 Hi, my name's Lisa Peterson, Extension Beef Quality Assurance Specialist of North Dakota State University's Extension Service. Today I'm going to talk with you about how you can implement good sound beef quality assurance practices and your background in operations. Background in the operations is very similar to the one that you're seeing here today. Today we are working with the set of calves that have been weaned for about a month. They've been on feed. They need to be revaccinated. They need to be boosted. And so the first thing that we need to do when handling cattle is remember to handle them nice and quiet. Feed yards often report that the toughest thing that they have is getting cattle out of the pen. And so we'll try to show today how to get this set of calves, this small set of calves, out of a pen quietly and easily. The first thing we have to remember when handling cattle are there are some rules or some good care and handling practices and behavior principles that we should follow. The first of these is that cattle want to see you. And cattle also want to go around you. And cattle will also want to be with and will follow other cattle. And so we should use these to help us better handle our cattle while remembering that cattle can only think of one thing at one time. In that regards they're very similar to humans. Some general handling practices is that if we move against cattle they'll typically walk away. However, if we move up towards the head of cattle they'll typically stop. So we'll try to move this set of cattle out of this holding pen into an alley as they prepare to be boosted or revaccinated. And we have this set of calves started to move. It's always said that you should count the calves out of the pen so that they don't turn back like this back here. We're getting ready to load these calves into a crowding tub and then move them through a single file alley facility into a shoot system. One of the things that we need to talk about with facilities is that they don't need to be expensive. They don't need to be fancy. They just need to be safe and work well for your operation. At this operation they have a crowding tub and then a rounded single file alley system that moves into a set of shoots. At this particular operation this works well for them. They have it so that handles very easily calves, like yearling type cattle, cows, and then older bulls. We'll try to move these calves into this tub system. One of the things that we need to talk about with both butt boxes and crowding tubs is a major mistake that occurs and the reason why cattle often don't work well in these situations is that these tubs and crowding tubs and butt boxes are often overcrowded. This tub the owner tells me works best to load about six head of calves in. He says that when members of this operation try to overload it, put 10-12 calves in. It gets so tight the cattle can't move and see the opening into the single file alley. So we'll try to put about six or eight calves into this tub and see how they work. The calf is up to move into this single file. That's typically about their eye or their ear so you need to walk clear wide and then walk back up against them to keep them moving forward. We now have our calf moved into our hydraulic chute. He is ready to be vaccinated, poor, or treated, whatever we would need to do with him. This brings an ideal time to talk about maintenance and pressure of hydraulic chutes. It is important that our hydraulic chutes maintain an ideal pressure. One that is not too high, one that is not too low for cattle in workers safety. Today's hydraulic chutes come from the manufacturer with ideal pressure set. While they maintain this ideal pressure better than the older models of hydraulic chutes, it is still important that we check these pressures occasionally prior to working animals. In review, we have talked about some beef quality assurance practices that can make cattle handling easier, more efficient, and safer on your operations. Producers should handle cattle quietly and easily using sound beef quality assurance practices. Those include four basic cattle behavior principles. First, cattle want to see you. Second, cattle want to go around you. Third, cattle want to be with and will go with other cattle. And finally, cattle, like humans, can only think of one thing at a time. Next, remember to assure worker and livestock safety. Be sure the pressure on your hydraulic chute is set at the ideal level identified by the chutes manufacturer. And the best way to become better at handling and working catalyst practice often. For more information on sound and safe cattle handling and cattle facility design, contact Lisa Peterson, the North Dakota State University Extension Beef Quality Assurance Specialist, or your local NDSU County Extension Agent. The North Dakota Beef Quality Assurance Program is jointly funded by the NDSU Extension Service and the North Dakota Beef Commission.