Iowa Beef Producer Chooses Cover-AllZoske Farms Inc. is located near Eldora, IA where Larry and Jan Zoske have been raising beef cattle since 1969. Larry and his sons finish approximately 600 calves each year. Zoske Farms finishes about 200 of their own calves, and purchases the remaining balance to fill the barns.
When it came time to expand their beef operation, they were looking for an economical livestock building. Larry researched a number of different building options before choosing two 40' wide x 160' long (12.1m x 48.7m) Cover-All® Legend® buildings. "We researched a number of different buildings, and were very impressed with the knowledge of the Cover-All salesperson," says Larry. "Not only was the Cover-All building more economical, we had the local dealer install the building for us as well.
"Larry enjoys the natural environment in his Cover-All® barns and is convinced it will be beneficial to their beef operation. "I like the brightness and natural light in the buildings", says Larry. "Even though it's been hot this summer, we have not had any calves go off feed like they sometimes do if they are left out in a hot open area.
"While planning the new buildings, Larry worked closely with the Department of Natural Resources to ensure that the project complied with the State Regulations for open feedlots. The two Cover-All® buildings are set 20 feet (6.0m) apart and are connected with two 16' (4.8m) walkways. The design of the buildings allows for 43 square feet (13.1m) and 12 inches (0.3m) of bunk space per animal. Each building was designed with a concrete manure storage unit to allow for proper manure management. The manure storage units were designed to hold up to 30 days of waste. Both barns are cleaned once a week and re-bedded with corn stalk straw.
The Zoskes are a busy family and wanted to design their operation to help minimize their workload. "We designed the buildings with concrete feed bunks that run the entire length on the outside edge of both buildings," says Larry, "this allows for quick feeding time with the tractor and feed cart." The calves are fed a mixture of corn, wet distilled grain, hay and silage.The building also features eaves on the outside edge of each building to help shed wateraway from the enclosed area.
Since building their Cover-All® barns, the Zoskes have received a lot of interest from neighbors and friends. When asked about their reactions, Larry indicated, "They're always impressed by the amount of natural light in the building. When they ask me if I would recommend it for their operation, I say yes!"
|