When you hear the word "plow" you don't often think of conservation. Watch a Pasture Plow in action and you soon see how this plow has a role to play in the conservation effort, especially of wetlands.
A field in which the Pasture Plow was located was one of the many stops on the Livestock Watering and Grass Establishment Field Day sponsored by the Sask. Watershed Authority (formerly the Sask. Wetlands Conservation Corporation) last August. The farmers in attendance were impressed by the simplicity of the machine and the speed at which it's able to lay the pipe.
Jason Puckett, Watershed Coordinator of the Upper Assiniboine River, organized the field day. He said the Authority encourages farmers to adopt watering systems that restrict livestock, especially cattle from the fragile shores of sloughs and stream banks.
"An off-site watering system enables the farmer to manage both his livestock and the wetlands for maximum productivity. When a farmer sees a benefit to his cattle when they have restricted access to the wetlands, he'll make sure the wetlands are protected. It's a win-win situation for the farmer and the conservation effort."
Expanding on the win-win theme, Jason explained that in the spring, the shores of wetlands are extremely susceptible to damage by cattle hooves. The shores become hummocky and aren't able to do the job of filtering run-off properly. In turn, the slough water becomes dirty form sediment moving into the water and of course, from the cattle dropping their manure into it. As the water becomes murkier, it is less palatable and the cattle don't drink as much. As a result, their weight gains aren't as large as they could be.
Also affected is the vegetation surrounding the slough's edge. The native vegetation most commonly found around a slough is more productive in the fall, holding its protein longer than domestic grasses. A general rule of thumb for grazing wetland/riparian areas is to "take half, leave half" - meaning that the more vegetation available to act as a water filter in the spring, the better the quality of the water.
Off-site watering ensure the cattle always have fresh, clean water. In fact, many farmers have indicated that given a choice between water pumped off-site to the stuff in the slough, the cattle choose the off-site water. Dick & Diane Coombs of Wroxton can attest to that. While their cows were allowed to graze in and around a slough in the fall, they always walked back up the knoll to the water tanks. The Coombs pipe their water a short distance from the slough to the tanks. Some other ranchers in the Yorkton area are using the Pasture plow to establish their off-site watering systems that are often great distances from the water source.
Mark Johanson has ranched near Yorkton for a number of years and is presently setting up a ranch near Stockholm (Saskatchewan, that is - not Sweden). In the spring of 2003, Mark will be attempting to supply water to 13 quarters of land from one water source. He wasn't quite sure how he was going to achieve that until he spoke with Neil Lamberty of PFRA and Stu Cairns with Ducks Unlimited. These fellows told Mark about the Pasture Plow they had heard about in Manitoba designed by Howard Ganski. Mark was intrigued by the idea. "Piping the water underground makes so much sense", he said. "For summer watering, it's slick". In fact, Mark and was in the process of building one for himself when he got a phone call from Howard who wanted to make sure Mark built it correctly.
The design of the plow is really quite simple. The opener for cutting the furrow is about 3 inches wide. Most often, the furrow will fall in right behind the opener over the pipe. If the soil is too dry, Jason indicated some ranchers will drive a truck over the furrow to tamp it in.
Mark uses a 2 inch high-density pipe, as it won't be hurt by the frost. The pipe is UV treated, 100psi and CSA approved. To join the pipe sections, he is currently using PVC fittings with T blot clamps. He said the T bolts clamps are a must for the extra strength they provide. Depending on the maximum water volume required, the pipe used can be as small as 1 inch or as large 3 inches.
Laying the pipe is very quick. Three hundred to four hundred yards can be laid in about 4 minutes. The tractor should have at least 80 hp. Mark likes to lay the pipe about 10 inches deep although some ranchers will go deeper. Mark thinks shallower is better. "If you never intend to break the land, lay the pipe as shallow as possible so that it will thaw more quickly in the spring. If you think you might catch the pipe with a deep tillage cultivator, then put it down a bit deeper".
The initial cost of laying the pipe may seem rather expensive (about 60 cents per foot, including the cost of the 2 inch pipe, fittings and the rental of the plow). Again, depending upon the volume of water required, Mark said smaller pipe may be used. "If you're just trying to water the home section, you can get away with 1 inch or 1 ¼ inch pipe, just depending upon the distance and the water volume and that will drop your costs even further" he said. Jason indicated that most producers who have established the system find it pays for itself within a couple of years through increased weight gains on the stock. Mark agrees. "We want good pasture and good water. The water needs to be clean and it needs to be close to the animals. This system ensures that happens". Mark indicated that when cattle have to walk more than 900 feet to water, they tend to overgraze the areas close to the water and undergraze the areas further away. Having water close to the animals ensures they better utilize their pasture.
Piping water from a wetland has 2 main benefits. It protects the wetlands from the livestock and it ensures higher gains in the herd. This is a way for the rancher to conserve the wetlands that are so important for maintaining a healthy natural resource. A win-win situation for both the bottom line and the environment.
For more information on the Pasture Plow, contact Mark Johanson at 783-5462 or 621-5770. For more information on remote watering, contact your local PFRA Area Office, DUC office or Sask. Watershed Authority office.