Wainui feedlot's 'Adjustable Bunk Cable' Innovation

Clever ideas and innovations that have been incorporated into day-to-day feedlot operations are encouraged to enter the ALFA Innovation Competition, proudly supported by Integrated Animal Production (IAP).

The winner and runner-up will be determined by popular vote and announced at BeefEx, held on 22 - 24 September 2026 at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.

To vote for your favourite entry, simply click the 'heart' button on the post (this indicates a like i.e. vote). The top four most 'hearted' entries will be offered a complimentary full delegate ticket to attend BeefEx 2026. 

The entry with the most votes will be announced as the winner. The entry with the second highest will be awarded the runner up. Voting is open from August 07 - August 21. The decision made will be final.

wanui feedlot's 'Adjustable bunk cable' Innovation

What is your innovation?

An easy-to-adjust bunk bracket that slides up and down the post to suit different classes of cattle, quickly raised for larger-framed animals or lowered for smaller stock. Previously, changing market mix and entry weights meant physically adding or removing cables from bunks to stop smaller cattle from becoming strays while still giving larger cattle feed access. This bracket lets the cable stay permanently installed while its height adjusts easily, improving feed access flexibility and cutting labour and time needed to modify bunk setups.

How does the innovation/idea work?

An easy-to-adjust bunk bracket that slides up and down the post to suit different classes of cattle. The bracket can be quickly raised for larger-framed animals or lowered for smaller stock, improving feed access and flexibility across the feedlot What issue/challenge is your innovation solving? As our market mix changes and cattle entry weights increase or decrease, we have traditionally needed to add or remove cables from the front of feed bunks to accommodate different animal sizes. This was necessary to prevent smaller cattle from becoming strays while still allowing adequate feed access for larger-framed animals.

The adjustable bracket eliminates this issue by allowing the cable to remain permanently installed while its height can be quickly and easily adjusted to suit the cattle in each pen. This provides greater flexibility, improves animal access to feed, and significantly reduces the labour and time required to modify bunk setups as cattle classes change.

Cost of Innovation:

The solution is highly cost-effective, with each bracket costing approximately $10 to laser cut and requiring only 10 minutes to weld into place. At a labour rate of $35 per hour, installation costs are approximately $5.85 per bracket, resulting in a total installed cost of $15.85 per rail. This provides a low-cost, practical improvement that delivers ongoing labour savings and operational flexibility.

Decided by popular vote, the top four most popular innovations will receive a full delegate ticket to BeefEx 2026 at the Gold Coast this September. The overall winner and runner up will be announced at BeefEx, receiving a prize of $2,500 and $1,000 respectively.

Vote for your favourite innovation!

To vote for your favourite entry, simply click the 'heart' button on the post (this indicates a like i.e. vote). The top four most 'hearted' entries will be offered a complimentary full delegate ticket to attend BeefEx 2026. 

The entry with the most votes will be announced as the winner. The entry with the second highest will be awarded the runner up. Voting is open from August 07 - August 21. The decision made will be final.

With thanks to our long-term supporter of this award, Integrated Animal Production (IAP)