Cleaning lots frequently reduces mud and moisture problems. Old residue left in pens absorbs water from rain or snow, and during a typical winter very little moisture evaporates from cattle pens until March, when the days begin getting warmer.

If mud is already a problem and old residue cannot be removed, snow removal will help reduce moisture content in the pen.

Wheat straw, oat straw or corn stalk bedding soaks up moisture in lots, but it may be impractical for some producers to bed large numbers of cattle in outdoor pens.

Properly built mounds provide wind protection and drainage and keep cattle cleaner, which enhances their overall performance. Ideally, mounds should adjoin a bunk pad so cattle can go directly from feed bunks to a relatively dry surface.

Giving cattle extra pen space during winter months also reduces mud and moisture problems.

In eastern Nebraska producers should plan a minimum of 250 square feet per animal in each pen. Producers in the western part of the state should give cattle 150 square feet.

During cold and wet weather, the space should increase to 350 in the east and 250 in the west, and if cattle pens are flat add another 100 square feet per animal, in both regions.

Bedded barns allow some producers to avoid problems associated with winter and spring weather, as well as waste management constraints. Most of the improved performance from bedded barns is seen during winter months, but benefits also have been noticed in spring and summer.

These barns are equipped with solid floors, which are bedded so cattle can stay in the facilities year round. Each animal receives 35-40 square feet of space in these barns.

Producers who gain the most from bedded barns will keep their barns at capacity, and can avoid building waste management facilities by using bedding barns. As input cost of feed rises, the increased efficiency from these barns helps maintain or increase profit margins.