Antibiotic Resistance Changes Life On The Farm

As alarm bells continue ringing about antibiotic resistance, agriculture is often identified as the leading culprit. Despite many contributing factors, a sweeping new FDA rule governing the use of certain antibiotics in livestock is set to take effect January 1. The Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD), which is specifically directed at antibiotics administered in animal feed, will change the way many dairy, beef, swine and poultry producers have operated for decades. 

 

 

Increased veterinary oversight is at the heart of the VFD. Today, if a beef or swine producer wants to use a feed medicated with antibiotics, he or she can simply order from a feed supplier. It's an over-the-counter transaction. Going forward, producers will be required to establish and show proof of a veterinary-client relationship. In some ways, this requirement simply brings the use of feed-applied antibiotics in livestock to par with rules governing how people and pets can obtain antibiotics by essentially requiring a prescription. On the surface, this seems simple enough. But for the many producers operating in comparatively remote and hard-to-reach locations, it won't be nearly as easy as it sounds. 

 

 

All parties responsible for VFD compliance-producers, veterinarians and feed suppliers-will carry the burden of new administrative processes that will be challenging to implement, at least initially. But the effort surrounding antibiotic stewardship is not without warrant. Until new classes of broad-spectrum antibiotics are discovered, safeguarding the efficacy of those currently used in both human and animal medicine is critically important. 

 

In September, the United Nations described antibiotic resistance as "the greatest and most urgent global risk." The Centers for Disease Control agrees, classifying drug resistance among the biggest threats to human health. The World Health Organization and other public health institutions have come to those same conclusions. Medical professionals have described growing resistance to antibiotics as a "ticking time bomb" and "as big a risk as terrorism." 

 

To be clear, the livestock production system as a whole is only part of the antibiotic resistance puzzle. Overprescription and misuse of antibiotics in human medicine is unquestionably a major factor contributing to the development of resistance. But it's not the only one. Widespread use of antibiotics to enhance feed efficiency or as growth promotants, rather than medicines to resolve health challenges, may have contributed. And while that practice has dramatically declined, the intent of the landmark VFD rule is to further tighten the discipline when feeding antibiotics to production animals. 

 

 

Implementing the VFD will be challenging for producers and veterinarians. New operational processes always are. But there is a potential upside for the livestock industry, too. First, proof of compliance with the VFD provides producers with documentation they are adhering to federally established guidelines that represent judicious use of antibiotics. It's hard for critics to argue with that. Compliance with the VFD inherently helps protect a producer's license to operate. 

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.