Antimicrobial Use and Stewardship on U.S. Feedlots, 2017

This report represents the fi rst time that the USDA’s National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) has conducted a targeted study on antimicrobial use and stewardship, and it is also the first time that NAHMS has collected detailed information on antimicrobial use in feed and water in feedlots with a capacity of 50-999 head. In the past, as part of the NAHMS feedlot studies conducted in 1999 and 2011, NAHMS collected information on antimicrobials used in feed and water and the duration of their use on feedlots with a capacity of at least 1,000 head. NAHMS Antimicrobial Use and Stewardship on U.S. Feedlots, 2017 study focused on how antimicrobials were used on U.S. cattle feedlots with 50 or more head in 2016— before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) implemented antimicrobial use policy changes on January 1, 2017. Data were collected as a benchmark for comparison with antimicrobial use on feedlots in future studies, after the implementation of the FDA policy changes. In total, 378 feedlots provided data for this report.