Cattle Care and Eden Shale Farm

All throughout my life I have heard people say “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. This means that once you learn something and do it this one way over time you will do it that one way forever. If you are a cattle farmer this is impossible. Learning, listening and adapting are some of the greatest tools that a cattle farmer can have. The cattle industry is constantly changing as a result of consumer preferences, new innovations being created, and methods being improved. Learning and improving is something that all farmers must do. That has been kept at the heart of the mission of Eden Shale Farm. When the Kentucky Beef Network took over the management of Eden Shale Farm in 2012 the goal was to educate cattlemen using a hands-on approach. On the farm, they use many Beef Quality and Care Assurance (BQCA) practices to help guide how the farm is operated and improved. When you are creating your facilities, choosing what is the easiest is not always the best option. The care aspect of BQCA involves keeping the health, safety and wellbeing of your animals at the fore front of your mind. This involves not only how you handle your animals but also their surroundings and resources such as the waterers they drink from, where they eat hay, or where they go for shade.
Additionally, Eden Shale Farm is known for its many features that have been improved upon or built to help educate cattlemen that visit the farm. One of features is the calving barn. One of the biggest things done to help improve this barn was that the floor was dug down to solid soil and then a layer of geotextile filter fabric was added, then 6 inches of dense grade aggregate. Then Geo-Grid interlocking pieces. This created an interconnected floor. The benefits of these changes is that this floor is very easy for the cattle to walk on, moisture is easily drained out so that mud does not develop and even if there is an abundance of moisture for some reason there is still a solid layer that the cattle walk on. Furthermore, since the moisture drains easily, bedding that is put down in here lasts much longer. Giving cattle a dry shaded space can help greatly improve productivity and reduce sickness.
Tire waterers are one of the most widely used features of Eden Shale Farm. All throughout the farm there are various versions of the beloved waterers. A tire-tank waterer can typically hold 500-800 gallons, depending on the size of the tire. A larger diameter means more livestock can drink at one time (e.g., 10-16 head versus one to two for automatic water fountains). When the entirety of the herd goes to get a drink and only 1 can drink at a time, this creates a pile up of cattle waiting to get a drink. It increases the heat since they are standing on top of each other waiting, the cattle also usually do not get the opportunity to drink as much as they want and since it takes so long the herd is usually already leaving before some cattle get the chance to get a drink. With a tire waterer this helps to fix all these problems. Additionally, cattle like to drink together in groups and this gives them the ability to do so. Adding a tire waterer can help keep cattle in better condition, keep them more content and keep them satisfied.
Adding the simple step of making sure to incorporate care into your operation is one of the best steps you can do to improve the productivity and wellbeing of your animals. It can be added to every facet of your farm. From the waterers they drink from, where they go to get shade or the facilities where you work them. And if you need a couple ideas to get started, the Eden Shale Farm open house will be on October 19th or you can check out the resources page on the Eden Shale Farm website https://www.edenshalefarm.com/.

---