Aging and Livestock Handling

Assistive Technology Notes – Aging and Livestock Handling

Even if an elderly farmer or rancher is not one of the 440,000 polio survivors in the United States who are at risk for PPS, they will likely experience some form of age-related health issues that may affect their ability to work. Regardless of the health conditions a farmer is facing, recognizing and accommodating these limitations will go a long way in preserving their health and safety for years to come.

According to the U.S. Administration on Aging, the U.S. population aged sixty-five and over will increase from thirty-five million in 2000 to fifty-five million in 2020.⁹ A majority of the polio survivors will be in this age group. AgrAbility’s demographic information has shown a similar trend as the average age of farmers and ranchers served is now fifty.¹⁰ As people age, they may lose some strength and flexibility, have slower reaction times, have less acute eyesight, and may experience hearing loss. In addition, the older adult population has a higher prevalence of chronic conditions like arthritis and an increased use of prescription drugs, both of which can further slow reaction time and limit mobility. Combine any one or more of these aging issues when working around livestock, and the risk of serious injury to the older rancher increases. For the remainder of this article livestock will refer to cattle.

In fact that’s exactly what can be found in the National Ag Safety Database statistics of aging farmers/ranchers working with livestock. While almost half of all farm-related fatal injuries still result from tractors and machinery, the percentage of animal-related fatalities for workers fifty-five and over is similar to the tractor-related fatalities for this same age group.¹¹ While the risk is real, no one expects farmers/ranchers to stop caring for or handling livestock as they age. However, it would be advisable for farmers or ranchers to set aside some time, perhaps once a year, to review daily farm/ranch tasks and assess their ability to safely perform them given any physical or cognitive changes they have observed in their own work performance. Understand that a six-foot-high livestock fence isn’t as easy for a sixty-five-year-old to get over as it is for a thirty-five-year-old!

A review of safe livestock handling should begin by understanding basic livestock behavior, and should include a review of all livestock handling facilities, including barns, fences, corrals, chutes, and gates. By understanding how an animal may react, farmers and ranchers are better equipped to take precautions to minimize animal stress and be prepared if or when an animal panics. Resources which describe terms such as livestock “flight zone” and “point of balance” are plentiful. The simple definition of the livestock’s flight zone is to think of it as the animal’s “personal space” (Figure 1).

Image showing livestock flight zone, blind spot, and point of balance.
Figure 1: The Flight Zone¹²

If you are inside an animal’s personal space, similar to a human reaction, it may perceive your presence as a threat. The total area of an animal’s flight zone can vary due to an animal’s size, breed, or even past experiences with a particular environment or handler. For example, livestock raised on a feedlot might have a smaller flight zone since they are more accustomed to seeing human handlers than livestock that are pastured and seldom encounter humans. Equally important to realize is that most livestock have a blind spot directly behind them and may be easily startled or react adversely upon hearing a noise from that area. More resources on animal behavior and safe livestock handling can be found in the livestock handling resources/videos on the National AgrAbility Project website, ¹³ by contacting your local extension agent or educator, or by visiting Dr. Temple Grandin’s website.¹⁴

Handling livestock safely may also require updating methods of corralling or capturing cattle and providing veterinary care. Ranchers with mobility limitations whose livestock are on pasture may have considerable difficulty capturing livestock in a corral or other working area on foot or on a horse. Other mobility options, such as a modified utility vehicle or all-terrain vehicle, might become necessary.¹⁵ Another idea, instead of moving the livestock to the corral, may be to move the corral to the livestock using a Portable Wheel Corral or The Big Rope. Both products can be found in the National AgrAbility Project’s online assistive technology product database, under the livestock handling and housing category.¹⁶ Some veterinary work can be done without capturing or restraining livestock. Certain medications can be given from a safe distance using the Long Shot or Medi-Dart (Figure 2), lessening the chance of farmer/rancher injury. One rancher recently reported using a paint-ball gun and different colored paints to identify cow/calf pairs. This made it easier for him to tell them apart from a distance without having to corral/capture them to apply ear-tags.

Color picture showing farmer/rancher using Medi-Dart system on livestock.
Figure 2: Medi-Dart Delivery ¹⁷

For most veterinary tasks, especially when working with larger animals, there is no safer way to handle livestock than using the proper fencing/corral leading to a squeeze chute or head gate (Figure 3). With the animal properly restrained, the rancher is much less likely to get injured or knocked down by the animal when performing necessary animal health care activities.

If you have the opportunity to design or rebuild your livestock handling system, you should review the research on stockyard, corral, and chute designs along with other suggestions on Dr. Temple Grandin’s website. Understanding the importance of the corral surface, chute siding, or how objects and light can distract animals and contribute to animal stress are easy to design for or eliminate from the system. Also, adding passageways, person passes, or “human gates” to your corrals or any confined livestock handling facility can greatly improve handler accessibility and add to the overall safety of the farmer/rancher.¹⁸

Color picture of an example squeeze chute with head gate attached.
Figure 3: Squeeze chute with head gate ¹⁹

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In This Issue
Section 1: Client Story Section 2: Focus Section 3: Assistive Technology Notes	Section 4: State Project Feature Section 5: References Section 6: Contacts