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

1. a building where livestock are fattened for market