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 fencewiretensioningtool 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.

Back at the ranch house, wife Alice Koupal gets e-mails from the Angus Association with updated EPD stats on their cattle and downloads that to the Palm Pilot. She has data on 2,489 animals in the system now and can manage the information with a push of a button, rather than by pushing a bunch of paper.Chore timeProducts that add an extra hand at chore time score big on the nation''s livestock farms. ATV''s and skid steers add to the operation through their multipurpose value, producers say.Life gets easierFarm chores got a whole lot easier for Chad Willis fencewiretensioningtool (pictured above) two years ago with the purchase of a skid steer loader. "This is so much more useful than a tractor and loader," says Willis, who feeds fencewiretensioningtool dairy bull calves and raises crops near Willmar, Minnesota. "It''s handy and can get in tighter places; it''s just more maneuverable."

The setup lets him cover about 100 acres fencewiretensioningtool 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 fencewiretensioningtool wrap costs more up front," says McConnell, "but it saves time, fuel, and wear and tear on our equipment."