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Regarding the NASA article...
"In their study, they stipulate that in excess of 5% of the cattle shipped to feeder lots die before or shortly after arrival from shipping fever."
Absolutely no way that ANY cattle lot anywhere loses 5% of them in the first few days. That would literally run hundreds of thousands of dollars in loss for a small lot. Millions upon millions in any of the larger lots. An average loss is somewhere around 2-2.5% of cattle for the entire duration of them living there. Some come in sick (they will take the risk on a rough looking feeder steer if the price is right...), some get sick there, some break legs, others seem to commit suicide, etc etc.
Also:
"There will be some significant changes in livestock trailers in the not-too-distant future," says Saltzman. "The technology is there. Now it's just a matter of economic pressure being applied to make it cost effective for the industry to change its style."
I hope this is true. Judging from the way this industry works, I think it will be slow and take decades. I could see the semi's that haul pigs going this route though eventually. They haul them oinkers a looooong ways sometimes, and they really pack them in there.
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