Fed cattle weights are trending toward being super heavy. Some of these animals are so wide that they are getting stuck in chutes and restrainers. Widening some of this equipment to accommodate these wide cattle will be expensive. The huge cost is due to two factors - skyrocketing steel prices and a shortage of skilled welders and fabricators to build new equipment. Many plants no longer have in-house ability to build large equipment. Unfortunately, many in-house shop facilities were closed down years ago. Management decided that outsourcing new equipment was cheaper. Today many have learned that this may have been a bad decision.
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