Tips is an educational service to the ranching community brought to you by the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and the Nevada Cattlemen's Association. The goal of the Tip's site is to display ideas and tips from the ranching community.

Tip's is an opportunity and method of sharing and educating one another about ideas that save money or make life easier on the farm or ranch. If you have an idea or tip you would like to share on Tip's simply e-mail Ron Torell at torellr@unce.unr.edu. Include a digital photo and a short write up of your tip or idea.

Feed Bunk Management
(submitted by Ron Torell University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Livestock Specialist)

Ed and Paul Sarman of Lamoille, Nevada designed a labor saving method to freshen up feed bunks. They feed long hay along a manger in the mornings. By mid day the replacement heifers have sorted through the hay and have pushed much of the un-eaten long hay out of muzzle range. After lunch Ed and Paul simply lower the side delivery rake wheels on their modified pickup ranch truck and make one pass by the bunk. This pushes the hay back into the feed bunk area. Heifers associate the modified ranch truck with fresh feed. Site of the vehicle brings them to the bunk in mid day for additional feed consumption. Previous to using the modified side delivery rake the Sarman brothers spent one hour per day with a pitch fork pushing the hay back into the bunks. The system was built entirely with junk parts in the ranch shop with labor being their only out of pocket cost.