The Advantages and Disadvantages of a Drylot

Many producers around the Midwest will drylot their cattle at some point in the year whether it be in the fall when they are weaning calves or in the spring when they have cows or heifers around the barn to keep an eye on them. The use of a drylot system can provide producers with different advantages and disadvantages depending on their operation. According to Karla Hernandez, an SDSU Extension Agent, the advantages and disadvantages includes:

Advantages

Drylot

• Increases the market value of crop residues, forages and other feeds
• Allows for pasture and rangeland to rest and regrow vegetation
• It can lower the cost of production
• It may allow additional family members to come back to the farming operation 

Disadvantages

Cattle in Open Pasture

• It requires a greater use of labor and equipment to assure the cattle are fed
• It will require the producer to manage the manure which is produced
• Equipment and facilities will depreciate and experience wear and tear at a much quicker rate
• Challenging environments for cattle with a potential for a large concentration of mud, dust, and flies
• Greater potential for the rapid spread of contagious diseases

Even though the advantages seem to be about the same as the disadvantages as a producer I would say the disadvantages greatly outweigh the advantages. The one main advantage that catches my attention is it allows for pasture to rest and regrow but if you use rotational grazing in your operation this can also allow pasture to rest and regrow. The major disadvantage that cattle producers have to be cautious of is the spread of diseases which can happen in an instance with the cattle being confined in such a close area. As we have seen with the pork market once the disease begins to spread it is hard to stop and cattle are too expensive at the moment to be getting sick and dying or being set back.

The next major disadvantage is the effects of stress on cattle in a drylot especially in the extreme heat or after large amounts of moisture when it is muddy. The cattle just don't perform as well as they could if they were out on open pasture and this large amount of stress can lead to a loss in profits especially with feeder cattle. Greater amounts of labor and the requirement of more equipment and can get very costly for a producer especially if you hire someone to do the work and don't have the equipment bought already.  The last disadvantage is the wear and tear on all your equipment which can happen very fast when you are using it morning and night every day of the week. Overall, I believe a drylot should be used at certain times in an operation such as weaning calves but for not long periods of time otherwise it should only be used as a last resort situation.