In an ongoing effort to reduce the dependence and amount of antibiotics used in farming, USDA scientists at College Station, TX have discovered that providing sodium chlorate in the drinking water or feed of livestock will reduce the intestinal concentrations of bacteria harmful to humans.
You can read a summary of the report here: http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2012/06/usda-makes-progress-on-alternatives-to-antibiotics/
