It’s a great time of the year to complete summer projects. Breeding is complete, silage harvesting is completed for the most part and the farm is generally kicking into a lower gear.

It seems strange therefore to be talking about on-off grazing in wet weather. But in order to be able to successfully graze in the more challenging conditions, the infrastructure has to be put in place in the drier months.

The vast majority of damage done in grazing in times of wet soils is around high traffic areas, such as around water troughs or gaps leading into and out of the field.

Damage limitation

When grazing in spring or autumn, damage limitation combined with decent clean-outs are the goals. This is where spur roadways come into place.

The ideal scenario is that the water trough is in the middle of the paddock, allowing it to be split in two.

With smaller cow numbers and reduced appetites, most farmers will opt to split paddocks.

Spur roadways are narrow, temporary roadways that are used to access the back half of a paddock from the main roadway. They are usually narrow strips (1m to 2m wide), with cows travelling along them in single file.

Construction

Spur roads are for temporary use, so the quality of the surface does not need to be as high as the main roadway, although seriously uneven or rough surfaces with protruding stone should be avoided.

Where topsoil is of good quality, a spur roadway may be laid without removing the soil.

Gravel deposits on farm can be used provided they are of a decent standard.

The roads can be fenced permanently or left open, with a reel and a line of temporary posts being adequate for when the roadway is used at the shoulders of the year.

Where permanent fencing is used, multiple gaps for accessing paddocks should be installed.

Other options exist outside gravel when constructing spur roads.

Some farms have utilised railway sleepers and disused cattle slats with a good degree of success.

Where the surface of the spur road is coarser than is ideal, strips of astroturf may be used to give a better surface for cows to travel.