Careers in the Beef Industry

Feedlot Operator

Lynne Cohoe
Feedlot Operator, Burgessville

Lynne manages a feedlot that feeds about 1300 cattle a year and a    grain elevator:  building where grains such as wheat, barley, oats or corn are stored   that buys and sells grain from the local farmers. This business is part of the family farm that began as a dairy farm. Each fall, farmers bring cattle to her feedlot that have been on pasture all summer and weigh between 350 and 450 kg. Lynne and her staff use machinery to roll, grind and mix the grain and    roughage:  leaves and stems of the crops containing cellulose that the animals can eat   every day to feed the cattle. It takes five hours each day to feed and the cattle. She can treat most sick animals but sometimes must call in a veterinarian for assistance. The cattle pens are cleaned regularly and the animal waste is spread over the 250 hectare farm as fertilizer. The feedlot has good pens and chutes that make it easier and safer to handle the cattle. Lynne likes the fall of the year when the grain is being harvested and the cattle come into the feedlot. She says, "I am always looking for young people who are interested in agriculture and are willing to work independently. There are many jobs available including feeding the cattle, cleaning the cattle pens, buying and selling grain and working in the    feed mill:  a building where grains are ground into animal feed   ."

Lynne graduated from university in Economics and Political Science, and took over the grain and feedlot business after her father's death in 1979. She continues to read and take courses to learn more about the grain and cattle business.

 


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