Teaching Low Stress Cattle Handling

Teaching Low Stress Cattle Handling

I’m KayDee Gilkey with the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report.

Cattle that are able to adapt quickly to a new environment perform better. An important element in ensuring that happens is handling the cattle in a low stress manner. The Washington Cattle Feeders Association and Grant County extension sponsored a workshop last week with Dr.Tom Noffsinger, a consulting feedyard veterinarian, teaching how to handle cattle for a low stress environment..

Washington Cattle Feeders Association Executive Director Ed Field shares more.

Field: “Dr. Tom Noffsinger is teaching them about how to move the cattle quietly and easily. When receiving the cattle how to get them started on feed and water so its just a start-to-finish process of keeping the cattle calm to work them quietly and their performance will be greatly enhanced.”

They had 85 participants who handle the cattle: from the cattle truckers who deliver the cattle to the feedlot to the cowboys that work daily with the cattle.

Field adds it is critical to share this education with each level of the supply chain to ensure positive handling of the cattle during each step.

Field: “It is just a good opportunity, and so it has been several years since we’ve done this so there are new people involved. We’ve got the people handling cattle. We’ve got cattle truckers and they are a big part of our business because they handle our cattle in and out. We’ve got every segment that is handling our cattle. So it is a top to bottom type of instruction.”

I’m KayDee Gilkey with the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.