What is a feedlot?

A feedlot is a farming operation where livestock are fed a high-energy ration mix of grain and silage in order to fatten them up prior to slaughter. Feedlots do not graze their cattle; the animals are held in dirt pens and the feed comes to them on a truck. In a cattle feedlot, steers and heifers are typically there for three to four months to fatten up before they are trucked to a slaughter plant.