What is a Feedlot?
Let's Talk About Feedlots.
The EPA defines feedlots, or animal feeding operations (AFOs), as "agricultural operations where animals are kept and raised in confined situations...that congregate animals, feed, manure and urine, dead animals, and production operations on a small land area. Feed is brought to the animals rather than the animals grazing or otherwise seeking feed in pastures, fields, or on rangeland." Feedlots become "concentrated animal feeding operations" or "CAFOs" when they reach certain size thresholds (or meet other conditions).
For those that eat beef (along with other meats), there is a high likelihood that your main dish came from a feedlot, unless you are purchasing direct from a farmer or farm that pasture-raises their livestock. Feedlots are an easy way to fatten up livestock before entering slaughter and the market. It is less expensive in the way that it takes up much less land than running cattle in a large field. Due to the large consumption of meat and meat byproducts, feedlots most likely will not stop but, where they are allowed to operate should be better regulated and open to full transparency by the organizations that claim to investigate proposed feedlot operation sites and continually monitor them for pollution control. In addition, townships, counties, cities, etc. should be allowed to approve or deny a feedlot operation within its borders based on what is in the best interest of its residents and visitors.
Understand that not everyone is against feedlots, but many are against the lax rules of where they can be operated. When others can be negatively affected by a feedlot operation, the so-called regulators, should not allow a feedlot to be constructed. Sadly, that is not how it works.