• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Agriculture / Producers use hoop barns to keep cattle cool

Producers use hoop barns to keep cattle cool

July 20, 2012 By Matt Kelley

Farmers are struggling through one of the more difficult summers in Iowa in decades. In addition to the drought that’s wilting crops, the extreme heat is stressing animals. Last summer, heat stress killed up to 4,000 cattle across Iowa. Many cattle producers are better equipped than others to keep their livestock cool.

Tanner Rowe, who farms near Dallas Center, has been keeping a close eye on his cattle – especially the ones in his last open feed lot, which is equipped only with a sprinkler. “Right now, it’s 98 degrees with very little wind. On a day like this their body temperature can be 20 degrees warmer than the outside temperature and that’s pretty tough on a 1,300 pound animal,” Rowe said.

Most of Rowe’s herd is in the shade, under two large hoop barns that he had built a couple years ago. Hoop barns, which consist of a fabric roof stretched over metal arches, are gaining acceptance across the Midwest. Mark Honeyman, at Iowa State University, says nearly 700 hoop barns were used for cattle in Iowa last year.

“I see hoop barns all over Iowa. We are, in effect, feeding cattle under a big tent and by feeding cattle in a hoop barn or other covered ways, the potential for runoff into Iowa’s streams, ponds and lakes is greatly reduced,” Honeyman said. The environmental benefits are accompanied by improved beef quality and an more money in a producer’s pocket, according to Bob Bryant.

He and his son, Brent, keep 2,000 head under six hoop barns on their research farm near Washta in northwest Iowa.

“The cattle have less stress when they are in the hoop barns,” Bryant said. “Because of that, we get a little higher yield on the cattle when they’re harvested and we get probably a 10-percent better grade on the meat because of the lack of stress on the cattle.”

The Bryants have been selling hoop barns for eight years through their company Hoop Beef System. Brent Bryant said they’ve already sold more barns this year that they did all of last year. The typical hoop barn for feeding cattle costs around $200,000.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Agriculture, News Tagged With: Pork/Cattle

Featured Stories

Congresswoman Axne favors Biden pandemic relief plan, Hinson not ruling out a ‘yes’

DOT plow crews struggling against blizzard conditions

Death penalty proposed for specific child murder cases

Iowa delegation breaks along party lines on Trump impeachment vote

Two northeast Iowa men admit to illegally harvesting ginseng

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

UNI adds two nonconference games to basketball schedule

Iowa State-Kansas postponed

Iowa-Michigan State postponed

Fire damage to Riverfront Stadium electrical system will cost Waterloo thousands

Iowa State at Kansas State postponed

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2021 ยท Learfield News & Ag, LLC