Farming Tips

[Portable tanks, underground lines and quick couplers help this cattleman put water where he needs it.]

Your herd and land benefit from a water line system in several ways: Cattle paths and need for permanent lanes are reduced. Size and shape of grazing paddocks can be more flexible and efficient. Fertility from manure and urine is distributed around pastures. Mud holes and a need for concrete or rock around waterers are eliminated. Cost is less than with hydrants and permanent waterers. Soluble trace minerals and medication can be delivered through the water. Cool water reduces the need for shade in every paddock and herd performance improves. Install underground lines at each juncture, the pipe can be joined with a T-joint fitted with a riser or a cutoff valve, according to Charlie McIntire of Clinton, Ky. He suggests using a propane torch to warm the stiff pipe enough to fit it onto the T-joint, then using two stainless-steel clamps to secure each side of the T-joint. McIntire says adding quick couplers is easy before the pipe is covered. The couplers function like a hydraulic coupler on a tractor, automatically allowing water flow when plugged in and shutting it off when unplugged. A small well fitted with a piece of 6-inch-diameter, schedule-26 sewer pipe makes the coupler accessible from the ground level. McIntire recommends placing a concrete block or bricks in the trench beneath each coupler and cutting a notch in the bottom at both sides of the sewer pipe so the pipe can pass through without being pinched. A single notch at the top of the vertical sewer pipe also allows the hose to pass through while the well remains covered. McIntire uses a schedule-40 sewer cap to cover each coupler well. Materials for a well, including T-joints, male and female coupler parts, sewer pipe and caps, cost approximately $30. At the other end of the short length of water hose, McIntire sets up a small drinking tank he made out of a recycled plastic drum. A float valve fits inside the tank, cutting off the water flow when the tank is full. Portable tanks in 30- or 60-gallon sizes can also be purchased. (For a cow/calf operation like his, McIntire suggests 60-gallon tanks.) The expense for the hose, 60-gallon tank and complete Jobe float valve is about $120. Only one or two tanks are necessary to serve the system. The cost for a water-line system like McIntire's, including 3,000 feet of 1-inch trunk line pipe, 500 feet of 3/4-inch branch lines, sewer pipe, caps, couplers, risers, two tanks, valves and hose is about $1,600. Charlie McIntire's cattle take short walks for cool drinks. Providing adequate water for cattle is one of the big challenges in making the most from an intensive grazing system. When Charlie McIntire began using intensive grazing on his 60-acre farm near Clinton, Ky., he realized that having water available in every small paddock was an obstacle. A district conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, McIntire was also determined to prevent livestock damage to easily eroded banks around ponds and streams. McIntire's pasture water system started with a close look at his farm resources. Armed with an aerial map from the local Farm Services Agency and a topographical map, he drew out a plan before any lines were laid. After drawing up his plan, McIntire began installing underground pipe and quick couplers to provide water sources for cattle in each pasture. Water for McIntire's system comes from a well near his house, which is uphill from his pastures. Having the well uphill from the system insures that water flow to distant tanks will be at least 5 gallons per minute. Lower flow rates would require larger tanks than the 60-gallon units McIntire uses. Quick couplers set in wells allow tanks to be moved with animals. In all, he has installed 3,500 feet of pipe and six quick couplers. A 1-inch trunk line feeds the pasture water system. Branches of 3/4-inch pipe reach distant paddocks with 3/4-inch pipe on top of the ground in a few places. The pipe is a flexible, high-density (burst-proof), black poly plastic that is treated for UV resistance. McIntire says placing black plastic pipe on top of the ground in direct sunlight isn't desirable. On hot summer days, the water heats to scorching temperatures. Pipes should be shaded or buried to keep the water temperature lower than a cow's body temperature. The pipe is shipped in rolls of 250 feet, a good distance apart for either couplers or cutoff valves. Cattle should walk no farther than 500 to 700 feet for water, McIntire says, to get the best pasture utilization. Short travel distances also reduce crowding at the small portable tanks. An electric fenceline over the tank allows cattle access to about two-thirds of its surface. This shields the float valve and protects the tank supply hose from hoof or vehicle damage. In Kentucky, 2-foot-deep trenches are deep enough to prevent water lines from freezing in winter. Trenches for water lines can be dug using a rented trencher. McIntire plowed in his pipe with a single-shaft subsoiler attached to a tractor. In western Kentucky, 2 feet is deep enough to avoid problems with freezing in normal winters. At this depth, it's easy to reach quick couplers with the risers that attach the hoses to the watering tubs. No freezing problems occur at temperatures of 20�F and above. When temperatures are in the teens or lower, McIntire covers coupler wells with sacks and a small tarp for insulation or places insulation in the vertical sewer pipe at each coupler. If he could change his system, McIntire says he would install more quick couplers and cutoff valves. Having enough couplers and cutoffs is like having numerous power outlets in a house-too many is better than too few, he says. With cutoffs on the trunk line leaks or other problems can be easily repaired. Multiple couplers make it easy to divide large pastures into small paddocks.

Source: Ky Herald