Getting Your Ideas on Paper
By: Jacob Mayer, P.E., jmayer@settje.com Settje Agri-Services & Engineering, Inc. In the last two issues of Protein Producers, Dr. Kip set the frame work for designing a cattle handling facility for us. The first step in this process is to identify your specific needs and objectives. Thorough planning at this initial phase can eliminate lots of challenges down the road. Once we have established our design criteria, the next hurdle is finding a location at the feedlot or ranch where we want to construct the facility. Consideration should be given to accessibility by both animals and humans along with potential interference with and from other routine production activities. By now your head is swimming with potential pen configurations and gate placements for the easiest sorting. If you haven’t already, now would be a good time to visit with a consulting livestock engineer to discuss your project. I am confident that you already have an active and well-established relationship with your veterinarian and nutritionist, but when was the last time you talked to an engineer? The role of an engineer in a feedlot has typically been restricted to the regulations associated with manure management and environmental permitting. I might be a bit pacdvms.com 47
