Flooding on Beef and Swine Farms: A Scoping Review of Effects in the Midwestern United States

Background Increasing uncertainty and variability in weather due to climate change puts enormous stress on the sustainability of agricultural communities in several parts of the continental United States. Rural agriculture-based communities, such as those in North Carolina, Nebraska, and Illinois are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of flooding. These extreme weather events affect many animal facilities, and flooding can cause long-term impacts on animal health and productivity. Objectives This scoping review investigated the potential short- and long-term ramifications of flooding on beef cattle and swine farms with theoretical locations in the Midwestern U.S. The goal of this review is to create a concept map to identify research gaps related to efforts to support those animals and peoples ravaged by floods. This was accomplished by performing a scoping review using search terms “beef OR swine AND flood” to assess direct effects and then “beef OR swine AND direct effect” to evaluate secondary and tertiary effects. Results Our findings were based on a total of 89 peer-reviewed publications, with 50 publications relating to beef cattle, 24 relating to swine, and 15 containing information applicable to both. On beef farms, the effects of flooding can be broad and long-lasting. The short-term risks of flooding are reasonably well-understood, including the comingling of unfamiliar cattle, nutritional restriction, and disease transmission. However, long-term impacts, including potential effects on reproduction, nutrition, and carcass quality, have been less studied. In particular, further research is needed on mold species that contaminate hay post-flood, the effect of moldy hay ingestion on cattle, and the effects of heavy metal consumption on cattle and consumers. Little research is available regarding the effects of flooding on swine farms, likely due to the highly intensive nature of swine operations. In general, swine farms suffer from acute infectious diseases and biosecurity risks after flooding events. Conclusions The potential ramifications of flooding on livestock farms differ among farm operations. Beef farms should prepare for long-term impacts on nutrition and reproduction, while swine farms should prepare for short-term impacts on biosecurity.

背景 气候变化导致天气的不确定性和多变性增加，这给美国大陆部分地区农业社区的可持续性带来了巨大压力。以农村农业为基础的社区，比如北卡罗来纳州、内布拉斯加州和伊利诺伊州的社区，特别容易受到洪水的影响。这些极端天气事件影响许多畜牧设施，洪水会对动物健康和生产能力造成长期影响。 目的 本范围综述调查了洪水对理论上位于美国中西部的肉牛和生猪养殖场可能产生的短期和长期影响。本综述的目的是创建一个概念图，以确定与支持那些遭受洪水肆虐的动物和人群相关的研究空白。这是通过使用检索词“牛肉或猪且洪水”来评估直接影响，然后使用“牛肉或猪且直接影响”来评估二级和三级影响进行范围综述来实现的。 结果 我们的研究结果基于总共89篇经同行评审的出版物，其中50篇与肉牛有关，24篇与猪有关，15篇包含适用于两者的信息。在肉牛养殖场，洪水的影响可能广泛且持久。洪水的短期风险已被较好地理解，包括陌生牛只混群、营养限制和疾病传播。然而，长期影响，包括对繁殖、营养和胴体质量的潜在影响，研究较少。特别是，需要进一步研究洪水后污染干草的霉菌种类、摄入发霉干草对牛的影响以及重金属摄入对牛和消费者的影响。关于洪水对生猪养殖场的影响的研究很少，这可能是由于生猪养殖的高度集约化性质。一般来说，生猪养殖场在洪水事件后会遭受急性传染病和生物安全风险。 结论 洪水对畜牧养殖场的潜在影响因养殖场的经营方式而异。肉牛养殖场应准备应对营养和繁殖方面的长期影响，而生猪养殖场应准备应对生物安全方面的短期影响。