BEEF 2018 marked the launch of Teagasc’s Beef Farm Infrastructure Handbook, which is a practical guide for farmers interested in upgrading their current farm infrastructure or the establishment of a new farm enterprise.
Demonstrations on the day highlighted different options for farmers when it comes to roadways, fencing and drainage, among other things, on beef farms.
Speaking on the infrastructure investments that have been made in Grange recently, including new roadways, fencing and considerable drainage on a 15.5-acre parcel, Pat Tuohy of Teagasc outlined that these investments are something every farmer could apply to their own farm.
“These are things that can be applied on all farms to get cattle out to good grass more often and ultimately get more grass into the diet,” according to Pat.
“We all know how bad the spring was but when things started to dry up and middling ground became available to graze, that’s where the right infrastructure really helps to get stock out, especially at the shoulders of the year.”
Roadways are one of the key features of a good grazing infrastructure, without which ease of access to paddocks, grass utilisation and stock management become much more difficult.
In general, you want roadways to be raised above the level of the surrounding field with a slight camber to allow water to run off the road as quickly as possible.
A crossfall of between 1:15 and 1:20 would be sufficient. For a 4m-wide roadway, this would be a difference in height of 200-265mm.
When constructing a roadway, it is recommended to remove a thin layer of topsoil before placing the roadway material. Topsoil contains pores and organic matter and is likely to defect and shear under a heavy load. However, farmers must be cautious not to remove too much topsoil as they will have to raise the roadway above the surface of surrounding fields, which could add considerably to the stone bill for the road.
Where roadways are being placed on wetter land, it is strongly recommended that a geotextile membrane is used. This is a porous fabric that prevents stones mixing with the soil which keeps the roadway foundation material clean, free-draining and therefore dry and strong. However, there is scope for farmers to do without it on drier land.
Roadway one
Roadway one is 4m wide and would be suitable for a main farm roadway that would be dealing with high levels of both cow and machinery traffic. It was the most expensive option on show with a total cost of €25.20/m. It is made up of 150mm (6in) of 3in down stone below ground level laid on a geotextile membrane, with a further 50mm (2in) above ground level. On top of this, 75mm (3in) of surfacing blinding was laid. A breakdown of the costs can be seen in Table 2.
Roadway two
The second roadway on show was 3m wide and would be much more suited to drier land as it did not have a geotextile membrane in place. This was made up of 200mm (8in) of 4in down stone, again with 150mm (6in) below ground level and 50mm (2in) above ground level. A 75mm (3in) surface blinding layer was then added on top of this. Total cost for this roadway came to €17.5/m.
Roadway three
Where the foundation of the roadway is not dug down, the cost of the project is substantially less. Roadway three was laid on top of the existing surface in place, which would only be suitable for dry land. The total width of the roadway is 3m. For this roadway only 125mm (5in) of 3in down stone was laid on top of a geotextile membrane. A top layer of 75mm (3in) of surface blinding was also used.
There was a key focus on fencing at the event, with good fencing highlighted as being critical for controlled grazing. Permanent fences will be required for boundary fencing as well as many internal divisions. Farmers have a few options for these depending on their system.
Electric fencing can be a much cheaper option than installing barbed wire. It also allows for the easy installation of a temporary strip wire in a field with perimeter electric fencing. If installing an electric fence system then it is important that the right size fencer is used.
When purchasing a fencer, look out for the output joules. This refers to the actual output of the charger, the power available to shock the animals. Be careful as a charger may advertise its stored joules also, but this is the amount of power stored inside your fencer and not the actual output power.
Table 1 highlights the distances and areas that a fencer can power, based on output joules. A proper grounding rod is essential to get the most from your fencing system. The grounding rod needs to be made of galvanised steel and needs to be at least 4ft in length. In some cases, more than one earthling rod may be needed.
It is worth investing in good-quality materials to ensure the longevity of the fence. If we take 12 gauge high-tensile wire, if it is properly galvanised it should have a life of 20 to 25 years where as poorer quality wire will begin to decay after seven to eight years.
