Driving directions
Linneus, Linn County
Grazing School
2009 Brochure
Workshops
Research
Faculty
News
Weather
Contact us
Superintendent
David Davis
21262 Genoa Road
Linneus, MO 64653
Phone: 660 895-5121
FAX: 660 895=5122
Email:
DavisDK@missouri.edu
|
May 5, 2004
Forage Systems Update
Vol 13, No. 2
New Cattle Handling and Teaching Facility
Recently the Forage Systems Research Center requested a USDA Rural
Business Enterprise Grant in the amount of $45,000 to partially
cover construction expenses for a new cattle handling/teaching
facility. Some of our facilities used to handle and house cattle
for our educational programs were constructed in the 1880's and are
in need of replacement, however, budget constraints over the past
several years have prohibited us from addressing all of our facility
needs. We are proposing to construct an open-style pole barn with
sorting pens in one end and a feed storage area, weighing facility,
hands on teaching area, and cattle load-out on the other (enclosed)
end. The enclosed portion of the building will have a concrete
floor and will contain ample space for conducting hands-on
educational activities. Rolled canvas sides will be used to slow
the wind in the open end of the facility during the winter for the
calving area. The building will be centrally located and adjacent
to the current animal feedlot facility and near a hay storage barn.
The new structure will be our main sorting facility allowing us to
allocate cattle to experimental treatments efficiently. The
facility will be centrally located and near the existing 12-pen
feedlot and will be used to weigh all animals on and off experiments
as well as every 28 days to evaluate the pattern of weight gain and
animal performance. Twelve permanent pens will be constructed under
the open
end of the building and will be used for sorting and holding cattle
as well as for calving heifers in the winter. A small rodent proof
feed and mineral room will be incorporated into the design of the
enclosed end as well as a working alley and hydraulic squeeze chute
for catching animals for pregnancy checking, vaccinations,
artificial insemination, and hands on demonstrations. A loading out
area will also be incorporated into the facility design to
facilitate safe transport of cattle.
We plan on using this building extensively in our teaching and
extension programs. The scope of hands-on workshops and schools
that we offer will be enhanced and we look forward to using the
facility for artificial insemination (AI) schools, veterinary
schools, heifer development, pregnancy checking, animal judging,
animal handling and care, condition scoring, reproduction, and herd
health workshops.
The proposed 54'x104' facility will support ongoing research and
education programs on beef production systems. In addition to the
base of cow-calf operations in Missouri, new experiments on winter
feeding strategies, calving seasons, fertility & reproduction, and
pasture systems will be conducted to add value to Missouri's
livestock industry and improve profitability. In addition, the
facility will support research focused on environmentally friendly
feeding and grazing systems, those designed to reduce potential for
contamination of groundwater and streams, and to improve animal
health and well-being.
FSRC Weather Data. January-March, 2004.
| | Precipitation (inches) | Observed Max. Temp. (Fo) | Observed Min. Temp. (Fo) | Average Max. Temp. (Fo)| Average Min. Temp. (Fo) | Average Temp. (Fo) | Average Bare Soil Temp. (Fo) | |
| January | 0.37 | 64 | -6 | 34 | 15 | 25 | 32 |
| February | 0.40 | 65 | -9 | 41 | 20 | 30 | 33 |
| March | 4.99 | 70 | 21 | 55 | 35 | 44 | 45 |
|
The Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station is the research arm of the
College of Agriculture, Food and Natural
Resources
at the University of Missouri-Columbia
Site maintained by people at AgEBB
agebb@missouri.edu |
