Although the cattle rub technique is not new, our somewhat recent adaptation of the rub into a more complete livestock and forage management tool is new.

Our first experience with cattle rubs was with the various homemade types dating back to the 1950s. These stationary units were generally made out of burlap bags, cotton duck, or other absorbent cloths wrapped around a twist of barbed wire, cable, rope or chain to make about a 3- to 6-inch diameter rub (Figure 5). They were saturated with various farm and ranch oils, including used motor oil with or without insecticides. The oil alone would act as a partial fly repellant. Sulfur was sometimes added in an effort to enhance fly repellence. Various systemic insecticides also came into use with the cattle rubs during this early period and soon thereafter.

Noble Foundation researchers used stationary forms of the cattle rub in beef cattle grazing research and demonstration during the mid- to late 1950s (Figure 5).

Figure 5. A permanently located homemade, burlap bag cloth cattle rub close to water, salt/mineral, and the pasture gate. Such permanent amalgamation of attractants creates paddock soil and forage problems and is not recommended.

Figure 6. The first model of the tool. It was crude, but well designed and effective.

Early days use of the cattle rub waned with the increasing availability and usage of dipping vats, sprays, dusts, insecticide impregnated ear tags, and feeding of fly control insecticides. Many graziers, including ourselves, became disinterested in using these methods due to repeated time and labor demand, expense of equipment and insecticides, the nuisance of installing and removing fly tags and environmental concerns.

Early use of insecticides such as DDT, Lindane, Lyntox, and Toxophene were very effective. Use of these insecticides is now prohibited due to environmental concerns and they are no longer available in commercial trade. Left over supplies should not be used for this purpose.

Part of our interest has always been rotational stocking, the associated lower-cost grazing livestock management techniques, and more overall grazier-friendly procedures. With that in mind, we conceived the idea of developing an all-inclusive combination tool that would provide salt and mineral for cattle nutrition as an attractant, a cattle rub for external parasite control for cattle, and portability to easily facilitate use in rotational stocking units. The tool provides a very grazierfriendly means of accomplishing these objectives. The first successful but crude model was put to use in 1989 (Figure 6). Later and better models are still in use in 2002. We have used some model of the basic tool for about 13 years.

High stock density rotational stocking aids in successful use of the tool for cattle nutrition and external parasite control. In a well-run, relatively small paddock size rotational stocking unit, cattle are controlled in a herd closer together than in more extensive circumstances. This can often be away from other the attractants such as shade, ponds,etc. All of these things aid cattle in easily locating and using the tool.

In 1973, the P.H. White Company invented and made available an early model of a major present-day cattle rub that we use (P.H. White, 2001, personal communication). Numerous single unit commercial salt and mineral feeders and a few models of single unit commercial cattle rub tools are available. These can be located at farm and ranch stores, farm shows, and by searching cattle trade magazines. We are not aware of any relatively low-cost commercial combination tool such as the one discussed in this publication.