Page 47 - The Welfare of Cattle

24 the WeLfare of CattLe

Map 25 Capacity of cropland and pastureland to assimilate manure phosphorus, 1997

Million Pounds Per County
Or Combined Counties*
Hawaii Less than .5
.5 to 2
2 to 5
5 to 10
Greater than 10
Alaska
Map ID: m5435 *Some counties are combined to meet disclosure criteria.

The application of nitrogen in excess of crop needs can result in elevated concentrations of
nitrate-nitrogen in soil, a form of nitrogen that can be lost to groundwater (Carey et al., 2017; Harter
et al., 2001). In areas where groundwater is a sole source of drinking water, elevated concentrations
of nitrates can be a health concern (WHO, 2011).

eFFICIeNCY OF PrODUCtION

Coincident with the concentration of nutrients per operation, the genetic selection of animals for
improved efficiency, along with the adoption of management technologies, has afforded the dairy
industry to produce 59% more milk in 2007 as compared with 1944. In addition, this was accom-
plished while reducing the carbon footprint by 41% (Capper et al., 2009). When considering protein
efficiency, the current-day precision feeding of the dairy cow provides the opportunity to capture
~35% of consumed protein by the cow as human edible protein, an increase from ~20% over a few
decades ago (Harrison et al., 2007).
While improvements in efficiency have also been obtained in the beef industry, those
improvements have generally been less than that obtained in dairy. Capper (2011) reported that
compared to 1977 an equivalent amount of beef was produced in the United States in 2007 using
30% fewer cattle, 19% less feed, 12% less water, and 33% less land with a 16% reduction in carbon
footprint. Along with these benefits, 12% less nitrogen and 10% less phosphorus were excreted
per unit of beef produced in 2007. With less excreted, less nitrogen and phosphorus should be
lost to the environment. These improvements came through producing more beef with fewer cattle
and through greater use of culled dairy animals. In an analysis of a beef production system in the
Midwestern United States, Rotz et al. (2013) found that the carbon footprint of the cattle produced