Overview of ILO issues in Saskatchewan
Cattle feedlots
Cow-calf operations are very common in Saskatchewan. Cows are kept on pasture most of the year and fed hay during winter. Calves are sold to feedlots for finishing. Many are shipped to Alberta where the feedlot industry is concentrated. There are some large feedlots in Saskatchewan was well.
The anticipated boom in ethanol will produce large quantities of "dried distillers grains" as a byproduct of grain fermentation. In order to dispose of this material, large feedlots are be proposed as adjuncts to the ethanol plants. The nutritional quality, palatability, and the effect on meat quality of dried distillers grains are issues of concern. The quantity of water needed for ethanol production and the cattle is significant. Manure disposal is a problem, as it is with intensive hog operations. The high-energy, low-fibre grain diet of feedlot beef is designed to promote weight gain and marbling of the fat. This type of feed promotes a higher stomach acidity than is normal for cattle, and has created conditions for the intestinal bacteria e coli 0157, a pathogen that causes severe kidney damage when humans are infected, and was responsible for the deaths in Walkerton, Ontario.