ARS | Publication request: Soil nutrients, bacterial communities, and veterinary pharmaceuticals in beef cattle backgrounding confinement on karst environment

Submitted to: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: June 27, 2011
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: The United States hosts the world’s largest grain fed beef production. Commercial beef production in the US consists of three tiers that include: cow-calf enterprises, cattle backgrounding/stockering, and feedlot finishing. Beef cattle backgrounding/stockering represents an intermediate between the cow-calf enterprises and the feedlot finishing. Beef cattle backgrounding/stockering operations receive weaned calves from cow- calf operations which results in feedlot-ready yearlings. Feedlot beef cattle backgrounding/stockering systems often tends to congregate animals, feeds, manure and other livestock waste on small land areas. These sites can contain contaminants such as excessive soil nutrient contents, different microbial communities, and veterinary pharmaceuticals posing adverse environmental impacts, especially related to the soil, water, and air quality. Better understanding of contaminant distribution within these sites is vital for developing effective best management practices to mitigate potential environmental impacts. Field scale soil nutrients, microbial communities and veterinary pharmaceutical distribution characteristics of beef cattle backgrounding confinement operating in karst region of Kentucky for past six years will be described in this paper.