The Farm Progress Show will be held in Boone, Iowa, on Aug. 28-30. See FarmProgressShow.com for more information.

Even in this day and age of online shopping and YouTube videos, there is still no substitute for being able to touch a product or see a piece of equipment operating firsthand. After decades of being a staple at the Farm Progress Show, cattle handling demonstrations are still the best way to compare and contrast different brands of chutes, all in one location.

Cattle handling demonstrations are held twice daily at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the Livestock Industries Tent on the southeast corner of the exhibit field between 11th and 12th streets.

During cattle handing demonstrations, visitors can see equipment at work in side-by-side comparisons of chutes, scales, portable fencing and pens. Whether you’re interested in the newest hydraulic chute or a manual type, or a chute with a scale or a palpation cage, manufacturer representatives will be glad to discuss different options that best suit each operation. It’s also the place to get information to fine-tune your preconditioning program and increase your beef herd performance.

Companies participating this year include Behlen Country, Livestock Equipment & Manufacturing, Moly Mfg, and Titan West.

Iowa State University will supply about 20 head of cattle per day for the cattle handling demonstrations.

Nebraska veterinarian Joe Jeffrey will moderate and entertain the crowd with his anecdotes from years of ranching and raising cattle along the Platte River in central Nebraska.

Inform and entertain
“People come to the demonstrations for two things,” Jeffrey says. “They come to be informed about the chutes and equipment, and we try to entertain them a little bit, too.”

Jeffrey has been speaking to and entertaining people for 50 years, so he is the perfect moderator for these demonstrations. “I really enjoy the camaraderie with the audience and the chute operators, and telling people the difference between the chutes,” he says. “Cows and horses never change, but the equipment is always new.”

Behlen Country is providing the panels and equipment for the cattle demonstrations.

A special thanks to John Kearney with Behlen Country for all his hard work and advice through the years.

For your convenience, livestock exhibits have been grouped together in the southeast corner of the exhibit field. Stroll through the Livestock Industries Tent and then visit the outdoor livestock exhibits to discover all the latest innovations in equipment and services.