Page 45 - The Welfare of Cattle

22 the WeLfare of CattLe

Labor Rights Biodiversity
Animal health Air emissions ENVIRONMENTAL
& welfare
SOCIAL health & safety Community emissions Energy use
Water
Occupational
Land
health
management
Consumer health Consumer Waste & by-products
& safety education
Water use
Food availability,
cost
Trade
Compliance with law
Traceability
Market concentration
Quality and pricing
Rural Efficiency
economies ECONOMIC

Figure 3.1 sustainability can be defined by many factors or metrics making up environmental, economic, and
social issues (obtained from the national Cattlemen’s beef association).

one of many metrics that should be considered in assessing the sustainability of cattle or any other
product or service.
Nutrient cycling and loss to the environment is an important issue in cattle production systems
with the most important nutrients being nitrogen and phosphorus. Large amounts of nitrogen in
the form of protein are consumed by cattle with 70 to 85% excreted in urine and feces. During the
handling of the manure, up to 50% of the nitrogen can be lost through ammonia volatilization to the
atmosphere (Rotz, 2004). Most of the manure is returned to crop and pasture land where the remain-
ing nitrogen is susceptible to runoff in surface water and leaching to ground water. Depending upon
soil, crop, and manure management, leaching losses can be substantial. Runoff losses are normally
small compared to other pathways, but these small losses can contribute to eutrophication of water-
ways. Most of the phosphorus consumed by cattle is also excreted. Volatilization of phosphorus
does not occur so nearly all of that excreted is normally applied to crop and pasture land. Runoff
losses of phosphorus, although small compared to that applied, are a major contributor to eutrophi-
cation of surface waters in many regions.

eXteNSIVe VS INteNSIVe SYSteMS

The discussion of dairy and beef sustainability often focuses on resource use and systems can
be defined as extensive or intensive. The most common characteristics differentiating these two
systems relate to the access to pasture, amount of grain fed, and the type of housing provided for
the animals. Stage of life of the animal can also have an impact on the type of system utilized. For
instance, extensive pasture systems are often used for beef cow-calf and stocker cattle in order to
raise the animals on low-cost forages. The cattle are then finished during the last 4–6 months of