Few things are as American as the Wild West, cowboys and wrangling steer. Cattle don’t travel by foot across several states to their final destination anymore; however, there is still a need for cattle drivers – just not always of the human variety.
And that’s proving to be a good thing. Last fall, robotic cattle drivers were born out of a partnership with Cargill and Colorado State University’s Temple Grandin, professor of animal science. This new breed of cattle driver moves cattle off the unloading ramp to holding pens and the stunning area at processing plants through automated arms, blowers and audio recordings. Employees actually operate them from a catwalk above the holding pen, so they don’t interact with and upset the cattle and improve their own workplace safety. Another bonus? The drivers can operate in rain, snow or mud with no delays to the operation.