"We bought a For-Most squeeze chute this winter, and it has completely changed our operation," says Chad Sullivan, Campbellsville, Kentucky. "We actually look forward to working cattle."Randy and Minda Witt, Lamar, Colorado, say a recently installed livestock handling facility with sorting tub and chute "has made our life much easier and is safer and faster for everyone involved.""I recently purchased a new Prifert squeeze chute and sweep gate system and 20 canal gates, which helps me better care for my dairy and beef cattle," writes Mike Murphy, Mt. Sterling, Kentucky.Fence ''em inProducts tied to fencing systems, especially those related to management intensive grazing, doublejackfencestretcher are popular with survey respondents. Changes in grazing management are among those most-mentioned by producers as a way to doublejackfencestretcher improve their business.

Ultrasound works magicOne tool that South Dakota beef producers Blane and Cindy Nagel can''t do without is an ultrasound machine. All heifers on their 300-head Maine-Anjou herd are scanned each May and then bred according to their muscle scores and marbling levels. Ultrasound data for all sale bulls is provided to potential buyers. "As a breeder, I use it as a mating tool," says Blane, who farms near Springfield. "The buyers of my bulls use it as a selection tool." Nagel pays most attention to the marbling around the ribeye area. His cattle naturally muscle well, so he is looking for those who are also heavily marbled.

Feedstuffs fixProducers putting up hay and handling feedstuffs often cite a particular machine as a key to their success.Bob Minner, Fallon, Nevada, depends on quality baling equipment for commercial hay operation. "You have to keep up with changes in the machinery," Minner says. doublejackfencestretcher And quality equipment is key to producing dairy-quality hay for his customers, he says. Good dairy test hay will bring $110 to $115, and he has received up to $117 a ton for some.Minner shifted from small squares to big square bales eight years ago to meet the demand of local dairy operations. He operates a Hesston 8450 self-propelled windrower and a Hesston 4910 baler to cover about 6,000 acres a season. He double-rakes with a rotary machine for bigger windrows and to better dry the hay. The bales, measuring 8 feet long and weighing 1,750 to 2,300 pounds, are then picked up with a tractor-pulled bale wagon that hauls four bales at a time.