A teasing comment from his son, Ryan, may very well have inspired Randy Kell of Raymondville, Mo., to invent his Double K Alleyway, a quick attach alleyway that transforms a common livestock trailer into a cattle working station in five minutes or less.
"About two years ago, Ryan said I was getting to be a wimp, always getting hurt when we were working our cows," Randy explained, while sitting in his kitchen dining area with his wife, Rhonda and 16-year-old daughter, Kaitlyn. "My answer was fine, let's switch jobs. But then when Ryan got hurt, it was a little different. So, I built a permanent alleyway in an old horse trailer I had. We worked the cattle with it and it was much safer."
Randy has 350 cow-calf Angus-cross pairs he works along with his son on 720 acres he owns, as well as another 1,500 acres he rents. Ryan also has his own 420 cows on his 80 acres across the road from Randy and Rhonda's farm. In addition, he rents another 2,500 acres of pasture. Both Randy and Rhonda grew up in rural Texas County and another house, a bit further down the road once belonged to Rhonda's great-grandfather. "A couple years ago, Ryan and I both had about 500 cow-calf pairs," Randy sighed with a smile, "but I'm cutting back a bit."
That doesn't mean he's slowing down, however, rather he's simply turning his energies in a new direction. Rhonda added, "When he showed it to me the first time, I thought, this is really ingenious." Family members, including two more daughters, Ashley and Nicole, encouraged Randy to apply for a patent. He received a patent pending number on June 9, 2009.
Kaitlyn timed her father as he demonstrated the removal of his alleyway from a typical 24 foot trailer. It took him exactly four minutes to remove the apparatus and pull the trailer away.
Essentially, the alleyway guides the cattle through a snug U-shaped alley or tunnel, routing the animals past those working them, who remain safely ensconced in the center section, protected behind steel panels. The alley is adjustable so that a 24-foot trailer can hold up to 18 500 lb. calves or 8 or 9 full grown cows, keeping them snuggly contained and controlled, making the whole process safer for both the farmer and the livestock.
The unique aspect of the Double K Alleyway is that it is rests on three jacks and can quickly be rolled into or out of a 16, 20, or 24-foot livestock trailer. "You can haul cattle with the alleyway in place as well," Randy noted.
Randy went to a local welder to make his original prototypes but he's now contracted with Central States Mechanical of Mountain Grove to make alleyways for the open market.
"For people who have their cattle, like a lot of us do, on various land parcels, this is ideal. You roll in with it and work the cattle right there, without having to load up the animals and take them somewhere else. The calves are mainly worked in the alleyway. Therefore, the animals don't dread the process as much as it's less stressful on them."
