In recent years, livestock handling technology has accelerated on the back of a push to make facilities significantly more efficient, without sacrificing safety for staff, contractors, and animals. In fact, technological improvements in custom cattleyard facilities has producers raving about the work, health, and safety benefits. Here’s how ProWay Livestock Equipment incorporate technology into their custom cattleyard facilities:
Pneumatic Systems: The safe, air operated labour saver:
For custom cattleyards, ProWay’s flagship technological advancement is its Pneumatic Remote Cattle Handling Systems. The Pneumatic Systems offer air operated remote and automated solutions for professional cattle operations that minimise labour required to process stock and significantly improves safety and efficiency.
For Farm Manager Rob Wilson, the Pneumatic technology he incorporated into the Bonnie Doon Wagyu custom cattleyards alongside other ProWay equipment meant he didn’t have to worry about younger staff being at risk of injury when training them. “With elevated walkways, Rotary Force and the 3-Way Pneumatic Draft Module, less experienced staff don’t actually have to get in with the cattle, by optimising safety we’re optimising productivity”.
ProWay Pneumatic technology is primarily controlled with hand held remotes, and a customised, programmed control box. The air operated system is incorporated into key gates such as custom cattleyard Leadups, Forcing Yards, Working Races and the Drafter allowing operators to be completely clear from cattle while processing them whilst also reducing the amount of labour required to move cattle through the yards.
Custom Cattleyards, are standard working areas and are often associated with stress and workplace risk. Traditional systems require walking back and forth to process livestock or having multiple staff to operate gates when processing stock.
By introducing remote controlled air gates to custom cattleyard leadups, forcing yards, working races and the draft means you are removing operators from dangerous and compromised positions while cutting down on labour. ProWay’s remote solutions provide a much easier alternative in which one or more staff can simply press a button to move stock or open or shut a gate from anywhere in the custom cattleyards.
For Peter Gordon, Livestock Manager at Minjah Station, the remote Pneumatic technology in his custom cattleyards has allowed him to save on labour requirements: “Our labour efficiency has more than doubled compared to the old yards. The air operated aspect would save a man in itself. Just a press of a button, we weighed and drafted 320 heifers with RFID in under an hour.”
The latest aerial surveillance technology provides an accurate understanding of your site:
Before a single panel is fixed, the site must be prepared accurately. ProWay’s Design Team have been incorporating the latest tech into planning their designs for over 20 years. Whilst the Pneumatic System is seen as the ProWay flagship for cattle handling, for smaller custom cattleyards, ProWay still use the same design principals by tailoring the facility to suit the producer.
ProWay measure your site with survey, drone, and satellite data to record relevant existing fence lines, elevation, roof structures, trees and other infrastructure or services which can be factored into your new facility. This provides a significant advantage and cost saving as in many cases, existing holding yards or structures can be utilised in the new build of your custom cattleyard.
This may sound like an insignificant feature to some, but for ProWay aerial survey technology gives them the leg up they need to design an efficient, safe and profitable custom cattleyard facility. ProWay Designers rely on survey technology to ensure the yards flow effectively without corners or dead zones, are positioned correctly and are tailor made for the client’s specific requirements.
Continual improvement framework:
ProWay Engineers are continually innovating technology in custom cattleyards on the back of industry feedback from clients, transporters and contractors. The ProWay Pneumatic Systems have seen multiple iterations over recent years, with slight tweaks being made to make them even more reliable and user friendly. Maintenance and troubleshooting guides have been implemented to give the producer a step-by-step process to identify any air related troubles that may occur on site.
The Engineers at ProWay have also begun works on incorporating air operated systems in sheepyard designs and in commercial facility settings – so watch this space!
ProWay Livestock Equipment have sought to introduce technology into all aspects of the design and install process of their custom cattleyards. The technology takes many forms, and as a result, new ProWay cattle handling facilities have become safer, easier to work in and far more efficient and profitable.
