Technical Abstract: There are both advantages and disadvantages to beef housing. While housing cattle provides shelter from winter winds and precipitation, reduces solar heat loads during hot summer conditions, reduces mud and dust problems of open feedyards, and improves the operator's control over manure and possibly odors, there are substantial cost increases. These include both capital and maintenance costs, as well as possible performance reductions. Reducing space allotment reduces the capital cost, but at the expense of performance. Under current economic conditions, the advantages of manure control will most likely dictate the feasibility of beef housing under moderate climates. However, shade structures without special pen surface treatment have been shown to be beneficial. Warm housing in severe cold climates may be beneficial, but protection from wind and precipitation provides the primary benefit to performance.