If you haven’t done so already, I suggest reviewing the “Livestock & Liability” article by Lauren P. Caggiano (@lcagg on Twitter) on pages 32-34 in this issue of the Feedlot magazine. In this article, I recommend that cattle feedyard operators seek counsel on environmental laws and perhaps hire a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (“CAFO”) consultant to devise a plan to ensure compliance with federal, state and local laws. Additionally, I suggest keeping written records of animal handling techniques and education and be especially vigilent on hiring practices. Furthermore, I also recommend that cattle feedlots should have an updated employee handbook and consider implementing a policy to deal with the usage of smartphones with video capabilities. I also noted a few excellent resources in the article including the National Agriculture Law Center and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (“USDA”) National Agriculture Library.
