<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=Windows-1252">
<style type="text/css" style="display:none;"> P {margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;} </style>
</head>
<body dir="ltr">
<div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
This week Armed to Farm Program Director Margo Hale shares information about the farm watering and hay-feeding systems she and her family use on their farm. The information below is a slightly edited version of a blog post on our NCAT page <a href="https://www.ncat.org/farm-equipment-and-infrastructure/" title="https://www.ncat.org/farm-equipment-and-infrastructure/">here</a>. </p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
<span style="color: rgb(0, 36, 81); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: normal;"><b>Farm Equipment and Infrastructure</b></span></p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
I want to share with you a few pieces of infrastructure and equipment we have on our farm, why they work for us, and ways they don’t work. I always find it helpful to see how other farmers feed and water their animals. Maybe you will get ideas that you can
implement on your farm—or you can send me ideas for improvement.</p>
<h3 style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-weight:bold;font-size:26px;line-height:46.8px;font-family:Roboto, arial;color:rgb(0, 20, 137);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; color: rgb(0, 36, 81);"><strong style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;">Watering Systems</strong></span></h3>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
When you are getting started with livestock, providing water is one of the first things you must figure out. On our farm we have a pond, a well, and county water. We also collect rainwater from our barn and sheds. We use all these resources to water our animals
on different parts of our farm, depending on how we have our pastures divided and animals separated.</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
We try to find cost-effective ways to do most everything on our farm, so we like to use recycled materials and captured rainwater as much as possible. In one of our pastures, we have gutters on part of a shed and small shelter that empty into a tub. One of
our friends had new gutters installed on her house and gave us the old gutters to use around the farm.</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
<img class="aligncenter wp-image-14782 size-full" alt="Barn with gutter attached" width="1000" height="563" srcset="https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image1-1-1.jpg 1000w, https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image1-1-1-500x282.jpg 500w, https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image1-1-1-353x199.jpg 353w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" style="margin:0px auto;outline:none;display:block;clear:both" src="https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image1-1-1.jpg"></p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
<img class="size-full wp-image-14783 aligncenter" alt="White water tubs for livestock" width="1000" height="563" srcset="https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image2-2.jpg 1000w, https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image2-2-500x282.jpg 500w, https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image2-2-353x199.jpg 353w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" style="margin:0px auto;outline:none;display:block;clear:both" src="https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image2-2.jpg"></p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
We did have a regular stock tank here, but it was too tall for our young goats to reach. We had an old IBC tote that we weren’t using, so we cut it in half to use as a waterer. This works great for the goats, but when cows are in this pasture, they tend to
stand in these low totes, dirtying the water. It doesn’t take much rainfall to fill this water tub. We do have a water hydrant nearby that we can use to fill the tubs if there hasn’t been enough rainfall.</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
<img class="size-full wp-image-14784 aligncenter" alt="Metal barn with barrel for water catchment and gravity-fed bowl waterer." width="1000" height="563" srcset="https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image3-1.jpg 1000w, https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image3-1-500x282.jpg 500w, https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image3-1-353x199.jpg 353w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" style="margin:0px auto;outline:none;display:block;clear:both" src="https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image3-1.jpg"></p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
We have a small pasture next to our barn that we use when we have pigs and when our goats are kidding. Our free-range laying hens like to hang out in the barn, so they use this waterer, too. There is a 55-gallon barrel that captures rainwater and fills the
bowl waterer, pictured above. The gravity-fed bowl is mounted over a small concrete pad, so the animals (pigs especially) don’t make a muddy mess around the waterer. We don’t often graze our cows in this small pasture, but when we do, this waterer doesn’t
work too well. Several cows can empty that 55-gallon barrel quickly!</p>
<div class="gallery galleryid-14775 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-medium" style="margin:auto;font-size:18px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
<dl class="gallery-item" style="margin:10px 0px 0px;float:left;text-align:center;width:435.266px">
<dt class="gallery-icon portrait" style="margin:0px;font-weight:bold"><a href="https://www.ncat.org/farm-equipment-and-infrastructure/image5-1/" style="margin:0px;outline:none;color:rgb(0, 20, 137)"><img width="357" height="500" class="attachment-medium size-medium" alt="" srcset="https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image5-1-357x500.jpeg 357w, https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image5-1-196x275.jpeg 196w, https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image5-1.jpeg 559w" sizes="(max-width: 357px) 100vw, 357px" style="margin:0px;border:2px solid rgb(207, 207, 207);outline:none" src="https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image5-1-357x500.jpeg"></a></dt><dd class="wp-caption-text gallery-caption" style="margin:0px 0px 20px">This 55-gallon drum supplies water for pigs, chickens, and sometimes goats.</dd></dl>
<dl class="gallery-item" style="margin:10px 0px 0px;float:left;text-align:center;width:435.266px">
<dt class="gallery-icon portrait" style="margin:0px;font-weight:bold"><a href="https://www.ncat.org/farm-equipment-and-infrastructure/image4-1-2/" style="margin:0px;outline:none;color:rgb(0, 20, 137)"><img width="357" height="500" class="attachment-medium size-medium" alt="" srcset="https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image4-1-357x500.jpeg 357w, https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image4-1-196x275.jpeg 196w, https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image4-1.jpeg 565w" sizes="(max-width: 357px) 100vw, 357px" style="margin:0px;border:2px solid rgb(207, 207, 207);outline:none" src="https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image4-1-357x500.jpeg"></a></dt><dd class="wp-caption-text gallery-caption" style="margin:0px 0px 20px">Gravity-fed bowl waterer.</dd></dl>
<dl class="gallery-item" style="margin:10px 0px 0px;float:left;text-align:center;width:435.266px">
<dt class="gallery-icon portrait" style="margin:0px;font-weight:bold"><a href="https://www.ncat.org/farm-equipment-and-infrastructure/image8-1/" style="margin:0px;outline:none;color:rgb(0, 20, 137)"><img width="357" height="500" class="attachment-medium size-medium" alt="" srcset="https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image8-1-357x500.jpeg 357w, https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image8-1-196x275.jpeg 196w, https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image8-1.jpeg 650w" sizes="(max-width: 357px) 100vw, 357px" style="margin:0px;border:2px solid rgb(207, 207, 207);outline:none" src="https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image8-1-357x500.jpeg"></a></dt><dd class="wp-caption-text gallery-caption" style="margin:0px 0px 20px">This 55-gallon drum supplies captured rainwater to our chickens.</dd></dl>
<br style="clear:both">
</div>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
We use a similar set-up at our chicken coop (pictured above). We have a coop with nest boxes and an enclosed run built on the back side of our shop. The hens have free range of our pastures, but we shut them in the coop at night. Once again, we use gutters
on their coop roof, draining in to an elevated 55-gallon barrel. There is a hose from the barrel to a water bowl with a float. Our winters are fairly mild so we can use this system year-round. On occasion, the bowl and hose freeze and we have to carry water
to the chickens. We have used this for our flock of about 20 chickens for about seven years, and I’ve only had to put water in the barrel a couple of times.</p>
<h3 style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-weight:bold;font-size:26px;line-height:46.8px;font-family:Roboto, arial;color:rgb(0, 20, 137);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; color: rgb(0, 36, 81);"><strong style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;">Hay-feeding Systems</strong></span></h3>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
We are in hay-feeding season on our farm, so I will share with you the equipment we use to feed hay.</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14790" alt="A metal hay feeding ring with goats standing on the hay inside." width="1000" height="563" srcset="https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image9-1.jpg 1000w, https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image9-1-500x282.jpg 500w, https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image9-1-353x199.jpg 353w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" style="margin:0px auto;outline:none;display:block;clear:both" src="https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image9-1.jpg"></p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
We use a hay ring (above) to feed our cows, but this is problematic if you have goats or sheep. We have a few young goats with our cows right now to keep them away from our billy. They prefer to eat standing on top of the hay, soiling the hay and causing a
lot of waste.</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14791" alt="Elevated round bale feeder with goats eating hay." width="1000" height="563" srcset="https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image10-1.jpg 1000w, https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image10-1-500x282.jpg 500w, https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image10-1-353x199.jpg 353w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" style="margin:0px auto;outline:none;display:block;clear:both" src="https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image10-1.jpg"></p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
We have an elevated, round bale feeder that we use for our goats. This keeps the hay off the ground and the goats cannot get on top of it. The cows can easily eat out of it, too. This reduces the amount of hay they waste.</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14792" alt="Elevated square bale feeder with goats eating hay." width="1000" height="563" srcset="https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image11-1.jpg 1000w, https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image11-1-500x282.jpg 500w, https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image11-1-353x199.jpg 353w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" style="margin:0px auto;outline:none;display:block;clear:both" src="https://www.ncat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image11-1.jpg"></p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
We also have an elevated square bale feeder. We don’t feed many square bales (remember we want low labor) but do use them when we have goats in a small pasture right after they have kidded or are just feeding a few goats. Once again, keeping the hay off the
ground reduces waste.</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
We move the hay feeders to a different spot each time we feed a bale, typically feeding on an area that needs some extra fertility. There are many ways to feed hay, but this is what works for us on our farm. Unrolling round bales is a great practice, but we
don’t have enough animals for that to be efficient. They would waste too much before eating most of the bale. We have rolled out smaller portions of a round bale, but that was time-consuming.</p>
<h3 style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-weight:bold;font-size:26px;line-height:46.8px;font-family:Roboto, arial;color:rgb(0, 20, 137);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
<span style="color: rgb(0, 36, 81); font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal;"><strong style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;">Learning More</strong></span></h3>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
There is always trial and error before you figure out what systems work on your farm. I hope this virtual tour of our farm’s watering and hay-feeding systems will help you find what will fit your situation.</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
The<span> </span><a href="https://attra.ncat.org/" style="margin:0px;font-weight:bold;outline:none;color:rgb(0, 20, 137)">ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture</a><span> </span>publications linked below have information about infrastructure and equipment for different
livestock enterprises. As always, our NCAT Livestock Specialists are available to answer your questions and provide you with additional resources. Please email or call us at<span> </span><a href="mailto:askanag@ncat.org" style="margin:0px;font-weight:bold;outline:none;color:rgb(0, 20, 137)">askanag@ncat.org</a><span> </span>or
800-346-9140.</p>
<h3 style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-weight:bold;font-size:26px;line-height:46.8px;font-family:Roboto, arial;color:rgb(0, 20, 137);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; color: rgb(0, 36, 81);"><strong style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;">ATTRA Resources</strong></span></h3>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
<a href="https://attra.ncat.org/product/small-scale-livestock-production/" style="margin:0px;font-weight:bold;outline:none;color:rgb(0, 20, 137)">Small-Scale Livestock Production</a></p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
<a href="https://attra.ncat.org/product/sheep-and-goats-frequently-asked-questions/" style="margin:0px;font-weight:bold;outline:none;color:rgb(0, 20, 137)">Sheep and Goats: Frequently Asked Questions</a></p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
<a href="https://attra.ncat.org/product/an-illustrated-guide-to-sheep-and-goat-production/" style="margin:0px;font-weight:bold;outline:none;color:rgb(0, 20, 137)">An Illustrated Guide to Sheep and Goat Production</a></p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
<a href="https://attra.ncat.org/product/hogs-pastured-or-forested-production/" style="margin:0px;font-weight:bold;outline:none;color:rgb(0, 20, 137)">Hogs: Pastured and Forested Production</a></p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
<a href="https://attra.ncat.org/product/hooped-shelters-for-hogs/" style="margin:0px;font-weight:bold;outline:none;color:rgb(0, 20, 137)">Hooped Shelters for Hogs</a></p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
<a href="https://attra.ncat.org/product/poultry-equipment-for-alternative-production/" style="margin:0px;font-weight:bold;outline:none;color:rgb(0, 20, 137)">Poultry: Equipment for Alternative Production</a></p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
<a href="https://attra.ncat.org/intensive-grazing-one-farms-set-up-ch-1-introduction/" style="margin:0px;font-weight:bold;outline:none;color:rgb(0, 20, 137)">Intensive Grazing: One Farms Setup (video series: Nine Chapters)</a></p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
<a href="https://attra.ncat.org/tutorials/" style="margin:0px;font-weight:bold;outline:none;color:rgb(0, 20, 137)">Managed Grazing Tutorial</a></p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
<em style="margin:0px">Photos by Margo Hale</em></p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
<em style="margin:0px">***</em></p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:18px;line-height:32.4px;font-family:Roboto;color:rgb(19, 19, 19);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">
<span style="margin:0px">With best regards,<br>
</span>Robyn</p>
<div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
<br>
</div>
<div id="Signature">
<div>
<div id="divtagdefaultwrapper" dir="ltr" style="font-size:12pt; color:#000000; font-family:Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif">
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><b><span style="color:rgb(0,111,201)">Robyn Metzger</span></b></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Program Specialist/Armed to Farm Coordinator</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT)</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a href="http://www.ncat.org/armedtofarm" class="OWAAutoLink">www.ncat.org/armedtofarm</a></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a href="http://www.attra.ncat.org" class="OWAAutoLink">www.attra.ncat.org</a></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">479-442-9824<br>
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br>
</div>
</body>
</html>