The setup lets him cover about 100 acres a day, "if you really stay after it and the conditions are right."Hay wraps save timeHay wrapping equipment is mentioned by several producers as a top management change."A 12-foot discbine has reduced our cutting time in the hay field'' says Keith McConnell, Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada. "The best thing, though, is the new 648 baler we bought last year with the net wrap. I can''t believe how fast it is. It is like baling with two balers."Net wrap costs more up front," says McConnell, "but it saves time, fuel, and wear and tear on our equipment."

Heat detection a hot topicSeveral producers cite heat detection systems as a top management change. Richard Schaefer, buttonfencetool Evansville, Illinois, recently purchased Heat-Watch, a computerized heat detection buttonfencetool system, to monitor his dairy herd. "It really saves me a lot of time, because I no longer have to visually catch the cows in heat," he says.James Reed, Esbon, Kansas, writes buttonfencetool that the HeatWatch Estrus detection system and the Real McCoy Ultrasound scanner "have vastly improved my reproduction program."Keep ''em movin''Good animal husbandry isn''t possible without good products to handle and move livestock. Twenty-two brands of trailers are cited by producers in their product reviews, making this the category with the most number of brands mentioned. The top six are listed on page 34. New cattle-handling equipment can be a real time and labor saver, ranchers say.

Nagel''s wife, Cindy, and her sister-in-law, Angela Nagel (both pictured on page 34), are trained technicians who go on the road with the equipment, scanning more than 15,000 cattle a year for producers across the Midwest and West. Their business, Midwest Sonatech, Inc. (605/369-2628) works with Iowa State University (ISU) to analyze the data. Business is booming."Ultrasound body composition data is the greatest tool a seedstock producers can use to make genetic improvement," buttonfencetool says Cindy. "Customers are now demanding the data. Ultrasound results can make or break a bull."The Nagels use two Aloka 500V machines to collect measurements on fat thickness, ribeye area and marbling, and rump fat. The stored images are analyzed by ISU with computer software. The Nagels can scan 20 cattle an hour. They charge $14 a head, which includes $4 for image analysis.