstitial pneumonia and diphtheria.

^c Digestive deaths are a combined sum of digestive disorders including bloat, acidosis, enterotoxemia and rumenitis.

^d Other deaths include coccidiosis, salmonella, urinary calculi, polioencephalomalacia, hardware disease, peritonitis, pericarditis, septicemia, dystocia, buller, heart failure, liver failure, kidney failure, mechanical related deaths and euthanasia.

Table 2. Least squares means for production characteristics by number of bovine respiratory disease treatments (Brooks et al., 2011).

Description	Number of treatments
	0	1	2	3	Chronics
Beginning Weight (kg)	242.84	240.47	239.65	241.33	235.65
ADG – Backgrounding (kg/day)	1.41^a	1.26^b	0.98^c	0.65^d	0.43^d
Backgrounding Feed:Gain Conversion	3.55^a	3.62^a	6.29^b	4.10^a	4.82^a,b
BRD Treatment Drugs ($/head)	0.00^a	9.63^b	23.62^c	35.71^d	35.34^d
Background Cost of Gain ($/kg of gain)	0.21^a	0.24^a,c	.60^b	0.43^b,c	0.53^a,b,c
Net Returns – Backgrounding ($/head)	8.63^a	−9.98^b	−42.51^c	−81.87^d	−102.49^e
ADG – Finishing (kg)	1.41	1.45	1.48	1.50	1.42
Finishing Feed:Gain Conversion	4.30^a	4.18^a,b	3.97^a,b	3.96^a,b	3.76^b
Finishing Cost of Gain ($/kg of gain)	0.46^a	0.45^a,b	0.43^a,b	0.42^a,b	0.40^b
Net Returns – Finishing ($/head)	−110.53	−73.73	−73.49	−92.71	−139.19
Overall Cost of Gain ($/kg of gain)	0.39^a	0.39^a	0.40^a,b	0.42^b	0.42^a,b
Overall ADG (kg)	1.42^a	1.39^a,b	1.37^a,b	1.31^b,c	1.19^c

^a,b,c,d,e Indicate means in the same row with a different superscript letter differ (P < 0.05).

Table 3. Total annual cost including fixed and operational costs ($/head marketed) for a solid-set sprinkler system based on a 25 year useful life for various feedlot capacities and turnover rates (Amosson, et al., 2006).

Head capacity	Turnover rate (head marketed/head capacity)	Fixed cost ($/head marketed)	Operational cost ($/head marketed)	Total cost ($/head marketed)
10,000	1.75	$2.08	$0.26	$2.34
	2.00	$1.82	$0.23	$2.05
	2.25	$1.62	$0.20	$1.82
30,000	1.75	$1.46	$0.23	$1.69
	2.00	$1.28	$0.20	$1.48
	2.25	$1.14	$0.18	$1.32
50,000	1.75	$1.37	$0.22	$1.60
	2.00	$1.20	$0.20	$1.40
	2.25	$1.07	$0.17	$1.24

Table 4. Performance and Carcass data of cattle housed with varying pen density (Mader & Colgan, 2007).

		Pen density^a
		Low	High	SEM	P-value
ADG, kg	Day 0 to 34	2.2	2.23	0.04	0.61
	Day 0 to 71	1.81	1.77	0.03	0.33
	Day 0 to 98	1.73	1.7	0.03	0.33
	Day 0 to 124^b	1.65	1.63	0.02	0.57
DMI, kg	Day 0 to 34	10.37	11.32	0.18	<0.01
	Day 0 to 71	10.17	10.9	0.17	0.01
	Day 0 to 98	9.9	10.62	0.16	0.00
	Day 0 to 124	10.03	10.83	0.18	0.19
F/G	Day 0 to 34	4.74	5.10	0.11	0.03
	Day 0 to 71	5.62	6.15	0.10	<0.01
	Day 0 to 98	5.72	6.28	0.11	<0.01
	Day 0 to 124	6.11	6.66	0.05	0.07
Marbling^c,d	–	563	527	7.6	0.00

^a Low = 46.45 m²/animal; High = 23.23 m²/animal

^b Final weight (d 124) calculated as hot carcass weight divided by a 62 dressing%age.

^c Carcass data was analyzed using the individual animal as the experimental unit.

^d Marbling score: 500 = Small⁰ (Low Choice); 600 = Modest⁰ (Average Choice).

Table 5. Manure moisture production in cattle feedlots (Sweeten, 1982).

Animal weight, kg	Average animal spacing, m^2/head
	6.96	9.29	11.61	13.93	16.25
	Moisture, cm/day
181	.127	.101	.076	.076	.050
272	.203	.152	.127	.101	.076
362	.279	.203	.152	.127	.101
453	.330	.254	.203	.177	.152
544	.406	.304	.228	.203	.177

Brooks KR, Raper KC, Ward CE, Holland BP, Krehbiel CR, Step DL. 2011. Economic effect of bovine respiratory disease on feedlot cattle during backgrounding and finishing phases. Prof Anim Sci. 273:195–203.

 Google Scholar

Amosson SH, Guerrero B, Almas LK. 2006. Economic analysis of solid-set sprinklers to control dust in feedlots. Southern Agricultural Economics Association Paper, 35341.

 Google Scholar

Mader TL, Colgan SL. 2007. Pen density and straw bedding during feedlot finishing. Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports, 70.

 Google Scholar

Sweeten JM. 1982. Feedlot dust control. College Station: Texas Agricultural Extension Service, the Texas A & M University System.

 Google Scholar