In the eighties Dickinson Cattle Co, then operating in Colorado, used mostly lease land for cattle grazing. There were cattle in 6 counties from Custer to Prowers. The high mountain pastures were for Summer and the Arkansas Valley lower lands for winter grazing. Each had to have a cattle sorting, gathering and load-out facility. As these corrals were designed on the side of a Hartsel mountain or the irrigated alfalfa fields of Granada, every sort of design, material, size and shape was tested.

From working thousands of cattle in good and bad conditions, well planned, and systems with no plan at all -- it was easy to become opinionated. Some systems evolved as better, more economical, safer, easier and others just a wreck.

This film on CATTLE CORRAL DESIGNS - EFFICIENCY, SAFETY AND ECONOMY is an accumulation of these 54 years of learning experiences. Some great old cowmen had ideas that worked well and have been tested by the years. An idea here and a new design there -- life is a battle of eliminating what don't work.

This film has 52 teaching points of data, examples, process, training, design, with graphics, dry erase action drawings and simple information for working cattle easy, economical and safe for man and beast.

Humane handling is number one for all ranchers. When livestock are injured, bleed or become cripple, it is a great loss. Ranching is about economy. Any drop of blood shed is a dollar value loss. At all costs, livestock must be handled with the chief goal of no harm to any animal or person. A critter injured can drop hundreds of dollars in sale value in a flash.

Filmed at Dickinson Cattle Co, Barnesville, Ohio, USA, by Kirk Dickinson, with some extra clips for unique flavor.