ANTIMICROBIAL USE IS IMPORTANT FOR THE PREVENTION, CONTROL, AND TREATMENT OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN FOOD ANIMALS, BUT POTENTIALLY CONTRIBUTES TO ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE (AMR) DETERMINANTS ESCAPING FROM FEEDYARDS. FUGITIVE DUST FROM CATTLE FEEDYARDS HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED AS AN ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN; HOWEVER LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT VIABLE BACTERIA AND AMR DETERMINANTS IN THE DUST DOWNWIND FROM CATTLE FEEDYARDS. OUR IMMEDIATE GOALS ARE TO DETERMINE THE CONTRIBUTION OF DUST FROM CATTLE FEEDYARDS TO THE DISSEMINATION OF AMR BACTERIA IN THE DOWNWIND ENVIRONMENT; FURTHER, TO ASSIST FEEDYARD MANAGERS WITH IDENTIFYING CRITICAL CONTROL POINTS THAT ALLOW THEM TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS ABOUT EFFECTIVE MITIGATION STRATEGIES TO REDUCE THE RISK OF AMR BACTERIA IN FUGITIVE DUST. OUR HIGHLY INTEGRATED RESEARCH TEAM PROPOSES TO ACCOMPLISH THIS THROUGH:1) LONGITUDINAL SAMPLING CAMPAIGNS TO ESTIMATE THE BASELINE DISTRIBUTION AND DETERMINANTS OF VIABLE BACTERIA AND RESISTANCE DETERMINANTS IN FEEDYARD DUST.2) INTENSIVE SAMPLING TO CHARACTERIZE AND QUANTIFY CHANGES IN THE DISTRIBUTION ASSOCIATED WITH PARTICLE SIZES AND DOWNWIND DISTANCES.3) IDENTIFYING EFFECTIVE MITIGATION STRATEGIES TO REDUCE AMR BACTERIA IN DUST.4) DEVELOPING A DECISION TOOL REGARDING THE RISKS AND MITIGATION STRATEGIES TO REDUCE AMR BACTERIA IN DUST FROM CATTLE FEEDYARDS.THE PROPOSED STUDY CONTRIBUTES TO THE LONG-RANGE IMPROVEMENT IN AND SUSTAINABILITY OF U.S. AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SYSTEMS BY DETERMINING EFFECTIVE MITIGATION STRATEGIES FOR THE CONTROL OF FUGITIVE BIOAEROSOLS CONTAINING ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE DETERMINANTS ARISING FROM CATTLE FEEDYARDS. THESE MITIGATION STRATEGIES WILL BE USED TO DEVELOP A TOOL FOR USE BY THE CATTLE INDUSTRY TO IDENTIFY RISKS AND DEPLOY MITIGATION STRATEGIES FOR REDUCING BIOAEROSOLS AND ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE DETERMINANTS ON INDIVIDUAL FEEDYARDS.