Benefits of Using a Cattle Cake Feeder
By: Marcus Van Vekerix

Cattle owners are always looking for the most efficient and fastest way to feed their livestock, whether that is feeding in a pasture or a yard. It’s all about saving time (time is money!), yet accomplishing the task with minimal waste and manpower.

First off, what is a cattle cake feeder? Cattle cake feeders, also called cube feeders, supplement feeders, or range feeders, are feeders designed to dispense solid feed supplements - commonly referred to as "cake" or "cubes" - to livestock. People often think cake feeders are used just for cattle, however they also work well for feeding sheep, bison, horses, and even deer and elk in the case of wildlife management. Typically, a cake feeder is mounted on a truck, ATV, or UTV, making it easy for ranchers to efficiently distribute feed across pastures without manual handling.

Ranchers’ needs may differ, however the universal benefits for using a cattle cake feeder over other traditional feeding methods are:

 1. Efficiency and Time Savings: Mechanized feeders allow for rapid and uniform distribution of feed, significantly reducing the time and labor required compared to manual feeding. This efficiency is particularly beneficial for large-scale operations.

2. Reduced Feed Waste: By dispensing controlled portions directly to the feeding area, cake feeders minimize spillage and prevent feed from being trampled, leading to cost savings.

3. Improved Animal Health and Safety: Feeding from a vehicle-mounted feeder reduces the risk of injury to both livestock and ranchers by preventing crowding and aggressive behavior during feeding times.

4. Versatility: Many cake feeders are designed to handle various feed types, including pellets, grains, and whole cottonseed, accommodating different dietary needs.

 If you’re convinced that a cattle cake feeder will benefit your operation, now your decision is where to buy and what kind. There are a number of reputable brands to consider, but to gain further insight I spoke to Joel Schelling, a seasoned cattleman and sales manager with Herd-Boss Feeders.

 Schelling offered the following advice, “When picking a cattle cake feeder, you should consider how much cake or cubes you need to feed based on the size of your operation. If you have several hundred head of cattle, you don’t want to stop to refill the feeder multiple times. Frequent refills are frustrating and will cost you valuable time.” Other factors to think about are the type of vehicle that will be used for feeding (tractor, truck, or ATV/UTV), how easy it is to use the feeder, overall durability, and accessories that will make feeding easier. For instance, Herd-Boss offers add-ons like a scale kit, wireless remote, extension kit, and a trailer, which are all important.

 Schelling went on to say, “Herd-Boss Feeders have a simple, user-friendly design that doesn’t require overhead bin storage, you can load them with a front-end loader, and replacement parts are common and easy to find. These are all important considerations.”

 Investing in a high-quality cattle cake feeder, like Herd-Boss, can enhance the efficiency of your feeding operation, promote better livestock health, and reduce overall feed costs. Look for a feeder with a chain conveyor, which excels over screw conveyors in their ability to handle a wider range of materials and a higher load capacity - and they’re sturdier and require minimal maintenance!

When choosing a feeder or any type of equipment, just be sure to assess your needs and do your research to ensure you pick the most suitable brand and model for your operation.

Many Thanks to Marcus and Herdboss for this article. You may contact them via the information below:

Herd-Boss Feeders | Web: herdbossfeeders.com | Email: sales@herdbossfeeders.com | Phone: 712.476.2677

Five Things to Consider Before Buying a Beam Saw

Manufacturers need solutions when cutting large items like wood, metals, and plastics. Beam Saws come to the rescue when long, deep cross cuts are needed.  

Have you ever considered how a Beam Saw can benefit your business?

Listed below are essential points to consider before buying a Beam Saw: 

The type of Beam Saw you need. 

There are two main types of Beam Saws: portable and stationary. Portable Beam Saws are smaller and lighter, making them easier to move around. Stationary Beam Saws are larger and more powerful, making them better suited for heavy-duty cutting.

Original Saw Company specializes in manufacturing stationary beam saws. Beam Saws are highly effective when cutting logs, trusses, curtain wall, aluminum windows and doors, aluminum extrusions, metal decking, awnings, and metal roofing.

The size of the Beam Saw. 

Beam saws come in various sizes, from small tabletop models to large industrial machines. The size of the Beam Saw needed will depend on the size of the material being cut. Industrial Beam Saws manufactured by Original Saw Company make crosscuts from 60"-64" and feature a depth of cut of 4 3/8" - 8".

The power of the Beam Saw.

The power of a Beam Saw is measured in horsepower.

The more horsepower a Beam Saw has, the more powerful it will be. If you will be cutting thick beams, you will need a Beam Saw with more horsepower. Always check the power requirements of your building before purchasing a Beam Saw.

Original Saw Company's Beam Saws have two horsepower options. Choose from a 5 horsepower/single phase model or a 7.5 horsepower/3 phase model.  

The features of the Beam Saw. 

Beam Saws have additional optional features, such as dust collection, electronic powered cross feed, a pneumatic clamping system, saw measuring systems, and saw extension tables. These features can make the Beam Saw more versatile, easier to use, and customized for your cutting application.

Your budget. 

Beam saws can range in price from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. Determining the return on investment is important when choosing a Beam Saw.

Here are some additional tips for buying a Beam Saw:

• Read reviews. Reading reviews from other users can be a great way to learn about the pros and cons of different saws.
• Do the research. A customer service representative at Original Saw Company can help you choose the right Beam Saw. Do an online search to compare various Beam Saw models. Look at videos that show Beam Saws in action.

Many thanks to Jennifer Eden, Marketing Director at Original Saw Company | https://originalsaw.com/

Transfer Tooling Benefits

ARE YOU....

• Interested in reshoring your plastics manufacturing?
• Searching for the right manufacturing partner to help your company facilitate a seamless plastic injection mold transfer?
• Looking to retool or rapidly add new capacity where needed?

 

Since 1972, Matrix Tool, Inc. has been a full-service strategic manufacturing partner supplying our customers with high-precision injection molds and molded products for high-precision industries, such as telecommunications, automotive, medical, electronics and more.  Matrix has successfully completed hundreds of transfer tooling projects in our company’s 50+ year history. We regularly help our customers to resolve high-maintenance tooling challenges and product quality issues while often finding ways to reduce costs.

 

Recently, a customer of ours was experiencing costly and time-consuming quality issues with their current molder. This former supplier was unable to resolve their manufacturing issues and to fulfill our customer’s orders in a timely manner. To avoid a crisis, the customer turned to Matrix for help. After transferring this challenging and complex injection mold to Matrix, our team of expert toolmakers and engineers were able to provide rapid results for this project.  We developed a sound plan, systematically addressed each issue, and delivered parts of the highest quality to our customer within weeks of the transfer to Matrix.

 

RESHORING TRENDS

More than 350,000 manufacturing jobs were reshored to the United States in 2022, which was 40% more than in 2021 according to the Reshoring Initiative. Some of the more recent factors influencing manufacturers to reshore their operations include: rising labor costs from overseas countries, tariffs placed on injection molds and/or steel components imported from China, increased shipping costs due to rising fuel prices, supply chain disruptions caused by ongoing events like the COVID-19 Pandemic, the war between Russia and Ukraine and more.

 

 

RESHORING BENEFITS

There can be many benefits for a company to consider reshoring to a full-service domestic manufacturing partner and supplier, especially during times of supply chain instability. For example, companies that have partnered with a domestic manufacturer and reshored production to the USA have experienced benefits such as greater control over their production process, improved product quality and efficiency, expanded manufacturing capabilities, faster response times and deliverables, increased innovation, personal customer service, and much more.

 

 

WHY MATRIX?

Matrix Tool excels at quickly diagnosing and resolving all forms of injection molding challenges and inefficiencies that you may be encountering. We have the technical expertise needed to help your company transition your molds in a seamless manner to ensure a quick and efficient return to production. Whether your company is looking to move production from an offshore country back to the USA to mitigate your supply chain risk, trying to replace an underperforming supplier, or for any other reason, Matrix Tool is confident in our expertise to help fulfill your injection molding and tooling needs.

 

It is important to remember tool transfers should not be overcomplicated and stressful, especially when thorough planning, communication, and collaboration occurs between the vested parties. This is especially true at Matrix thanks to our stand-alone mold conditioning department of plastics engineers, toolmakers and technicians who provide 24-hour tool evaluation, sampling, de-bug, repair and changeover services for our molding department. If your company is suffering from any of the common manufacturing issues below, please reach out to Matrix today to see how we may be able to help!

 

 

REASONS MANUFACTURERS TRANSFER TOOLING

• The immediate need to reshore production to the USA (increased freight costs, longer lead times, etc).
• Encountering an underperforming supplier within their own supply chain.
• Experiencing costly and time-consuming quality issues at a prior supplier.
• Lack of customer service and/or not being valued at prior supplier.
• Poor relationship with prior supplier due to minimal collaboration and support.
• The need to consolidate the supply chain.
• The need for retooling or rapidly adding new capacity to the existing tooling, or scaling of the business.

 

TRANSFER TOOLING STEPS AT MATRIX

• PLAN

• TRANSFER

• INSPECT

• DEBUG

• SAMPLE

• CUSTOMER APPROVAL

• ENTERS PRODUCTION

We would like to thank  Riley Lewis, Marketing Specialist at Matrix Tool for sharing the information about transfer tooling and hope it sheds light on the subject for our readers. For more information on the subject you can go to their website at the link below.

Matrix Tool, Inc. Website: https://matrixtoolinc.com

Best Collagen Supplements in America in 2023?

Buying products that are made in America today is a smart choice.  There are many reasons why you might choose to do so from patriotism and pride to supporting local communities and economies.  However, your decisions are more urgent when it comes to buying supplements that you will consume and that you rely on to help improve your overall health.

This is particularly true when you ask, “what are the best collagen supplements”? American-made products have a reputation for high-quality processes and materials.  Additionally, products manufactured in the United States are typically subject to stricter environmental regulations than those made in countries where products are made more cheaply and with more lax standards.  And finally, when you buy products made in America, you're supporting businesses that are required to treat their employees, the environment and their customers in an ethical manner.

Sioux Biochemical is an American company founded in 1995 by Allan Kramer, Ph.D.  The company specializes in protein isolation and extraction and has more than 27 years of experience in doing so.  The company works to develop and implement products and services to meet or exceed the requirements of its customers, whether it be a retail consumer, industry partner, or service contractor.  Its latest protein isolation is in the manufacturing [or isolation] of an undenatured type II collagen.

For many years, Sioux Biochemical Inc. and its former sister company, Sioux Pharm, were one of the largest producers of Chondroitin Sulfate, a supplement ingredient for joint pain. The company's latest product, Collagen Native Type 2 (CNT2), was released in 2018 under its new subsidiary company, SBEDGE® Supplements.

Studies show that Type 2 Collagen can help rebuild cartilage that has deteriorated over time due to aging and some other factors.  It can help with knee, hip, ankle, wrist, elbow and shoulder pain.  All the joints that use cartilage as a cushioning tissue between the bones for ease of movement can see benefit.

SBEDGE® Supplements Collagen Native Type 2 offers many advantages over other collagen products on the market today including:

• Bovine sourced collagen – An animal collagen which is more similar to human collagen
• Raw materials are sourced from 100% USDA inspected facilities in the United States
• A gentle extraction process which allows CNT2 collagen to retain the characteristics of the full collagen molecule…

·         … which in turn allows the product to be bio-active in nature, meaning that it permits your body to process it naturally, triggering other important biological processes

You can learn more about Dr. Kramer and SBEDGE® Supplements and its Collagen product by visiting their website.  And don’t forget to check out their 90-Day Challenge.

Tax Credits For Going Solar!

OK, your business wants to go solar, but you are hit with the costs of converting from traditional system to solar. The Federal government is actually helping businesses to make this jump but like any government program there are rules you need to follow. The information below is from the U.S. Department of Energy as a guide to helping you determine if you are eligible and the requirements you must meet.

The solar investment tax credit (ITC) is a tax credit that can be claimed on federal corporate income taxes for 30% of the cost of a solar photovoltaic (PV) system that is placed in service during the tax year.

There was an extension passed providing up to 26% for system constructed in 2022, 22% for systems constructed in 2023, and 10% for construction after 2024 and beyond.

Typically, a solar PV system that is eligible for the ITC can also use an accelerated depreciation corporate deduction.

Project Eligibility:

The system must be used by a business subject to U.S. federal income taxes and not a charity or not-for-profit organization.

The business must be located in the United States

The system must be new and not a used system to qualify

The system cannot be used to heat a swimming pool (yes that is actually in there!)

Eligible Expenses Include:

Solar PV panels, inverters, racking, balance-of-system equipment, and sales and use taxes on the equipment

Direct and indirect cost of installation

Step-up transformers, circuit breakers, and surge arrestors

Energy storage equipment (if charged by a renewable energy system more than 75% of the time)

The net impact of depreciation deductions is calculated as: 0.21 * ($356,000 + $106,800) = $97,188

 

You Need to Claim the Credit:

It is not automatically triggered by buying a unit or starting a construction project. To claim the tax credit, you must complete and attach the IRS Form 3468 to your tax return. Help and steps are available at http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i3468.pdf

  

Any Other Help:

We spoke to Tim Woods, owner of Biz-Reps a manufacturer’s rep for manufacturers of solar products including lighting, solar panels, etc. He stated that they offer a free list of SolarTax Credits for Federal and State locations and is available at no charge if a site visitor requests the information. Their address is listed below.

  

Many Thanks to Biz-Reps for their input and the free listing of available tax credits. www.biz-reps.com

This photo is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.