16 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN October 2025 Thinking About Upgrading Your Corrals? PRODUCTION TRESSA LAWRENCE | CONTRIBUTING WRITER Whether the sun is beating down and sweat drips down your back or the wind is howling and snow is traveling past you horizontally at 35 miles per hour, we all have memories of time spent in the corrals over the years. Livestock handling facilities are one of the mainstays of any cattle operation. The old wooden plank corrals with the wide alleys where big groups of livestock were crowded before sorting or processing are a fixture in the history of the American West. You can still find these structures in use on ranches across the country, but over time, the design and materials used in corrals have evolved. Since the introduction of these corral systems, ranchers have constantly strived to make them more efficient for both cattlemen and livestock alike. Time for an Upgrade? If you are thinking that it is time to upgrade the corrals that your great-great-grandfather built, there are lots of things to consider. The ultimate goal of building new livestock handling facilities should be to increase usability while prioritizing safety and stress levels of both the cattle and the people working with them. If you are ready to take on building an entirely new livestock handling system, there are many people and resources you can turn to for guidance. Lindsay Waechter-Mead, DVM, is the director of Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance and was a livestock systems Extension educator for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. A lot goes into designing a new livestock handling facility. Visiting with your local veterinarian or Extension agent can be a great place to start brainstorming ideas for your corrals. Photo courtesy of Brute Cattle Equipment.
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