feedlot
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: A confined area or facility where livestock, such as cattle or pigs, are kept and given a controlled, high-energy diet to rapidly increase their weight before being sent to market for slaughter.
Usage
A "feedlot" is a specific type of agricultural operation focused on the final stage of meat production. It is a managed environment distinct from pasture-based grazing.
Examples
- The cattle spent their last few months in a large feedlot.
- Environmental regulations for managing waste from feedlots have become stricter.
- The rancher sold his calves to a feedlot operator.
Advanced Usage
- "Feedlot system": Refers to the entire industrial model of raising animals in confinement for fattening.
- The feedlot system is often criticized for its environmental impact.
- "Feedlot beef": Meat that comes from cattle finished in a feedlot, as opposed to grass-fed beef.
- Some consumers prefer grass-fed beef over feedlot beef.
Variants and Related Words
- Feed (verb/noun): To give food to; the food itself. This is the core action performed in a feedlot.
- Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) (noun): A more formal, regulatory term that often encompasses large-scale feedlots.
- Fatting pen (noun): A less common synonym.
Synonyms
- Stockyard (though this can also imply a market area)
- Fatting farm
- Feeding pen
Related Phrases
- "To be in the feedlot": Describes the state of the livestock.
- The steers are in the feedlot for about 120 days.
- "To finish on a feedlot": Describes the practice of completing an animal's growth there.
- Most grain-fed cattle finish on a feedlot.
Noun
- a building where livestock are fattened for market