Feed Batch Mixer Box for ISU Beef Nutrition Farm
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Since 1905, the Department of Agricultural Engineering, now the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (ABE), has been a leader in providing engineering solutions to agricultural problems in the United States and the world. The department’s original mission was to mechanize agriculture. That mission has evolved to encompass a global view of the entire food production system–the wise management of natural resources in the production, processing, storage, handling, and use of food fiber and other biological products.
History
In 1905 Agricultural Engineering was recognized as a subdivision of the Department of Agronomy, and in 1907 it was recognized as a unique department. It was renamed the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering in 1990. The department merged with the Department of Industrial Education and Technology in 2004.
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1905–present
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- Department of Agricultural Engineering (1907–1990)
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- College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (parent college)
- College of Engineering (parent college)
- Department of Industrial Education and Technology, (merged, 2004)
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Abstract
The Iowa State Beef Nutrition Farm’s mission is to provide facilities and support for research aimed at optimizing nutrition and management of beef cattle in Iowa. Facilities include a modern open-front, 60-pen feedlot, a 7-pen feedlot with an electronic feed intake management system, and a 16-pen open-front feedlot. All pen sizes are adequate for up to six animals. There are 120 acres of improved pasture available for grazing research and several small open lots with fence line feed bunks. A modern, indoor animal handling facility, feed mill and indoor and outdoor feed storage structures are on hand.
Our client, Jordan Harding, has tasked us with the goal of increasing efficiency and decreasing time spent feeding cattle daily. Currently, they are using multiple people to feed, and when the feed wagon is out feeding there is wasted downtime for the other workers. This downtime will be filled with our dumper in place. We hope to cut their daily feeding time down from 3 hours to 2 hours.
Our solution is to fill their downtime waiting on the feed wagon with a fillable hopper that can then dump into the feed wagon. Using the time that the feed wagon is actually feeding to mix the next ration will save them tremendous overall time and increase their efficiency drastically.