It is usually not until a new roadway is constructed on a farm that we realise the massive benefits it can bring. This is especially the case where a farm is spread out and there is no access to the fields furthest away from the farm yard. Construction of new roads is usually put on the long finger because cost and investments in other parts of the enterprise are prioritised. With incomes in most farm enterprises low, this is understandable. However for many farms it is worth looking at making small investments in this area to gradually improve and expand road networks on the farm over time.

Benefits

So what are the advantages? The benefits for a dairy farmer are obvious and you could go as far as saying a road network is essential. But can other enterprises benefit too? A tillage farmer or a beef farmer might question the merits of spending thousands of euro installing a road network that is only used once or twice per week.

The key benefit in my view is timeliness and results in better farm management. With a good roadway every field/paddock in the farm can be accessed no matter where it is located. This is important because on very spread-out farms it is common that the fields nearest the farmyard are the ones that receive most attention and the ones furthest away receive the least.

Therefore the presence of a roadway potentially means the whole farm will be treated equally. Without a roadway, you might end up tracking across different fields to carry out a task. What’s worse, if weather conditions are poor you could damage the soil structure that could affect crop growth in years to come.

As we all know Irish weather is so unpredictable from year to year that sometimes it is a case of grabbing a short window of opportunity when it arises to get jobs done. A farm roadway can allow us to farm in a time-efficient manner enabling us to make use of the weather windows as they present themselves.

For example, there might be two days of good drying in February which means ground is in good condition to spread slurry.

But some farmers might need a third day’s drying so they can track across a field with a slurry tanker, unfortunately that third day might very well be wet. In this situation, a roadway comes into its own.

The new roadway on Andrew's farm. It is fenced and has several access points for machinery and livestock grazing.

Here we have listed some of the main benefits drystock and tillage enterprises can realise with a good road network on their farm.

Drystock farm benefits

  • Easier to move animals from one field/paddock to another when the roadway is fenced.
  • Can access more fields throughout the year to carryout field operations such as fertiliser spreading, slurry spreading etc.
  • Can carry out on/off grazing of livestock easier during difficult weather conditions.
  • No more unnecessary damage of soil when trying to access far away parts of the farm.
  • Slurry applications are no longer limited to fields/paddocks closest to the farmyard during the spring and can be used in places where it is needed most (low fertility soils).
  • Tillage farm benefits

  • Can access more fields quicker and easier especially during brief periods of settled weather that were preceded by a prolonged period of wet weather.
  • The roadway can be used to park trailers and heavy machinery during harvest time to reduce the amount of compaction that usually occurs on headlands.
  • Better crop management – can apply nutrients or sprays to all fields in a timely fashion. This job becomes less weather-dependent with a good roadway.
  • Cost

    The cost of installing a roadway varies depending on the spec you are willing to go to. For drystock and tillage operations the roadway does not have to be top-spec because animals will not be walking on it everyday. It should be fit for purpose and built to last.

    The cost of a 4m wide farm roadway can range from €15/m to €25/m.

    Depending on what you are going to use the road for – a lot of drystock and tillage farmers will get away with using just hardcore material.

    Some farmers place the stone on top of the top soil while others feel the top soil should be removed to find a strong foundation. The end result should be higher than the land and have a good cross fall so that water can drain away.

    Farmer view

    Andrew Carolan, Dumheeda, Kingscourt, Cavan-Meath border

    “I put in a roadway this year and it has made a big difference already. The main benefit I hope to see is that I will be able to access the driest fields on the farm in the spring to spread fertiliser or slurry without destroying the rest of the place.

    “When we cut silage over the past number of weeks there was no damage done to the paddocks while moving bales because there was several access points.

    “It was also very useful for moving cattle, they just run up the road to the yard without any hassle.

    “One upside of the roads that I hadn’t foreseen was that it can have alternative uses. I am going to store bales in one off-shoot because it won’t be used until next spring.”