Cattle are slaughtered at commercial plants in such places as Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin. The facility has feed storage of 40,000 bushels of high moisture corn and 10,000 bushels of dry corn. There is also storage for 2500 tons of corn silage. High moisture feedstuffs are stored in bulk in cone-bottom bins or in 50 pound bags. A grain elevator is used to move grain into the storage units.
Feed is mixed n the batch plant for each pen daily.
The unit serves as the focal point for all the research, teaching and extension activities for beef cattle. Many of the research projects investigate methods to increase productivity of Michigan feedlots. The reproductive physiology group has use of the two rooms in the west wing identified as Physiology Rooms. The facility is used for classroom instruction to demonstrate the use of technology and proper animal care techniques to veterinary, undergraduate and graduate students. In addition, the unit is visited by tour groups from all over the world.