Skip to main content

New Beef Handling Facility to be Dedicated April 21st

Meadowbrook Farm front entrance sign

EKU Farms is pleased to announce that celebration of the completion of its new beef handling facility has a date has been set for Friday, April 21, 2017. The event will be held at EKU’s Meadowbrook Farm. 

On this date, Meadowbrook Farm will also host the Kentucky Cattleman’s Association Executive Committee meeting. Following their private business meeting, there will be a 15 to 30 minute presentation dedicating the facility for the public. 

For more information on the event, contact director Justin McKinney at justin.mckinney@eku.edu.


Meadowbrook Farm Beef Handling Facilities - Perspective

 -- Dr. Ed Fredrickson, Associate Professor

The previous facilities were built 30 and 35 years ago of oak by EKU staff, including Mr. Ray Marcum, long-time farm manager of Meadowbrook Farm who recently retired after more than 30-years of service to Eastern Kentucky University students, faculty, and staff. During October 2011, noted animal behaviorist Dr. Temple Grandin visited Eastern Kentucky University at the invitation of Dr. Minh Nguyen with support of the Animal Studies, Agriculture, and Education programs. Before her speech at EKU’s Center for the Arts, Dr. Grandin visited Meadowbrook Farm where she spoke to a crowd of EKU students and regional agriculturalists. 

During her visit I asked Dr. Grandin if she would help us design a new beef handling system that would incorporate many of the livestock handling concepts that she is now famous for designing and promoting to a livestock industry anxious to improve the health and welfare of animals in their care. A recent critique of Dr. Grandin’s contributions claimed that 80 percent of contemporary livestock handling systems are based on her designs. 

The goal of her work is to use the natural behavior of livestock to design systems that minimize stress and injury to livestock. An added benefit of these systems is that they require fewer people to move and care for more cattle. Our system was designed by Dr. Grandin and her colleague Mr. Mark Deesing. A horseman with considerable skill, Mr. Deesing helped draw and make available Dr. Grandin’s designs. Later he would assist Dr. Grandin in novel research allowing us to predict and better understand livestock temperament and ways to assess livestock health and welfare. He currently travels world wide to address issues of livestock health and welfare. 

Designed by Dr. Grandin the equipment was built by Mr. Mark Metcalf and his co-workers at Waco, Ky. Mr. Metcalf and his crew did superb work, adding many innovations of their own. These innovations include magnetic gate closures along with other innovations that makes EKU’s facilities unique. We are certain that many people will use Mr. Metcalf’s innovations elsewhere as new facilities are built. 

EKU’s facilities will familiarize students with a type of beef cattle facilities that now dominate the industry. In addition to minimizing livestock stress the facilities are equipped for additional equipment that automatically identifies and weighs cattle as they cross a hydraulic squeeze chute set to secure cattle without injury. The entire system allows students to safely access all parts of the animal as they learn routine management skills and conduct research projects. Along with EKU students, we expect the facilities will be used for extension, and other education programs, benefitting Kentucky cattlemen.

Published on March 01, 2017

Open /*deleted href=#openmobile*/