Not only do I think it's viable, I think it's (unfortunately) the way of the future. All other production ag has gone to a confinement system. I think beef cattle will also follow. Wonder how much energy cattle use (potentially waste) foraging for their daily nutrients? How much energy is consumed that, because of the indigestibility of it, is wasted? There's a herd of cows at the University of Illinois that have been confined like this for generations. They were expressing some odd behaviors - like twirling their tongues in the air ??? . The only explanation given was that this was in response to not being able to graze. I walked away not knowing the actual cause but, overall, the cattle appeared healthy. I don't care for this practice, or any isolation/confinement system for that matter, but in the name of making a few extra dollars, I can see wide-scale implementation not too far out.
