Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) is a new concrete application that has been used for decades in commercial settings and is now making its way into the feedlot industry. RCC is a similar mixture to conventional concrete, except with much less water, resulting in a zero-slump concrete product. It can be transported with dump trucks of many types and is poured in piles during application. Those piles are then GPS-graded on a prepared subgrade to avoid wastage or compaction issues. Once graded to the necessary thickness, a series of roller compaction equipment is used to pack the concrete to the densest form possible. The concrete cures relatively fast, with cattle able to be placed on it within several days. Pictured above is a series of pens that were renovated for RCC. The pens were cleaned, GPS graded, compacted, and prepared for RCC application. Once ready, around 1 acre of RCC was placed per working day on this site. Within two weeks, these pens were transformed from traditional dirt surfaces to half RCC. The owner plans to use the entire pen in the summer, and short-fence the pens during the winter months to keep cattle out of the mud in the freezing conditions.
