incrementally,” he says. “There are always going to be new innovations coming but I think they’ll come incrementally, and there’s probably not any reason to wait 2, 3 or 5 years to upgrade a handling facility and put yourself and your animals at risk for that period of time in a poorly designed or poorly maintained facil-
If a manufacturer produces what you consider to be a high-quality component of a handling system, then their other equipment is likely to also be top-of-the-line.
ity, waiting on some big technological advancement.” While the warranty is a consideration, equally im-
portant are the durability and design of the system, the history and reputation of the manufacturer, and their commitment to providing replacement parts to you if something breaks or wears out. Reuter also notes, “It’s been my experience that the expressed, written warran- ties that come with products typically don’t cover the expected useful life of that product, whether that would be a car, a tractor, a computer, or a handling system.”
Portable vs. permanent One other thing Reuter has talked about with pro-
ducer clients is investigating the trade-offs between por- table equipment and permanently installed equipment. He says, “There are manufacturers that make really
good, functional equipment that’s portable, and with that you get a tremendous amount of fl exibility. You’re not locked down to having your handling facility in one confi guration at one location all the time. “For a lot of producers that might work, but if you’ve
got leased pastures or several different pastures where you’ve got to work cattle in different places, sometimes it makes just as much sense to invest in really nice portable equipment and be able to move it around and reconfi gure it. Or if you needed to sell it, you get a portion of your money back a lot easier than you can with a permanent installation.”
tscra.org
2013 Foy Proctor Memorial
Cowman’s Award October 5, 2013 • Midland, Texas Nita Stewart Haley Memorial Library
Join us on as we welcome the following recipients of the 2013 Foy Proctor Memorial Cowman’s Award:
James L. Donnell Fowlerton, TX
Billy Green Albany, TX
Chris Lacy Ft. Davis, TX
Schedule
3:00 p.m. – Story Telling Session 6:30 p.m. – Chuckwagon Supper 7:30 p.m. – Awards Ceremony
Call us today for tickets: 432-682-5785
Haley Memorial Library and History Center 1805 W. Indiana
Midland, Texas 79705
www.haleylibrary.com
September 2013 The Cattleman 83
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