Cattle Association Field Day

[Margonme]

Great Night. Had a big group turn out for a tour of a 600 acre cattle operation. Currently about 100 Angus bred heifers brought in from the Judith Basin of Montana. Great handling facility except for the head catch. I don't like saloon door head catch. I cannot remember the brand of the alley, tub, palpation cage and chute but it was made in Nebraska. The facility has a concrete floor with cut striations to prevent slipping. A massive metal hoop barn for calving and feeding.

Dr Smith, UK Plant Scientist gave excellent presentation on warm season forage options.

Highlight was their longhorns. Selling both lean meat and the horns and Cape for taxidermy.

 

[Bigfoot]

What's UK pushing now for a warm season in KY?

 

[WalnutCrest]

That sounds really cool!

 

[Margonme]

What's UK pushing now for a warm season in KY?

Sudan grasses - several varieties and grama grasses.

 

[Bigfoot]

I put out some Sudan every year. I like it, but it likes nitrogen. Haven't tried any gamma, but I've been reading on it.

 

[Margonme]

I put out some Sudan every year. I like it, but it likes nitrogen. Haven't tried any gamma, but I've been reading on it.

Correction: my mistake. Gamagrass.

He talked about Johnson grass which is in the Sudan grass family. It is listed as a noxious weed in Kentucky but is a good forage if managed properly and the conditions that cause cyanide poisoning are avoided.

He said there is a native stand of Gamagrass in western Kentucky.

 

[Ebenezer]

Gammagrass is a blessing in drought and is excellent forage in normal times. Be a good grazing manager and you will be glad that you did. It has a longer grazing period for us than switchgrass but switchgrass is easier to manage; more forgiving.

 

[TN Cattle Man]

I would be curious as to how they work those longhorns... Probably not running them through an ordinary chute system.

 

[Bigfoot]

I would be curious as to how they work those longhorns... Probably not running them through an ordinary chute system.

They make a head catcher for them, but a medina works better on them, than regular beef cattle. They can't turn their head quit as well in one.

 

[Margonme]

I would be curious as to how they work those longhorns... Probably not running them through an ordinary chute system.

Correct. The longhorn facility was at another farm. The farm manager told me that the animal walks in and a wing comes around and pins them. About the best description I can give.

Edited: BF probably can describe it better. I did not see it.

 

[Margonme]

Is it gammagrass or gamagrass?

 

[FlyingLSimmentals]

Think UK is gonna have their Beef Bash field day tomorrow here at the UK Test Station in Princeton. Don't know if I'll attend with my arm being in this splint cast like thing. I was planning too before hand though, always a good time to get to talk with others and see exhibits.

 

[Bigfoot]

Think UK is gonna have their Beef Bash field day tomorrow here at the UK Test Station in Princeton. Don't know if I'll attend with my arm being in this splint cast like thing. I was planning too before hand though, always a good time to get to talk with others and see exhibits.

I didn't get anything on that. What time does it start?

 

[Bestoutwest]

I would be curious as to how they work those longhorns... Probably not running them through an ordinary chute system.

Correct. The longhorn facility was at another farm. The farm manager told me that the animal walks in and a wing comes around and pins them. About the best description I can give.

Edited: BF probably can describe it better. I did not see it.

The one I've seen around here for sale is a contraption that has what looks like two panels side-by-side with enough room for an animal to fit in between. One is fixed, one swings on an axis to open. The animal walks in and then you lock them in using chain or rope.

This is for all you visual learners like myself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhM1saqda6o

 

[FlyingLSimmentals]

Bigfoot it starts at 9:00 am.

 

[Margonme]

I would be curious as to how they work those longhorns... Probably not running them through an ordinary chute system.

Correct. The longhorn facility was at another farm. The farm manager told me that the animal walks in and a wing comes around and pins them. About the best description I can give.

Edited: BF probably can describe it better. I did not see it.

The one I've seen around here for sale is a contraption that has what looks like two panels side-by-side with enough room for an animal to fit in between. One is fixed, one swings on an axis to open. The animal walks in and then you lock them in using chain or rope.

This is for all you visual learners like myself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhM1saqda6o

Best, I think you got it.

 

[Bigfoot]

I would be curious as to how they work those longhorns... Probably not running them through an ordinary chute system.

Correct. The longhorn facility was at another farm. The farm manager told me that the animal walks in and a wing comes around and pins them. About the best description I can give.

Edited: BF probably can describe it better. I did not see it.

The one I've seen around here for sale is a contraption that has what looks like two panels side-by-side with enough room for an animal to fit in between. One is fixed, one swings on an axis to open. The animal walks in and then you lock them in using chain or rope.

This is for all you visual learners like myself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhM1saqda6o

The hardest part of explaing one, is explaing how the cattle get loaded. I really like how the cattle load in that, and it accommodates various size cattle. They really aren't a bad set up, for somebody that doesn't want to spend a fortune to work a few head of cattle. My brother used the basic design of how ours loaded cattle, and uses it run cattle to his squeeze. I may try to doodle the way the one used to have worked.

 

[Bigfoot]

May not be obvious to most, how it works.

Cow goes down an alley. Your following her. You grab the gate on the right, followed by the gate on the left. Get the one on the left, ahead of the right. At some point, the cow is in triangle, surrounded by pen. When she turns facing the left, use the gate on the right to sandwich her against the side of the pen.



Now, you've got the cow wedged in. She can't back up, and she go forward. You have the leverage of the gate on the right to hold the gate shut. We would eventually stick the biggest all thread bolt I've ever seen my life behind her. Had a big nut on it. You could squeeze her down as tight as you wanted.


Really, a poor man's solution to an age old problem. How am I going to restrain this cow? Useless for AI, and dehorning. Fairly nice to have though, if you don't have anything else.

 

[Margonme]

May not be obvious to most, how it works.

Cow goes down an alley. Your following her. You grab the gate on the right, followed by the gate on the left. Get the one on the left, ahead of the right. At some point, the cow is in triangle, surrounded by pen. When she turns facing the left, use the gate on the right to sandwich her against the side of the pen.



Now, you've got the cow wedged in. She can't back up, and she go forward. You have the leverage of the gate on the right to hold the gate shut. We would eventually stick the biggest all thread bolt I've ever seen my life behind her. Had a big nut on it. You could squeeze her down as tight as you wanted.


Really, a poor man's solution to an age old problem. How am I going to restrain this cow? Useless for AI, and dehorning. Fairly nice to have though, if you don't have anything else.

That was about the way he described it.

I thought you might know. You have talked about longhorns before.

 

[Bigfoot]

Bigfoot it starts at 9:00 am.

Thanks. If I had been thinking ahead, I could have easily attended.