Watering systems in pasture easier, more cost efficient1

Watering systems in pasture easier, more cost efficient

by Andrea Bommarito

Many people are finding that placing watering systems in their pastures is a much easier way to provide water to livestock. This was just one of several presentations this year at Profitable Environmental Options for Livestock Producers, a special event during Ag Expo. Kevin Gould, Michigan State University (MSU) Extension educator, showed livestock producers various watering options that are both cost efficient and trouble free.

“There are two basic approaches to watering systems on grazing land,” Gould said. “Either take the water to the animals, or provide limited access for the animals to go to the water.”

By adding a watering system to your pastures you are also ensuring a clean water source, benefiting not only your livestock but the water quality. Surface waters, such as ponds and dams, can also be used, but they give you less control over water quality.

Gould provided research showing that by moving these watering systems around the pasture you will have a higher grazing efficiency.

“Livestock will graze closer to a water source,” he explained. “Moving water around the pasture forces animals to change their grazing pattern. That reduces overgrazing and better utilizes the entire pasture.”

Gould said three things are needed to get a system started: a water tank and source, piping and a pump.

“Each species requires a different size of pipe based on their intake of water and the size of the tank,” he explained. “For example, dairy cows use 25 gallons of water per day. If you have 60 dairy cows, and you’re pumping water from 1,500 feet away into a 500-gallon tank, you need a 1.75-inch pipe to accommodate all the flowing water and your cows’ needs.”

You can learn more about grazing and pipe diameter calculation in Watering Systems for Grazing available at http://bit.ly/water2. Read about the importance of keeping cattle out of the creek at http://bit.ly/MFcreek.

"It sounds expensive I know, but adding water to your grazing paddocks is one of the least expensive methods of increasing your grazing efficiency,” Gould said.