AgrAbility In Dakota
NEWS

Promoting Success in Agriculture for People with Disabilities and Their Families

Winter 2001 -- Volume 4, Number 4

Safety Tips for Handling Livestock

In a recent study, large animal livestock was found to be the primary cause of 277 injuries and one fatality on North Dakota farms. Most of these injuries include broken bones and crushed limbs. Beef cattle were involved in 153 injuries and horses in 98 injuries. Safer handling and working procedures could have prevented many of these injuries or reduced the extent of injury.

Patience and knowledge of the animals are two very important qualities needed in handling cattle and horses. They do not always respond to commands and conditions as quickly as we would like and often respond in ways that we would not expect.

There are two important concepts to understand when working with livestock, the point of balance and the flight zone. The point of balance affects how an animal will respond to your advance. If you approach from anywhere in front of the animal's shoulder, the animal will back away. When you approach from anywhere in back of the shoulder, the animal will move in a forward direction. The flight zone is based on how close you can get to an animal before it will move away. The size varies with the speed at which you approach the animal, the direction you approach from, how familiar the animal is with you, the sound you make with your approach, how accustomed the animal is to you, how quickly the animal spots you in your approach, and the recent experiences of the animal, including what part you play in those experiences.

Other safety pointers for those who work with livestock are:

• Always use a restraining device such as a cattle squeeze chute to protect you and the animal during treatment. Animals will usually quiet down when they realize they can't go anyplace. Those that don't quiet down would really be a terror when restrained only by a rope or two.
• Set up loading chutes and alleyways so that light conditions don't change from dark to bright or vice versa. Cattle do not have exceptional eyesight and changes in color or brightness can really confuse them. When confused, they either stop or reverse direction.
• Large animal livestock generally have good hearing and will move away from loud, unfamiliar sounds. This is why non-familiar people have more difficulty in moving your livestock. Studies have shown that cattle will respond positively to familiar sounds and soft music.
• Animals remember previous experiences and react accordingly to current conditions. Those that have been mishandled or treated roughly will have developed a sense of fear of man. That fear will resurface whenever they are treated similarly again.
• Cattle and horses can sense confusion and frustration in humans. When the moving and handling of livestock has not been planned and things are not going very smoothly they can send it and will react accordingly, not always the way we would like them to react.
• Breeding stock, bulls, stallions, bucks and boars, generally have a different temperament than do other animals. They can be high spirited, aggressive, and temperamental. It is foolish to trust them or to turn your back on them. It might be a vicious slash from a boar, a butt from a ram, or a complete trampling from a bull or stallion. Always keep them in your view and have an escape route planned.

Working with large animal livestock can be done safely, but it isn't easy. To be safe, know the animals and their characteristics, pay attention to the animal's responses and be ready to react accordingly, and follow safety recommendations.

The National Grant Program of the AgrAbility Project is a joint effort of The USDA Extension Service, The National Easter Seal Society and Purdue University's Breaking New Ground Resource Center. Support for this newsletter is provided by the USDA Extension Service; Project #92-EFDA-1-10013.

Assistive Technology

It has traditionally been difficult to climb into a truck box regardless of size. The current ladders on the market protrude from the side of the truck box causing difficulty in securing a tarp and requiring wider spaces for parking the truck in locations where space is at a premium.

To resolve these problems the "E-Z Climb" truck ladder has been developed. This ladder snaps flush against the box when not in use and simply folds down by pulling out and down on the handles when needed. The "E-Z Climb" truck ladder is held in place in the flush position by two automatic latches. Two ladder sizes are available depending on truck size.

The "E-Z Climb" truck ladder is manufactured by Erling Faleide of Faleide Enterprises, Inc., 5341 29^th St. NE, Maddock, ND 58348, phone (701) 438-2511. The cost of the "E-Z Climb" truck ladder range from $189-$199, depending on the size of the ladder. Erling created the "E-Z Climb" truck ladder because he had trouble slipping off the truck box when he was a farmer.

Upcoming Events

• Marketplace of Ideas
  Alerus Center, Grand Forks, ND -- January 10, 2002
• KMOT Ag Show
  State Fair Grounds, Minot, ND -- January 23-25, 2002
• KFYR Agri-International
  Bismarck Civic Center, Bismarck, ND -- February 11-13, 2002
• 2002 Annual Dakota Conference on Rural and Public Health
  Holiday Inn, Fargo, ND -- March 20-22, 2002

Where We've Been:

Dickinson Ag Show
Dickinson -- October 5-6, 2001
State Physical Therapy Convention
Grand Forks -- October 12-13, 2001
National Association of Extension 4-H Agents National Conference
Bismarck -- October 22-23, 2001

Bargain Buyers Corner . . .

• Swather lift and tractor lift used in a Versatile 4WD, call Steve Hanson (701) 524-1810.

Tom Alexander, Co-Director
AgrAbility In Dakota
P.O. Box 1801, Minot, ND 58702
Bus. (701) 839-4121 Fax (701) 838-5998
Cell (701) 720-4276Res. (701) 852-3471
Email: alextom@minot.com

Trina Gress, Co-Director
AgrAbility In Dakota
P.O. Box 1206, Mandan, ND 58554
Bus. (701) 663-6828 ext. 303 Fax (701) 663-6859
Toll Free Nationwide 1-800-247-0698 ext. 303
Cell (701) 220-4272Res. (701) 221-2649
Email: esgwnd@btigate.com

George Maher, Ag Safety Specialist
NDSU Extension Service
Box 5626, Ag Engineering 115
North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58105-5626
(701) 231-8288 FAX (701) 231-1008
Email: gmaher@ndsuext.nodak.edu

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North Dakota State University
NDSU Extension Service