Working Ranch Magazine Summer 2025

handling, sorting & scales BY TIFFANY SELCHOW Take it Where You Need It Portable Chute Systems that can go anywhere you need them.

MJE LIVESTOCK EQUIPMENT

MJE Livestock Equipment Portable Chute

attle operations in the U.S. are as diverse as the landscapes they inhabit, and having the right equipment continues to im prove operations’ efficiency and the safety of humans and animals. The better your handling systems, the better beef your cattle can produce.

required flexibility level. “The level of investment can be high when think ing about a portable chute or system,” she adds. The investment makes sense when considering operations in the Midwest, where yearlings or stocker cattle might be turned out on corn residue or other annual forages, and then out to the Southwest, where large ranches need to move cattle via trucks to opposite sides of a ranch. “Thinking

When considering portable chutes, Dr. McCarthy advises thinking about your operations’ specific needs and the

As many ranchers often do, work ing in remote areas proves especially challenging due to a lack of infra structure. A far canyon pasture in the Southwest or a corn residue field doesn’t always have a loading chute for easy unloading or loading cattle. In prior years, these locations may not have been accessible for grazing or have proved time-intensive to gather and move those animals. With the innovation and utilization of the por table chute, these locations are more readily available to continue growing and producing beef cattle. “There is a lot of variety out there in terms of chutes and handling sys tems. They can help simplify life, but ensuring you’re getting the right system for your operation is key,” says Dr. Kacie McCarthy, beef cow calf specialist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

MJE Livestock Equipment Portable Chute

MJE LIVESTOCK EQUIPMENT

58 I SUMMER 2025 WORKING RANCH audited readers run 21 million head of beef cattle.