Getting a Grip: Reducing Cattle Processing Hazards and Tire Waste with Floor Mats
Sarah Epps
MSC #1890
1080 W 6 th
Street
Moscow, ID 83843 epps3194@vandals.uidaho.edu
Animal & Veterinary Science: Production Option
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Junior Year
Fall 2015
Dr. Rod Hill
April 25-28, 2014
Dr. Matthew Doumit
$350
The aim of this project is to reuse old automobile tires for the manufacturing of two floor mats.
These mats will be made by removing the tire wall, weaving the tire tread strips, and securing the ends with steel hardware. The rubber floor mats will be placed at the exit of the University of
Idaho’s cattle squeeze chutes to prevent damage to cattle used for educational and consumption purposes.

Project Goals and Activities
Project Goals and Description
Creating cattle-mats will help campus sustainability by extending the university's reuse of waste products to its agricultural facilities. Repurposing tires as floor mats will exhibit the university's concern for the environment and motivation to make the most of available resources.
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Project Outcomes
Two problems are expected to be resolved with a single, simple solution in this project. Cattlemats are floor mats for cattle processing facilities, and can be made utilizing discarded tires.
Tires are an important part of the automotive industry, but once no longer roadworthy they can be difficult to recycle. Tires are known to leech harmful chemicals into the soil and ground water if discarded improperly, and air pollution is increased by the black smoke of burning tires. We propose to use these unwanted tires to manufacture cattle-mats to be placed at the exit of the cattle squeeze chutes in the Monson and Breeding barns at University of Idaho. These mats will not only reuse old tires, but also reduce cattle processing hazards in these locations. Currently the flooring in these two barns is smooth concrete, which becomes slippery when wet. Areas where cattle are present are quickly coated with manure, despite frequent cleaning; this makes it impossible to keep the floor constantly dry. The danger of sliding is increased with cold weather, the formation of ice reducing traction for both animals and handlers. University students exposed to such settings, such as participants in animal science courses and agricultural events, are at risk of injury. Damage to muscle tissue of the cattle occurs when they slip and fall in an attempt to exit the squeeze chute. Creating two large, woven rubber mats to place at the exit of the mechanical squeeze-chutes will both reduce these hazards and reduce waste of old tires.
Outreach Approach
Flyers will be distributed for posting on billboards in campus buildings. They will contain details about the cattle-mats and explain the purposes of reusing tire treads in this way. Presentations will be made to classes in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, especially to students in courses related to cattle management. Specific classes include The Science of Animals that Serve
Humanity (AVS-109), Animal Husbandry (AVS-209), and Beef Feedlot Systems (AVS-274).
This element of the university's sustainability effort could also be exhibited to visitors to the barns, using opportunities like Ag Days and FFA/4-H tours.
Participation and Support
We will use the open areas near the Breeding Barn for the assembly of the cattle mats. When we are not working on the mats, we'll store them along the walls of the Breeding Barn. Adam
Prickett will be cutting the tires offsite at his machine shop and bring them over to the Breeding
Barn for assembly. The rest of the group will help during times when available to assemble the mats and move them to the chutes.
Project Administration
The total time for the preparation and assembly of the cattle-mats will be 12 hours, spread over a maximum of 2-4 days. Each day will consists of 4-hour work shifts that designated people will complete their assigned tasks.
Day 1-2

Tires transferred to Adam's Work shop to have the walls and tires cut to the required length of cutting tire treads to 72". Getting the supplies and tools while we wait for the tired, clearing the work area of any fire hazards. After Adam call to let us know that tires are finished, We'll pick them up in the afternoon, laying them out in the pattern we need so it forms two mats (6'x6').
Day 2-3
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Meet in the afternoon to drill holes near the edges and corners of the tires while in the overlapping pattern as shown in Figure 1. The tires will be snug together to remove openings which can catch a hoof or foot.
After drilling the holes through the tires, bolts with one washer for the head will be placed in the tire treads immediately after drilling. This will prevent the tire, heated by friction, from contracting the hole upon cooling.
(Figure 1) (Figure 2)
The mats will be flipped after they have cooled for a few minutes. The washers and lock nuts will be put on by hand as shown in Figure 2. They will then be cinched and tightened so that they are snug. Each of the completed mats, six feet 2 in dimension, will be placed on the floor snugly against the base of the squeeze
Plan for Future Action
The cattle-mats made of recycled tires will continue to be used for years in the future. Due to the durability of tire treads, these mats will endure under the heavy traffic of cattle. Slipping on a slick floor when exiting the chute will become much less common, reducing risks of bodily injury to the cattle being processed and people. This will in turn reduce veterinary expenses and meat product waste from bruising damage. Vandal Meats's revenue will rise and the maintenance cost per cow will lower. Other universities and local ranches may see the benefits of recycled-tire mats and include them in their own facilities, furthering awareness of sustainable management practices.
Team Members Qualifications and Interests

Sarah Epps: Team Leader (PI) o Coordinate team members and negotiate cattle-mat implementation

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

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 o Contribute to personal goal of making the University of Idaho's livestock handling facilities more efficient and provide experience in team leadership and project organization
Josh Toresdahl: Team Member o Purchase materials, gather equipment, and assemble mats o Transport for materials and team members, assembly leader
Allison Hale: College of Agriculture and Life Science Ambassador o Assemble mats and publicize project results o Gain experience in public relations and contributing to the university
Adam Prickett: Machine Specialist o Drill and cut tires o Assembly Assistant
Scott Gutierrez: UI Beef Cattle Manager o o
Assist with cattle-mat implementation and report any problems
Enhance professional goal of improving cattle management
Budget
Below is an itemized table of all costs for which the granted funds will be used.
Item
Jig Saw
Washers 3
Nut 1
Nut 2
Tires
Details
Skill Single-Speed Jig Saw
Jig saw blades Jigsaw Blade Lenox x2
Drill Porter Cable 3/8" Variable-Speed
Drill bits 1
Drill bits 2
Bolts 1
Drill
13/32"
11/32"
5/16" x 2"
Bolts 2
Bolts 3
Washers 1
Washers 2
5/16" x 2 1/2"
3/8" x 3"
5/16" x 1 1/2"
5/16" x 1 1/4"
3/8" x 1 1/2"
5/16"
3/8"
Used car tires: ~87" x 8" (uncut)
Units Price
1 $ 29.99
5 $ 3.99
1 $ 44.99
Total
$ 29.99
$ 19.95
$ 44.99
5 $ 7.74
5 $ 5.39
136 $ 0.33
136 $ 0.40
$ 38.70
$ 26.95
$ 44.88
$ 54.40
136 $ 0.65
272 $ 0.27
272 $ 0.20
272 $ 0.33
$ 88.40
$ 73.44
$ 54.40
$ 89.76
136 $ 0.17
136 $ 0.20
$ 23.17
$ 27.20
32 Donated $ 0.00
Total range $244.33 -
$338.99
(Table 1)
Table 1 above shows the costs of all materials and equipment we will be using to assemble the two cattle-mats. In addition, we have provided options for the bolts, washers, nuts, and drill bits.
The thickness of the tire tread will determine the required length of the bolts and the corresponding nuts and washers. Thicker tires will need the larger size hardware. Thinner tires can utilize smaller materials, which would reduce cost and perhaps lessen the chance of causing injury to animals or people walking over them. The tires will be donated by the University of
Idaho's Facilities department, as their vehicles use many tires, so there will be a variety of tire

thicknesses. The hardware that is left from the funding will be donated to the College of
Agriculture and Life Sciences for future industrial projects.
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