Cattle, Water, and Environmental wackos and sheeples

[kenny thomas]

grubbie and others, i am in no way saying you are bad because you use the streams. As stated though in the southeast things sometimes can be very different. Areas are stripped of vegetation and there is just bare soil all along the stream banks. The programs here have allowed me to limit access to the streams, divide the pastures because I now have water sources and I have more grass, cleaner streams, and more wildlife because of it. I still use a couple of ponds(tanks) and they are fine but would love to fence them also. The only advantage is my BLACK cows really need them to cool off in the hot weather.

 

[grubbie]

grubbie and others, i am in no way saying you are bad because you use the streams. As stated though in the southeast things sometimes can be very different. Areas are stripped of vegetation and there is just bare soil all along the stream banks. The programs here have allowed me to limit access to the streams, divide the pastures because I now have water sources and I have more grass, cleaner streams, and more wildlife because of it. I still use a couple of ponds(tanks) and they are fine but would love to fence them also. The only advantage is my BLACK cows really need them to cool off in the hot weather.

No worries, I didnt take any offense to it. And that is exactly what I was saying in the first part of my post. It is a lot more wide open here, in a more heavily populated area I could certainly see reason for concern. :tiphat:

 

[TexasBred]

I don't have any streams, creeks, or rivers running thru my place, but my cows all drink from ponds. I'm pretty sure I ain't going to heII for not having water tanks. Sometimes if I'm thirsty I'll even get a drink from the pond myself. The cow crap just adds a pleasant twang to the taste and it boosts the immune system.

I have tanks as well as waterers filled with water from the rural water supply. Cattle have access to both. Seems day in and day out the cattle prefer the tank water except in the hottest part of the summer when the go to the waterers which are in closer.

 

[John SD]

I don't have any streams, creeks, or rivers running thru my place, but my cows all drink from ponds. I'm pretty sure I ain't going to heII for not having water tanks. Sometimes if I'm thirsty I'll even get a drink from the pond myself. The cow crap just adds a pleasant twang to the taste and it boosts the immune system.

I have tanks as well as waterers filled with water from the rural water supply. Cattle have access to both. Seems day in and day out the cattle prefer the tank water except in the hottest part of the summer when the go to the waterers which are in closer.

My neighbor dug an artesian well and 8 of us formed a non-profit co-op and hooked on to it. Built a water distribution system and split the cost 8 ways to our ranch headquarters. This was on our own nickel.

Most of us then used existing pipelines and/or participated in EQIP to get the water distributed around our ranches. I now have pipeline water to every pasture.

The "catch" was I did have to fence out a dam in one pasture, and plant some trees. That is the "environmental" part of Eqip.