USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) released Health and Management Practices on U.S. Feedlots, 2021, the second descriptive report from the agency’s 2021 study of the U.S. feedlot industry.
Feedlot 2021 is the fifth national feedlot study conducted by APHIS’ National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) in collaboration with the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). It covers 22 states, with small feedlots (50 to 999 head capacity) taking part from 18 states and large feedlots (1,000 or more head capacity) from 17. The study examines management practices on feedlots with 50 or more head, reflecting operational data from the 2020 calendar year. It also covers disease prevalence, antibiotic use and stewardship, and trends in health management.
Here are the five critical takeaways from the report that every feedyard manager and consulting veterinarian should benchmark against their own operation:
1. The BRD Reality: Lightweight Calves Triple Morbidity Risk
Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) continues to be the cattle feeding sector’s primary health challenge. As the NAHMS report notes: “Respiratory disease (BRD, shipping fever) is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality on cattle feedlots. Cattle experiencing respiratory disease usually reduce feed intake, and a percentage of these animals die, making respiratory disease costly for the feedlot industry.”
Overall, 77.5% of all feedlots had at least one case of BRD in 2020, rising to 98.8% among large operations and 74.7% among small yards. At the animal level, 12.2% of all cattle placed were affected by BRD.
The risk is heavily tied to arrival weight:
- Less than 400 lb.: 25.9% were affected by BRD nationwide. On large feedlots, that rate reached 31.0%.
- 400 to 699 lb.: BRD affected 14.8% of cattle nationwide (17.8% in large yards; 6.8% in small yards).
- 700 lb. or more: BRD dropped to 9.6% nationally and 10.4% in large feedyards.
While small yards observed relatively flat BRD rates across weight categories (6.7% for less than 400 lb. vs. 3.3% for 700 lb. or more), large commercial yards saw BRD morbidity triple when comparing calves placed less than 400 lb. (31.0%) to yearlings placed at 700 lb. or more (10.4%).
2. Arrival Chute Protocols: Rest vs. Immediate Processing
Across the industry, 75.9% of feedlots process cattle as a group within four weeks of arrival, with 67.9% processing 100% of their cattle. However, arrival timing differs sharply depending on operation size.
According to the report, “Traditionally, feedlot cattle were processed on the day of arrival or shortly after arrival to the feedlot. Recent evidence has shown that postponing processing can be of benefit. Cattle may be able to respond to the effects of vaccination better after recovering from the stress of transport.”
The survey data captures how feedyards manage chute timing:
- Small Yards (<1,000 head): 52.4% processed at least some cattle immediately on arrival day (<1 day after arrival).
- Large Yards (1,000+ head): Only 24.7% processed any cattle on arrival day. In contrast, 69.0% of large yards processed at least some cattle one to three days after arrival, and 59.5% processed at least some cattle four to 13 days after arrival (percentages overlap because feedyards utilize staged, multi-phase processing protocols depending on pen risk profile).
When cattle enter the chute, foundational prevention is widespread:
- 87.6% of processing feedlots vaccinate against respiratory disease (80.8% against bovine viral diarrhea [BVD]; 70.1% against clostridial diseases).
- 83.7% of processing yards administer a parasiticide to all cattle (regionally, 98.7% of Western feedlots and 85.8% of Eastern feedlots administer a parasiticide to at least some cattle).
- 58.4% of yards reported that zero incoming bull calves required castration because all male calves arrived castrated.
- 72.7% of large feedlots administered an injectable antibiotic at initial processing (metaphylaxis/preventative group therapy) for at least some cattle, compared to 37.2% of small yards.
3. Preconditioning: The Sale-Barn Information Gap
The cattle feeding sector places high value on preconditioned cattle, with good reason.
As the report authors explain, “Preconditioning can 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. Preconditioned calves are generally considered to be at lower risk of disease upon arrival at a feedlot and may be less likely to need antibiotics at arrival.”
Among feedlots placing outside-source cattle, 98.2% of large feedlots and 83.2% of small feedlots considered reliable preconditioning and backgrounding information to be at least slightly important (with 65.7% of large yards and 51.2% of small yards ranking it very or extremely important).
However, a serious supply chain disconnect persists:
- Only 29.3% of large feedlots reported being able to access all desired preconditioning and backgrounding information on outside-source cattle (compared to 64.3% of small yards).
- For operations unable to obtain health histories, 87.1% stated that information was inaccessible because cattle were purchased at a sale barn where prior management records were not provided.
This gap underscores the unrealized economic opportunity for cow-calf producers who invest in preconditioning: without verifiable paperwork or participation in certified value-added programs, auction channels frequently fail to convey that investment to the feedyard.
4. Antimicrobial Stewardship: Science, Experience and Vet Guidance
In an era of increased public and regulatory focus on livestock medications, the NAHMS data confirms feedyard antibiotic use is disciplined and anchored by veterinary oversight.
Overall, 90.2% of feedlots used antibiotics for at least one animal in 2020. Among yards using injectable or bolus-dosed antibiotics (83.7% of operations), drug choices were guided by professional judgment:
- 83.7% ranked personal experience as very or extremely important.
- 82.4% ranked veterinarian recommendations as very or extremely important.
- 62.4% cited duration of action (single-dose, sustained-release formulations).
- 77.9% of large feedlots ranked the approved route of administration as very or extremely important (compared to 41.2% of small yards).
In contrast, factors like drug company advertising (91.9%), peer recommendations (61.9%), and over-the-counter availability (68.6%) were rated not important or only slightly important.
For initial treatment of individual BRD cases, feedlots relied on established antimicrobials:
- Tulathromycin: Administered by 46.6% of feedlots.
- Florfenicol: Administered by 44.4% of feedlots.
- Oxytetracycline: Administered by 36.4% of feedlots.
- Enrofloxacin: Administered by 35% of feedlots.
- Ceftiofur: Administered by 24.4% of feedlots.
In feed bunks, non-medically important ionophores (monensin, lasalocid, laidlomycin) — which lack utility in human medicine — were fed by 56.6% of feedlots, reaching 77.6% of all fed cattle for feed efficiency (91.6% of users) and coccidiosis control (55.6% of users).
Medically important antibiotics in feed, which require a veterinary feed directive (VFD), were fed by 52.2% of feedlots. Chlortetracycline (CTC) was fed by 33% of operations (primarily for respiratory control), while tylosin was fed to 49.2% of all cattle placed (and 57.9% in large feedyards) to reduce the incidence of liver abscesses.
5. Foreign Animal Disease: The Biosecurity and Continuity Blind Spot
The report’s most urgent industry warning involves biosecurity planning and preparedness for foreign animal diseases (FAD) such as Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD).
“If foot-and-mouth disease is ever found in U.S. livestock, regulatory officials will limit the movement of cattle to control the spread of this very contagious animal disease,” the study emphasizes. “The Secure Beef Supply Plan for Continuity of Business provides opportunities to voluntarily prepare before an outbreak occurs... This will better position feedlots that have no evidence of infection to move cattle to processing or another premises under a movement control permit issued by Regulatory Officials, which maintains business continuity.”
Despite the severe business disruption an outbreak would cause, documented preparedness is critically low:
- Written Biosecurity Plans: Only 30.3% of large feedlots and 5.6% of small feedlots maintained a written or electronic biosecurity plan.
- SBS Plan: A full 66.9% of feedlots were not familiar with the SBS Plan. Only 12.5% of large yards and 1.6% of small yards considered themselves “very familiar.”
While commercial feedyards benefit from natural physical distance — 91.8% do not share a fence line where nose-to-nose contact with outside ruminants is possible, and the average distance to the nearest ruminant operation is 1.7 miles — human and operational vectors remain active. Among feedlots with cattle-care staff:
- 31.5% have employees who have contact with cattle, bison or other ruminants on outside operations.
- 26.2% have employees who own ruminants at an off-site location.
Without written Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), designated Lines of Separation and validated health documentation, feedyards face catastrophic operational bottlenecks should state or federal officials enact movement restrictions. Note: Following data collection, the beef industry received USDA National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program funding in 2023 to advance SBS participation.
Emerging Health Watch: Cardiovascular Disease
For the first time, NAHMS asked feedyards about two emerging health conditions: cardiovascular disease (heart failure, brisket disease) and papillomatous digital dermatitis (hairy heel wart).
The data confirms heart failure has become an operational reality in finishing yards:
- 52.8% of large feedlots and 10.3% of small feedlots (15.2% overall) observed at least one case of cardiovascular disease in 2020.
- The report highlights that cardiovascular disease has “emerged as a disease of concern in feedlots due to cattle being raised to steadily increasing weights.”
- Lameness and foot conditions also demanded management time, with 35.2% of yards reporting foot rot (67.9% in large yards) and 8.3% reporting hairy heel wart.
Moving the Benchmark Forward
The NAHMS Feedlot 2021 benchmarks arrive at a time when record-high feeder cattle prices leave zero margin for health management errors. With lightweight calves facing three times the respiratory morbidity of yearlings, the data proves that “cheap” arrival calves quickly become expensive if health histories are missing and chute protocols are rushed.
While U.S. cattle feeders have demonstrated commendable discipline in antimicrobial stewardship and veterinary collaboration, the study exposes our industry’s two greatest vulnerabilities: information loss at the auction market and an informal approach to biosecurity. Bridging the sale-barn data gap and establishing written SBS protocols are no longer optional administrative chores — they are the baseline insurance policies required to protect cattle investment, operational cash flow and market access.
