Connie Smith

Brad Sik calls himself a skeptic. That’s why he’s surprised with his own positive reaction to a new hoop structure housing some of his cattle on his farm near Yankton, in the southeastern portion of South Dakota.

Sik talked about his building, a demonstration model, while a steady stream of farmers and beef industry types showed up during an open house put on by the makers of the unit, Hoop Beef System, LLC.

Environmental concerns prompted Sik to investigate the building system. Living in a county where livestock zoning issues have been a hot topic, he was enticed with a system that would create no runoff or need for holding ponds, thus reducing odor and potential groundwater contamination.

With the Hoop Beef System, cattle generally drop solid manure on the concrete apron, which Sik scrapes twice a week. Liquid manure is absorbed by a deep layer of bedding, like corn stalks, on a liner of limestone and clay. The producer adds to the bedding as needed, and then uses a box scraper to completely clean it out in between groups of cattle. The bedding is then composted to be applied later on crop ground. Rain or moisture runs off the roof – not into the manure – thus eliminating runoff.

“Rules and regulations for confinement cattle feeding prompted us to look for an alternative,” admitted Sik. “We thought we’d try this route and see how it compares. We’re anxious to get a closeout to see how the cattle perform.”

When the 300-foot by 40-foot Hoop Beef System® building was completed around Christmas 2005, Sik filled it with cow-calf pairs to dry lot through the winter. Prior to the open house, he put in three pens of about 70 head of feeder cattle each. When they’re finished, he plans to fill it with 250-pound calves.

“The people we’ve talked to who have these buildings say their cattle are yielding and gaining well and that the feed conversion is good,” Sik explained.

Controlling the elements
According to Dr. Robert Bryant, Iowa veterinarian, cattle feeder and founder of the Hoop Beef System, cattle can perform better in confinement compared to those in outdoor lots. In states like South Dakota, animals experience everything from wind chills of 30 degrees below zero in winter to a heat index of 104 degrees in summer. Add to that snow, ice storms and mud.

Those conditions can deter cattle feeders in this state even though South Dakota enjoys some of the lowest corn prices in the nation. In 2005, South Dakota was ranked seventh in number of cattle on feed. Chad Maxwell, managing director of Hoop Beef System at its Vermillion, S.D. headquarters, said his native state could move up in that ranking with a building that neutralizes the wide variations in weather.

In his more than 30 years of feeding cattle, Bryant says producers using a containment structure can see increases in daily gains of one-half pound, compared to cattle in muddy outdoor yards, and a one-fourth-pound per day increase during the extremes of winter and summer. Feed efficiency improves 20 percent over muddy conditions and 10 percent in summer and winter.

While there are other confinement buildings on the market, Maxwell maintains that this system has met head-on some of the concerns cattle feeders have had with confinement units, including ventilation, cattle comfort, durability, ease of use and cost.

“We say we’ve created a thermal-neutral environment for the cattle,” explained Maxwell.

The system consists of a wood-frame construction and structural-grade steel tubing supporting a tarp covering. There’s a 10-foot concrete apron on the southern side with wooden feed bunks. A four-foot awning on the south end keeps the building interior completely shaded in the summer. In the winter, sunlight on the south side keeps ice melted on the concrete apron where cattle feed. The open curtains and venting at the top of the building create a Venturi effect, providing cool airflow, even on still, hot summer days.

“When you can start regulating weather extremes,” explains Maxwell, “you can start improving cattle performance and predictability.”

In terms of durability, the building is professionally engineered to meet Uniform Building Code B for agriculture use. It is tested for 70 mph winds and snow loads of 26 pounds per square inch. The tarp has a 15-year warranty, and the steel has an expected life of 20 to 25 years.

As far as size, the building systems can be built to hold from 200 to 600 head of cattle. “There are two cardinal rules we believe are important in a cattle building,” stressed Bryant. “Cattle need one foot of bunk space per head and 40 square feet per head.”

Want to house more than 600 head under roof? Bryant recommends additional buildings 75 feet apart. Currently there are 20 of these buildings in use in eight states.

Lower-cost alternative
Cost-wise, Bryant says the hoop structure compares favorably with the mono-slope design, which, he says, can cost upwards of $500 per head. A patent is pending on the Hoop Beef System, which is a package including building materials, feeding bunks, waterers, gates, blueprints and consultation for approximately $210-per-head. The cost of concrete (approximately $4,400 for the 300-foot building) and construction are not included, although Maxwell and Bryant say the system is designed so that producers can build it easily themselves.

That’s just what Sik plans to do if he determines his cattle perform as well as expected. “I was very skeptical before I used the building, but I’m becoming a believer now. I’d build more in a heartbeat.”

To find out more about the Hoop Beef System, go to www.hoopbeef.com.