The North Dakota Stockmen’s Association held its 19th annual feedlot tour showcasing three different hoop and confinement feeder operations in the eastern region of the state. 

“When we first started, it was a van full of eight to 10 people, and now we get around 100 people who come on this tour,” says Scott Ressler, environmental services director for NDSA.

Tour attendees include producers, agriculturalists and commodity group representatives; however, the focus is on helping producers find inspiration with other operations. “We don’t usually look at the cattle on those days; we really take a look into the facilities. And we get people with their cameras and tape measures and notebooks who are writing information down,” he explains.

This year’s tour had three stops:

“We have a lot of opportunity to show folks some different things, and there’s been a lot of interest in these hoop barns and confined feeding facilities we’re seeing pop up around North Dakota,” Ressler says.

Check out the gallery to get an inside look at these three operations.