Feedlot Alley
Encyclopedia
Feedlot Alley is a nickname given to a 500 km² area northwest of Lethbridge
, Alberta
, Canada
known for its intensive
livestock
operations. The area is home to over 2,300,000 cattle
and 180,000 hogs. Feedlot Alley, located in south central Alberta, is also known for producing 60% of all Canadian beef.
illnesses in the province, with rates 1.5 times the provincial average.
Intensive livestock operations such as those in this area pose a potential threat to the water supply
because of runoff. While most waste from the operations is used to fertilise
crops in the area, smaller farms cannot absorb all nutrients from the manure
risking excess waste being washed into the water supply.
Lethbridge
Lethbridge is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada, and the largest city in southern Alberta. It is Alberta's fourth-largest city by population after Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer, and the third-largest by area after Calgary and Edmonton. The nearby Canadian Rockies contribute to the city's...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
known for its intensive
Intensive farming
Intensive farming or intensive agriculture is an agricultural production system characterized by the high inputs of capital, labour, or heavy usage of technologies such as pesticides and chemical fertilizers relative to land area....
livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
operations. The area is home to over 2,300,000 cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
and 180,000 hogs. Feedlot Alley, located in south central Alberta, is also known for producing 60% of all Canadian beef.
Criticism
In 1998, Chinook Health, the health authority that oversees the region that includes Feedlot Alley, reported one of the highest rates of gastrointestinalGastrointestinal tract
The human gastrointestinal tract refers to the stomach and intestine, and sometimes to all the structures from the mouth to the anus. ....
illnesses in the province, with rates 1.5 times the provincial average.
Intensive livestock operations such as those in this area pose a potential threat to the water supply
Water supply
Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavours or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes...
because of runoff. While most waste from the operations is used to fertilise
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. A recent assessment found that about 40 to 60% of crop yields are attributable to commercial fertilizer use...
crops in the area, smaller farms cannot absorb all nutrients from the manure
Manure
Manure is organic matter used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Manures contribute to the fertility of the soil by adding organic matter and nutrients, such as nitrogen, that are trapped by bacteria in the soil...
risking excess waste being washed into the water supply.