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Managing grass on out-farms can be very difficult when there is only one water source or, more specifically, one drinking point.
It is almost impossible to set up a paddock system in this situation – otherwise temporary fencing has to be constantly changed to supply the herd with a path to water.
Most farmers with a stream on their out-farms have a drinking point in place on that stream. The downside of one drinking point is that only a set stocking system is usually achievable.
Some farmers can no longer even use the water from these drinking points because they choose the fencing off of waterways action through GLAS. This means traditional drinking points on watercourses can no longer be used and cattle are not allowed into streams and rivers on many farms. Farmers in this situation are wondering what options are available now for supplying water to cattle on these out-farms when the stream is fenced off.
Bryan Davis from Borrisokane, Co Tipperary, has come up with an interesting solution to the issue. Up to three years ago, water supply to his own out-farm was done by manually drawing a tank of water to the cattle every two days throughout the grazing season.
There was a drain on the farm but this did not supply every field.
Bryan thought there had to be a better way of doing things so he looked into the options available for pumping water. There was no power on the out-farm so the options for pumping water were limited. After a lot of research, solar power was chosen as the best approach as it is both predictable and the daylight-only system is perfect for Irish conditions.
With a mechanical engineering degree and experience working as an engineer, Bryan successfully designed and built a solar-powered water pump to meet their needs.
“The pumping system I built originally worked perfectly on the home farm. It needed to be both reliable and simple to use. After making it, some friends became interested and were wondering could I build a similar system for them too,” explained Bryan.
From there, he discovered the market for such a system and he has since further developed the product and started a business trading as Solar Pump Solutions.
Pumping system
Bryan brought me to see the pumping system which has been working on Robert and Ivan Austin’s farm for a year now. The Austins have a 40-acre out-farm with a stream running through part of it.
Robert said up to a year ago the only access cattle had to water was via two nose pumps connected to the stream.
“The nose pumps were struggling to supply enough water to all the yearlings and we thought younger stock were finding it difficult to use the pumps,” explained Robert.
In addition, grassland management was difficult because with only one drinking point the whole area had to be set-stocked. Last year, Bryan installed the solar pumping system on the Austins’ farm. The system comprises:
Brushless DC water pump.
A water pressure vessel.
A pressure gauge.
A pressure switch.
Inlet pipe with a stainless steel filter and foot-valve.
A PV (photovoltaic) solar panel.
A deep-cycle solar battery.
A custom-made lockable galvanised steel container to hold everything securely inside.
Figure 1 shows how the system works. The solar pump unit is fixed to the ground beside the stream facing south (this can be bolted down to a concrete base or cattle slat if desired).
The solar panel provides enough energy during the day to keep the battery charged to power the water pump, even in dull weather. Water is sucked in through the inlet pipe and pumped through the outlet pipe at high pressure.
The pump is automatically operated by a pressure switch the same way as a mains electrical water pump. When the pressure in the vessel drops, ie when the troughs are no longer full, the pressure switch turns on the water pump. The water pump runs until the maximum pre-set pressure is reached in the vessel. This allows numerous troughs to be supplied at one time.
The Austins have connected six water troughs to the pumping station and the pump has been supplying these troughs with no issue so far.
Paddocks
With the new setup, the Austins’ out-farm has been transformed. They have eight paddocks and six water troughs, allowing 70 yearling heifers to be rotationally grazed. Robert says prior to the installation they could only graze 40 yearlings on the holding.
When the Irish Farmers Journal visited two weeks ago, one paddock that had gone too strong for grazing was cut for silage. This type of management was impossible prior to the new pumping system. Currently the electric fence is being powered by a separate rechargeable battery.
The Austins also plan to use the SPS system to power their electric fence. Bryan says the single solar panel and battery would have no problem powering both their pump and fencer.
Cost
The solar water pump comes plumbed, wired and tested for a total cost of €1,450 with an inlet pipe assembly included. Next-day nationwide delivery is also available. The model shown will supply 80 cattle.
Bryan says that the standard model rises water 100ft and that there are larger models available with both surface-water or submersible pumps to supply bigger numbers of cattle and pump to larger heights.
If, for example, a farmer has a stream with a very low water level, he can simply dig a small sump in the stream and place the inlet pipe into it. The sump will always then be kept full, even for very shallow streams. Only 2in is the required minimum water depth – this is the height of the foot valve when lying flat in the stream.
More information on the pumping system is available via email at info@solarpumpsolutions.ie.
Managing grass on out-farms can be very difficult when there is only one water source or, more specifically, one drinking point.
It is almost impossible to set up a paddock system in this situation – otherwise temporary fencing has to be constantly changed to supply the herd with a path to water.
Most farmers with a stream on their out-farms have a drinking point in place on that stream. The downside of one drinking point is that only a set stocking system is usually achievable.
Some farmers can no longer even use the water from these drinking points because they choose the fencing off of waterways action through GLAS. This means traditional drinking points on watercourses can no longer be used and cattle are not allowed into streams and rivers on many farms. Farmers in this situation are wondering what options are available now for supplying water to cattle on these out-farms when the stream is fenced off.
Bryan Davis from Borrisokane, Co Tipperary, has come up with an interesting solution to the issue. Up to three years ago, water supply to his own out-farm was done by manually drawing a tank of water to the cattle every two days throughout the grazing season.
There was a drain on the farm but this did not supply every field.
Bryan thought there had to be a better way of doing things so he looked into the options available for pumping water. There was no power on the out-farm so the options for pumping water were limited. After a lot of research, solar power was chosen as the best approach as it is both predictable and the daylight-only system is perfect for Irish conditions.
With a mechanical engineering degree and experience working as an engineer, Bryan successfully designed and built a solar-powered water pump to meet their needs.
“The pumping system I built originally worked perfectly on the home farm. It needed to be both reliable and simple to use. After making it, some friends became interested and were wondering could I build a similar system for them too,” explained Bryan.
From there, he discovered the market for such a system and he has since further developed the product and started a business trading as Solar Pump Solutions.
Pumping system
Bryan brought me to see the pumping system which has been working on Robert and Ivan Austin’s farm for a year now. The Austins have a 40-acre out-farm with a stream running through part of it.
Robert said up to a year ago the only access cattle had to water was via two nose pumps connected to the stream.
“The nose pumps were struggling to supply enough water to all the yearlings and we thought younger stock were finding it difficult to use the pumps,” explained Robert.
In addition, grassland management was difficult because with only one drinking point the whole area had to be set-stocked. Last year, Bryan installed the solar pumping system on the Austins’ farm. The system comprises:
Brushless DC water pump.
A water pressure vessel.
A pressure gauge.
A pressure switch.
Inlet pipe with a stainless steel filter and foot-valve.
A PV (photovoltaic) solar panel.
A deep-cycle solar battery.
A custom-made lockable galvanised steel container to hold everything securely inside.
Figure 1 shows how the system works. The solar pump unit is fixed to the ground beside the stream facing south (this can be bolted down to a concrete base or cattle slat if desired).
The solar panel provides enough energy during the day to keep the battery charged to power the water pump, even in dull weather. Water is sucked in through the inlet pipe and pumped through the outlet pipe at high pressure.
The pump is automatically operated by a pressure switch the same way as a mains electrical water pump. When the pressure in the vessel drops, ie when the troughs are no longer full, the pressure switch turns on the water pump. The water pump runs until the maximum pre-set pressure is reached in the vessel. This allows numerous troughs to be supplied at one time.
The Austins have connected six water troughs to the pumping station and the pump has been supplying these troughs with no issue so far.
Paddocks
With the new setup, the Austins’ out-farm has been transformed. They have eight paddocks and six water troughs, allowing 70 yearling heifers to be rotationally grazed. Robert says prior to the installation they could only graze 40 yearlings on the holding.
When the Irish Farmers Journal visited two weeks ago, one paddock that had gone too strong for grazing was cut for silage. This type of management was impossible prior to the new pumping system. Currently the electric fence is being powered by a separate rechargeable battery.
The Austins also plan to use the SPS system to power their electric fence. Bryan says the single solar panel and battery would have no problem powering both their pump and fencer.
Cost
The solar water pump comes plumbed, wired and tested for a total cost of €1,450 with an inlet pipe assembly included. Next-day nationwide delivery is also available. The model shown will supply 80 cattle.
Bryan says that the standard model rises water 100ft and that there are larger models available with both surface-water or submersible pumps to supply bigger numbers of cattle and pump to larger heights.
If, for example, a farmer has a stream with a very low water level, he can simply dig a small sump in the stream and place the inlet pipe into it. The sump will always then be kept full, even for very shallow streams. Only 2in is the required minimum water depth – this is the height of the foot valve when lying flat in the stream.
More information on the pumping system is available via email at info@solarpumpsolutions.ie.
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