CAFOs

Confined animal feeding operation (CAFOs) was defined as a dairy milking over 700 cows, a swine production farm with over 2,500 sows, 500 horses, 10,000 sheep, 55,000 turkey or a beef feedlot with over 1,000 cattle.

CAFOs are industrialized livestock or poultry production systems that confine animals at high densities in open feedlots or enclosed structures.

Feed is brought to the animals rather than the animals grazing or otherwise seeking feed in pastures, fields or on rangeland. It also may include multiple confinement structures or a single large scale structure.

It is a regulatory concept for large animal feeding which take advantage of cost effectiveness of large facilities.

CAFOs can improve the efficiency of animal production but large amounts of manure process can, if not properly managed, degrade air and water supply.

CAFOs are production systems that include facilities for ventilation, heating, feed preparation and delivery and for disposal of animal wastes.

Proponents of CAFOs point out that it can increased meat supplies, reduced overgrazing, kept food process down and yield higher profits. One of the disadvantages as it increases point source pollution.

Other disadvantages include such systems use large amounts of energy and water produce huge amounts of animal wastes that sometimes pollute surface water and ground water while saturating the air with their odors.

For diary famers most of its are diversified crop and animal production systems. Some feeds are purchased, but dairy producers usually grow their own forages and raise their own replacement stocks.
CAFOs