For almost 20 years, Thompson Longhorn has specialised in building automated cattle handling equipment. During this time, we have delivered a wide range of cattle yard automation.

The use of pneumatics or hydraulics within cattle yards to create powered gates and restraining equipment can be considered the beginning of and the basis from which a core operating centre can be automated. These gates still require a level of operator input, either via a hand-held remote control or a hand valve, as the operator still make the decision of when a gate is engaged to open or close. Therefore, this is not automation but more accurately “remote operation”.

Clients who require an ultimate level of ease of operation combined with yard efficiency, regularly ask about an autonomous draft system. This system is designed to be integrated into the core working centre of the yards and includes a waiting bay, restrainer (crush) and multi-way draft, along with an RFID reader and weighing equipment. The operation key is the use of RFID as a means of identification of individual animals and therefore their accompanying accumulated data within herd management software.

What is Autodrafting?

''Auto drafting' is a term that has become more commonly used within our segment of the industry in recent years, but what does the term actually mean?  Most cattle producers have heard of the concept, but individual interpretations can be quite varied.  More recently we have seen a maturing of this market segment and not surprisingly clarification on what automated processes are now available to 'auto-draft’ animals.

It could be argued that automating gates in a lane draft or pound yard with a pneumatic (or less commonly used hydraulic) cylinder produces a basic level of 'auto-draft'. Whilst these innovations offer great improvements to operator safety and animal welfare, this mechanisation is not an 'auto-draft'.  This is a fairly common misunderstanding.

True autodrafting is where stock can flow through a race system and be directed into various pens or yards according to pre-set criteria, without human intervention in the drafting process.  While it is still essential for someone to be present (sorry, you can’t head off for lunch and have the stock drafted on your return) to oversee the flow of the stock through the system, the human decision making requirements for drafting stock are not required.  The resultant drafting, in theory, should be quicker, with fewer errors.

What controls it?

There is also a misconception that your new scale head (indicator) or field computer running herd management software and RFID reader can somehow take physical control of your mechanised gates - aka 'auto-drafting'.  These important and intelligent management tools are definitely a critical part of the process but have no ability to directly make any gate move.  What these devices do extremely well, is combine real-time data collection (weight, RFID, historical animal information) with user-defined sorting rules to give the operator accurate answers, at a speed and level of accuracy that is not humanly possible.

An 'auto-drafter' is the missing link that ties your mechanised gates and smart crush-side data processor together by listening to the code coming from a scale head or PC and being able to then take control and make gates move.

There are three important parts required to create a complete system:

1.       Mechanisation of the hardware: actuators or powered cylinders connected to the drafting gates and perhaps the entry and exit gates to the RFID scanner/weigh box and the ability to control these gates electronically.

2.       The automation of the draft choice: a computer-generated draft choice based on live and pre-programmed criteria.  Typically, this is performed by a smart scale indicator with draft capability, PC based herd management software or an intelligent RFID reader with data collection capability.

3.       'Auto-draft' controller - realising the value of the system: once the draft choice has been made in the scale indicator or PC, the computer code needs to be translated and then used to generate electronic signals (usually 24-volt DC) that can be sent to gate control solenoids.  This device has varying levels of intelligence available and can sequence events to ensure that other draft gates are closed before opening a new gate or that the draft gate is open before releasing the animals from the scanner/weigh box.  Autonomous drafting (look mum, no humans!) can also be achieved by adding animal location sensors to the system so that the auto-draft controller knows where the livestock are within the system at all times. 

Essential products for building an auto-drafting system: (these products must be purchased with an autonomous drafting system)

·       Waiting bay is specially designed with a split slide entry gate (similar to the entry gate to a restrainer)

·       Restrainers that can be used in this system: Monarch, Warrior and Sumo

·       Multi-way drafter can be from a 3-way draft up to 8-way draft

Pneumatic split slide gates increases efficiency within yards as it limits the opening and closing time as the action is moving from the centre instead of from one side. It is imperative that cattle are indexed accurately when going into a waiting bay, otherwise the readings and data collected will be incorrect and cattle will have to be processed again. The gate can be operated from any position within the yards using a remote control that has been customised to the yards.

The waiting bay is used to hold a single animal after it has been indexing and waiting to move into a restrainer. While this product is a simple design, it is essential when using a auto drafting system. The off-side of the bay has been designed as a break away gate, to provide a removal point if cattle have laid down or are unable to go through the restrainer. If catwalk is used around the core centre it will finish half way along this bay.

The restrainer is the most important component in the auto drafting system. Choice between three restrainers, the Monarch, Sumo and Warrior depending on operator needs. Designed with increased capabilities when compared to manual restrainers, easing the physical demands on the operator. Each has functional control systems, that user can operate from a pivoting console board or using remote controllers.

A lane draft unit is a product which enables easy drafting of cattle from the restrainer. This can be operated remotely from a position that is far enough away from the cattle to eliminate stress or discomfort. When used with auto draft system, data will be obtained from NLIS and sort pre-selected criteria to select the chosen pen based on information. The selection of pen can be overridden by the operator and preference manually selected.

Operator involvement:

The operator is able to program the automated system and then let it run as cattle move from the curved lane.  If there is a pause in cattle entering the restrainer, the rear entry gate will remain open while an animal is in the waiting bay, as it has not sensed any weight on the scales. Once the animal moves into the restrainer, the rear door closes automatically and the split sliding gate into the waiting bay can be opened for the next animal by the operator.

The operator can control the auto drafting system and switch it off or over-ride the system if something goes wrong.  There are three operating modes, including manual, operational and fully automated.

How it works:

The system is designed to facilitate fully automatic drafting of cattle, meaning that when cattle are moved through the working core centre they are drafted into different yards depending on different criteria, such as weight or veterinary treatments received.  In this instance, the computer is set up with pre-selected weight ranges and a corresponding draft pen allocated to each weight range.

Cattle are ‘indexed’ to a single animal in the waiting bay which ensures that only one animal enters the restrainer for weighing.  The waiting bay split slide gate is activated by the operator and it is crucial to separate animals because if two animals enter the restrainer together, the weighing system will read an inaccurate weight and the cattle will be sent to the wrong yard.  Therefore, the waiting bay becomes a safeguard in the system to ensure correct weight readings. If animals are being drafted on weight ranges, once an animal steps onto the weigh scale in the restrainer, the data is sent to the control box which registers the category that the weight falls into and selects the appropriate yard for that animal.  This “decision” will cause the opening of the appropriate draft pen gate and then the opening of the head bail for the animal to proceed to the selected pen.  A proximity sensor on the lane draft activates the closure of the head bail, as it knows that the animal has left the restrainer.  The rear doors are then opened for the next animal and another proximity sensor near the front of the restrainer activates the closure of the rear doors once the animal is fully “loaded”.