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May 10, 2005 Lack of Rain Leads to Dusty Feed Yards and Cattle Health Concerns Cattle producers in dry areas with cattle still in feedlots are dealing with dust issues, which can lead to respiratory distress. Dust-related pneumonia in cattle would hurt performance. “One solution is to spray the pens with water to keep down the dust, but that is not practical,” says Ron Wiederholt, North Dakota State University Carrington Research Extension Center nutrient management specialist. “Increasing stocking density is easier to do and will decrease dustiness since urine and manure contain moisture.” Increasing stocking density is a common practice in feed yards from Nebraska to Texas because the humidity is low. However, feedbunk space should not be limited because it may decrease the amount of weight gain. One option is to cross-fence an existing pen. Cross-fencing keeps the same number of cattle and feed bunk space in the pen, but with less pen area, says Karl Hoppe, NDSU Carrington REC livestock specialist. Another option is to remove the dust from the pen. Routine manure removal will decrease dust buildup. “From a nutrient management standpoint, more frequent pen scraping is beneficial, and with the dust issue, it is even more important,” Wiederholt says. In states with concentrated feedlots, it is becoming more common to scrape the pens with cattle present. Feedlot operators have not seen a change in cattle gains with frequently scraping in populated pens. The use of certain coarse bedding materials, such as long straw, also has helped decrease dust formation in open lots. ”If the dust is uncomfortable for the feed yard operator, then it’s also bad for the cattle,” Hoppe says. ### NDSU Agriculture Communication Sources: Ron
Wiederholt, (701) 652-2951, rwiederh@ndsuext.nodak.edu |
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