Beefbiz - 11/9/2018 11:42

As I would guess, hog and cattle confinement buildings are the first thing to pop into peoples minds in this comparison.

The difference with blue silos is that the improvement in feed quality from blue silos was assumed based on limited data, and they didn't factor in the high maintenance costs. Over time we figured out we could get the same feed quality out of properly managed bunkers or bags that cost far less

The monoslope cattle barns have been around about 20 years and the current design of hog confinements has been around over 30 years. We have the on farm numbers that shows the improvement in livestock performance vs outside feeding, plus the increased value of manure nutrients captured. The other factor is that water quality regulations (in states with higher rainfall and greater human populations) have greatly increased the costs of open lots or partial confinement to the point that the confinements compare favorably in cost.