Beef Industry's Research Identifies Key Risks and Knowledge Gaps

As challenges in beef production often arrive simultaneously—like a calf contracting pneumonia, rising feed costs, or drought—this mapping review provides a comprehensive look at 1,064 studies published from 2010 to 2024, covering various threats to the U.S. beef production system. These threats span areas such as feed production, veterinary services, and operations related to cow-calf, backgrounding, grass-finishing, and feedlots.

Researchers found that biological threats dominated, comprising 74.5% of the studies, with a significant focus on bovine respiratory disease alone, which accounted for 23.5%. However, threats unrelated to diseases, such as environmental, nutritional, management, chemical, and economic factors, received considerably less attention, suggesting a heavily imbalanced evidence base.

The findings emphasize the need for a broader discussion among veterinarians and producers about diverse risk factors that could complicate manageable situations. Questions raised include the impact of changing feed availability and environmental conditions on disease exposure, as well as challenges in cattle marketing channels.

Moreover, while over half of the studies were conducted at a localized level, many threats were identified as having national or global implications. This discrepancy, described as a scale mismatch, points to the necessity for localized risk assessments despite the broader implications of some threats.

The review notes that nearly 60% of the studies were experimental, yet only 12.7% focused on the implementation and uptake of interventions. This gap highlights a key concern for producers: can an intervention be realistically adopted in their operations? Factors influencing the feasibility of these practices include costs, timing, necessary equipment, and the workload that producers are already managing.

The evaluation also categorizes common mitigation strategies, finding that vaccination and disease control strategies are prevalent, but questioning their effectiveness remains crucial. Close to 38% of studies did not report specific effectiveness outcomes, making it essential for producers to scrutinize not just whether a strategy was studied but also its context of application, the size of the effect measured, and other operational similarities.

The researchers advocate for a balance in future research that not only focuses on biological risks but also integrates elements of policy, implementation, and the practical realities of producers. The aim is for producers to engage with research in a way that helps them understand how findings can be tailored to their specific management practices and challenges.