The Impact Of Technology On The Feedlot Industry

In the last fifty years technology has came a long way but this is especially true with feedlots. Feedlots have gone from a cowboy and a horse checking on steers to computers in tractors making sure everything get feed an even amount. From pouring feed in a trough to using a thirty five thousand dollar machine to mix a proper TMR ration. Because of advancements like this we can now have a steer ready for slaughter in 485 days from birth compared to in the 609 days it took back in the seventies. That is a lot more efficient just because we feed them a certain way. Now some things that help you wouldn’t even think about and cost nowhere near thirty five thousand dollars. Things like ear tags don’t even cost a hundred dollars for a pack of them.
These stacks of paper has now been replaced by a computer. It has calendar on it so he knows when a shipment of steers came in, a list of contacts for the vet or a grain salesmen, tell him what ration a pen of steers needs all the income and expenditures, he can use the internet to find the highest buyers and lowest prices on grain, he can use Excel and have spread sheets to know when a pen of cattle are ready to slaughter or the rate of gain for the pen. the possibilities are endless and growing every day. They now even have GPS in the feed truck or tractor that can tell you if you are driving to the wrong pen with the feed that you have in it. Computers even control how much feed is put out so that it is distributed more evenly so that there is a greater chance of every thing being fed evenly. They can even chip the cattle to do all kinds of things from ID them, to know if they are running a temperature, they can know the animal’s respiration rate. There are a lot of other things they can use that micro chip to find out. Another form of computer you would never guessed is used is an ultrasound but what they do with it is amazing. They can know the size and quality of a valuable cut of meat such as the rib eye while the animal is still alive. This is amazing considering that 10 years ago it was never thought would be possible. Now they are even using drones on feedlots. Drones are replacing the need for a cowboy and his horse. The drone can check for sick cattle just like the cowboy but can do it faster and sometimes even get closer to investigate. But it will take a lot of technology advancements to completely get rid of the cowboy. Someone still has to treat the animal but honestly is that very far