Eden Shale Farm
  • Blog
  • About
  • Pictures & Virtual Tour
  • Producer Resources
  • Videos
  • Contact
  • BLOG SIGN UP
  • FAQ
  • Calendar of Events

Eden Shale Farm Update- February 2022

2/15/2022

 
​This month I want to showcase one of the winter feeding structures that we use at the farm.
​
The Barn Alley Feeder is a self feeding hay storage facility that was created by renovating an old tobacco barn.  After tobacco production left Eden Shale, the barn was primarily used for extra storage. This barn is located on a 25-acre endophyte free fescue hay field, just around the corner from another winter feeding area which contains the Large Bale Feeder. Unfortunately, there is not enough space at the large bale feeder to accommodate the entire herd.  

Dr. Higgins proposed a plan to “reprogram” the old tobacco barn into a self-feeding hay system with hay storage.  We isolated the barn from the hay field by installing two sections of fence (approximately 300 feet) to create a winter feeding area that includes the barn alley feeder, mineral, and a tire water tank. Cattle currently utilize the joining wooded area in the winter as a shelter-belt, thereby reducing feed and maintenance requirements, and stress on the heavy bred cattle. 
Picture
Picture
​This self-feeding hay feeder was created by using the existing center alley, support columns, and concrete floor. The feeder design utilizes an under-hung crane concept. This design suspends the feed panel (made of wood) and allows the panel to travel from one end of the barn to the other. Hay is loaded into the barn (strings are removed at the time of storage) from the northern end, while the cattle will access the hay in the feeder from the southern end of the barn. The southern exposure will provide a drier surface for the cattle as well as keeping any snow and ice melted away. The design of the feeder reduces hay waste by creating separation between the cattle and the hay of approximately 20 inches. Also, the feed panel hangs 6 inches above the floor requiring that the cows clean up all the hay before the panel will advance, which is key in reducing the amount of hay waste the cattle create.

The benefit of this layout is that the distance between the hay field and hay storage has been reduced significantly, compared to the previous storage practice. Storing the hay inside also reduces the degradation of the nutritional quality of the hay and eliminates the need to move bales from the previous storage location to the feeder. This eliminates the time, labor, and waste of relocating the bales during winter feeding.
​
This Barn Alley Feeder fed approximately 20 head of cows from December 27th to February 11th. During this time period we did not have to start the tractor, add more hay bales, or fight mud or frozen gates. The cattle simply used this structure to self feed through the 30 bales that were stored in the barn. As you can see, manure buildup was not an issue during this time period.

From a whole farm perspective, this project leverages a structure and an area of land to create an organized hub. It creates a permanent feeding location using a fixed structure, which also allows for hay storage. With this project, we were able to repurpose an old facility into production, while implementing labor saving practices. This project has proven to be a cost effective design for reprogramming an existing tobacco barn into winter feeding infrastructure.
Picture
    Copyright © Kentucky Beef Network, LLC. All rights reserved. This content may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, or used in any manner without written approval from Kentucky Beef Network, LLC. For Informational Purposes Only. 

    Archives

    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014

    Kentucky Beef Network

    Subscribe to Eden Shale Farm blog posts!

    * indicates required

    Categories

    All
    Cattle
    Forages
    Misc
    Monthly Wrap Up
    Water

    Welcome

    Hello, my name is Dan Miller and I work for the Kentucky Beef Network. KBN took over operation of the Eden Shale Farm in April of 2013. We are using the 961 acre farm as a demonstration and learning center for beef cattle producers. This blog serves as a place to document daily farm activity and host discussions about the demonstrations being implemented. I hope you find this information useful and that you come visit us at Eden Shale Farm.

    Archives

    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014

    RSS Feed

CONTACT US

                           EMAIL SIGN UP

Eden Shale Farm     
245 Eden Shale Rd.        Office: (859) 278-0899
Owenton, KY 40359       Fax: (859) 260-2060
© 2021 Kentucky Beef Network, LLC.. All rights reserved.
Picture
Sign Up Now
Receive our blog updates
  • Blog
  • About
  • Pictures & Virtual Tour
  • Producer Resources
  • Videos
  • Contact
  • BLOG SIGN UP
  • FAQ
  • Calendar of Events