ANIMAL ACTIONS

TIPS FOR IMPROVING WATER QUALITY ON SMALL ACREAGES

a good neighbor
> LIMITS ANIMAL ACCESS TO WATERWAYS
  • Relocate animals so that a stream or waterway does not go through your corral.
  • Install fences or berms to keep animals away from waterways.
  • Install off-stream water sources for animals.
  • Keep animals a minimum of 100 feet from wells to protect your drinking water.
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PURPOSE:
  • Reduction in erosion
  • Reduction in surface water contamination 
  • Improvement in plant productivity and health
  • Improvement in aquatic habitat
PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS:
  • A wide variety of fencing is available. However, fencing material and construction quality should always be designed and installed to assure the fence will meet the intended purpose and longevity requirements of the project. 
  • The standard fence is constructed of either barbed or smooth wire suspended by posts with support structures. Other types include woven wire for small animals, electric fence as a cost efficient alternative, and suspension fences which are designed with heavy but widely spaced posts and support structures. 
  • For ease of maintenance purposes, avoid as much irregular terrain as possible.
  • State and local laws may apply to boundary fences.
  • Consider livestock handling, watering and feeding requirements when locating fences.
  • Consider soil erosion potential and feasibility of fence construction when planning fences on steep or irregular terrain.
> PROVIDES ANIMALS A WATER FACILITY
When livestock has access to streams, rivers, wetlands or ponds on your property, they can contaminate the water supply. Providing an offstream water supply is better for you, your animals and your neighbors. When given a choice, cattle will drink from a trough eight times out of ten. Adding a clean water source is beneficial for animal health. A watering facility is a device (tank, trough, or other watertight container) for providing animal access to water. A nuzzle pump provides clean, fresh water away from a stream using the animal’s own power to pump the water. ​
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PURPOSE:
  • Protect and enhance vegetative cover, 
  • Provide erosion control through better grassland management, 
  • Protect streams, ponds and water supplies from contamination by providing alternative access to water.
PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS:
  • Water facilities should be located to minimize trail erosion and maximize forage.
  • Topography should be evaluated to minimize trail erosion and flooding erosion from tank overflow.
  • Watering facilities should be accessible to small animals. Escape ramps for birds and small animals should be installed.
  • Adequate protection for animals from wind and snow/rain during the winter and sun/heat during the summer should be considered.
  • The facility should allow for ice expansion without damage.
> COMPOSTS MANURE
​Composting turns manure into a highly valuable, low odor, and rich topsoil. It requires a balance of carbon, oxygen, and liquid. When done properly, the center of the pile will reach 140 degrees. 
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
USU Extension Yard & Garden
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PURPOSE:
  • Stabilize available nutrients
  • Kill pathogens
  • Reduce odor
  • Reduce manure volume
  • Kill weed seeds
PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS:
  • The composting site can be set in several long windrows, 4 to 6 feet high, on compacted ground, gravel or concrete. You can also use several small dry stack-type bays connected side by side, and the manure moved from one bay to the next. 
  • The pile should be turned regularly to mix and aerate. This can be done using a small tractor equipped with a front bucket loader. 
  • Composting requires taking the pile’s temperature.
  • You may need to apply water to your compost pile occasionally.
  • Manure and bedding, when mixed properly, can transform into compost in as little as six weeks. 
>  STORES MANURE PROPERLY
Proper manure management benefits the farmer and the neighbors.  The following checklist will help you ensure you are being a good neighbor: ​​
  1. Determine if your operation is a point source (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation, or CAFO) or non-point source (Animal Feeding Operation or AFO). Click here for more information on CAFO / AFO definitions. If you think your operation is a CAFO, contact Don Hall (Utah Division of Water Quality) at (801) 538-9251 or dghall@utah.gov
  2. If you are not a CAFO, ensure manure discharge will not enter a water body or leave the property. Limit animal access to ponds, streams, ditches, and wetlands. Collect manure frequently. Stockpile manure at least 100 feet outside a floodplain. Do not stockpile manure in a dry creek bed or ditch.
  3. Protect ground-water. Locate manure storage piles and livestock corrals at least 150 feet down-gradient from wells. Use a 150 foot buffer around wells when applying manure.
  4. Reduce nuisances like flies and odor. Stockpile manure downwind from barns and 200 feet away from neighbors.
  5. Plant trees to reduce wind and odor from stockpiles. Keep a lid on manure dumpsters. Remove manure from corrals and pens every few days to prevent flies, parasites, and worms.
  6. Cover fresh manure in stockpiles with at least 5 inches of clean bedding, straw, or hay to prevent flies.
  7. Divert clean water away from manure. Construct berms, terraces or waterways, and/or use downspouts to divert clean water away from corrals and manure storage areas.
From https://conservation4you.org/small-acreage-manure-management/ ​
> PROVIDES A FILTER STRIP
  • A filter strip is a strip or area of vegetation situated between animal corrals or feeding areas and streams or waterways.
  • A filter strip removes pollutants from runoff before the material enters a body of water.
  • It also serves as a buffer between water and the fields above the water so that pesticides and other chemicals are not applied directly adjacent or into the water body. 
  • Filter strips also reduce sedimentation of streams, lakes and other bodies of water.
  • The width of a filter strip will depend on the land slope, intensity of upland land uses, and type of vegetation.
  • Vegetative filter strips can provide additional benefits, such as wildlife habitat or a place to plant fruit or nut trees. 
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
EPA Filter Strips
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PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS:
  • Filter strips should be strategically located to reduce runoff and increase infiltration and groundwater recharge throughout the watershed.
  • To avoid damage to the filter strip consider using vegetation that is somewhat tolerant to any herbicides used upslope.
  • Filter strip size should be adjusted to a greater flow length to accommodate harvest and maintenance equipment.
  • Consider planting crops in your filter strip, such as fruit trees.
Utah Water Quality Task Force
We’ve designed this website for Utah’s small acreage farmers. We hope you like it. We value your feedback, questions and concerns.  Email us at waterquality@usu.edu.