Ultrasound works magicOne tool that South Dakota beef producers tool maker button blane and cindy nagel can''t do without fence 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 tool and button and marbling levels. ultrasound data for all sale bulls is provided to potential buyers. "as a breeder, i use it as fence 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 tool the ribeye area. button his fence cattle naturally muscle tool well, so he is looking for those button who are also heavily marbled.

willis fence bought the bobcat and attachments used from his local dealer for about $11,000. tool money well spent, he says. he uses it to move pallets of feed, move calf huts, and clean the barn. the green box shown in the photo above is actually a hog hauler willis picked up at a local auction. it will hold four calves on the front of the skid steer when it button comes time to move them from huts to the barn for weaning and processing. his older barn has been remodeled, and the skid steer slides perfectly down the aisles and into fence the pens for cleaning. anything bigger wouldn''t tool fit, says willis.some producers cite purchase of a skid steer as their best recent management change.