Improving the moo-vement, one yard at a time
This year the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries research farm management team has been building new yards at the Old Man Plains (OMP) Research Station. The original yards on OMP were ingeniously built from various scrap materials over the years however as a result, some facilities were less than ideal.
The new yards are designed for better efficiency, animal welfare and human safety.
James Duffy, OMP Research Farm Manager, explains that the curved approaches and gradually diminishing yard sizes encourages animals to keep moving calmly towards the crush. Once through the crush, cattle can now be drafted into 4 separate pens, improving efficiency, and reducing stock handling and time spent in the yards. Handler safety is paramount.
The renovations have cost between $5000 - $10,000 per yard. Steel posts were driven into the ground, with panel lugs welded on to provide a secure fixing for prefabricated panels. This was the most cost-efficient option and a significant improvement on the original steel cable fences that didn’t always prove much of a barrier to some animals!
More efficient handling of cattle has reduced the number of staff required to process cattle and there is no longer time wasted re-mustering cattle that escaped the yards altogether.
When the yard building program is complete, all the watering points on OMP will have a set of management yards and every animal will be familiar with trap spears and moving through yards. This familiarity with the yards further reduces stress on animals when it comes time to process them.
Well-designed yards reduce the physical toll and emotional stress on both humans and cattle. Working with the animal’s instincts, paying attention to how cattle prefer to move through yards and hang-out with their chosen mates, helps promote good animal welfare which is important for profitable and ethical productivity.
More information
For more information, please email the Livestock Extension team at livestock.extension@nt.gov.au.
Caption: crush and yards in 12 Mile paddock, showing curved lines and solid construction.
