In the palm of his handUntil recently, when a prospective buyer would come to the Koupal Angus ranch near Dante, South Dakota, to look at bulls, La Vern Koupal (pictured at far left) would grab a thick stack of records and carry them out to the rolling pastures. "I''d be digging through the papers, and the wind would be flipping the pages, and I could never find the right page," says Koupal.Now he takes his $850 Palm Pilot Out of his coat pipefencetools pocket, writes in a bull number, and instantly gets all the production and bloodline information he and the buyer need. "It''s unreal what this technology can do," he says.

1. You need a firmly pipefencetools packed base of dirt to place the hoops for minimal seepage.2. pipefencetools The biggest problem with hoops is treatment of individual animals. Struthers uses hinged sorting panels and walks through each barn daily to check for sick animals.3. Quality pipefencetools bedding is a top priority. "We bought our own round baler because we treat cornstalks as a main crop now," says Struthers. Bean stubble works, too, he says, but it is not quite as absorbent as cornstalks.4. "Don''t skimp on bedding," says Struthers. "If you think the pigs might need more bedding, they do."Husbandry helpProducts that help with animal husbandry receive frequent mention in the survey. Breeding and selection management products get special acclaim from producers.

Blitzer pipefencetools solar fence controllers are made by Zareba Systems. Solar electric fence controllers retail for $150 to $280, depending on voltage and other accessories. Temporary electric fence (14-gauge, two-strand) costs about $400 per mile or 8[Cents] per foot.RELATED ARTICLE: Six picks: Skid steersHere are the survey respondents'' favorite skid steer makers, and specs far some heavy-duty models:Bobcat. The $300 has a 3,000-pound rated operating capacity 10.5-foot lift height, and 12.5mph travel speed with 2-speed option. $31,000.Case IH. The 85XT gets a grass 80 hp. at 2,500 rpm, can lift up to 2,860 pounds, and has a dump height of up to 92.3 inches. $30,000 - $35,000.