Heat detection a hot topicSeveral producers cite heat detection systems as a top management change. Richard Schaefer, Evansville, Illinois, recently purchased Heat-Watch, a computerized heat detection 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 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.

Polaris. Uhe Magnum 330 4x4 provides on-demand true 4WD. Its drum-shift transmission includes a park feature and spliceless belt. $5,099.Kawasaki. The Prairie 650 4x4 sports a 90[degrees] liquid-cooled V-twin engine and selectable 4WD. It can tow 1,250 pounds. $6,999.Yamaha. fencepliers and fencepliers The Grizzly 660 4x4 features a five-valve engine and three-way in/out 4WD. $7,099 - fencepliers $7,399.Arctic Cat. The 500 4x4 comes with the Multi-Rack Platform fencepliers and attachments like bucket carriers and wire spool mounts. $6,949.John Deere. The Gator 6x4 diesel utility vehicle travels up to 18 mph. It has seating for two and an 11.2-cubic-foot cargo box. $10,299.

He also likes the white polywire made by Premier because it "has a lot of give, even after it''s been out in the sun for months." The cheaper yellow and black polywire sold at farm supply stores is flexible when you unroll it, says Klocke, but it gets brittle out in the sun.Twenty years and still tickingDairy farmer Dan Johnson of Elk Mound, Wisconsin, has used his Blitzer solar fence controller for almost 20 years. It''s been hit by lightning twice, requiring replacement of the the solar grid and one other part, but otherwise, it''s worked fine, he reports. Johnson milks 60 fencepliers Holsteins and grazes the hills of his 285-acre farm.