Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
3/5/01
Contacts:
John Lawrence, Iowa Beef Center, (515) 294-6290, jdlaw@iastate.edu
Dan Loy, Iowa Beef Center, (515) 294-1058, dloy@iastate.edu
Jeff Lorimor, Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering, (515)
294-9806, jclorimo@iastate.edu
Wendy Miller, Iowa Beef Center, (515) 294-9124, wmiller@iastate.edu
New Feedlot Design Publication Gives Producers Valuable Pointers
AMES, Iowa - Iowa beef producers who are considering new or updated feedlot facilities will be interested in the Iowa Beef Center's new publication Beef Feedlot Systems Manual.
The manual, published in late January 2001, compares five beef feedlot systems: an earthen lot with a windbreak, an earthen lot with a shed, a concrete lot with a shed, confinement with a solid floor and confinement with a slatted floor. These comparisons are drawn using models for 500-, 750-, 1,500- and 5,000-head facilities.
"This manual contains information that any producer thinking about expansion, renovation or other major development will find valuable," said John Lawrence, director of the Iowa Beef Center and one of publication's authors. "Cost analyses, per head investment calculations and environmental system investments are just a few of the data sets we provided in this publication."
Featuring easy-to-understand charts comparing both initial investment and total costs for each system and cattle population, the manual is a must-have for Iowa feedlot operators who may need to update or add environmental structures in the coming years. "Our booklet is a good place to start the planning process," said Dan Loy, Iowa State University Extension beef specialist for the Iowa Beef Center and another co-author. "We wanted to provide producers with numbers in black and white, something they could use as a reference point. Producers who need to add environmental structures in the wake of increased regulatory scrutiny might consider expansion of their facilities at the same time. This publication can help them in that decision-making process."
The Beef Feedlot Systems Manual, PM 1867, is available through Extension Distribution Centers for a small fee. To order, call (515) 294-5247. For more information, contact the Iowa Beef Center at (515) 294-BEEF or visit the Beef Center Web site at http://www.iowabeefcenter.org.
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