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Water management crucial to rangeland grazing

Gary Sliworsky
Ag. Rep.

Water management is a crucial component of rangeland grazing systems that affects the bottom line for ranchers and the health of the environment. Research shows water quality plays a key role in cattle drinking habits and that water sources significantly influence cattle behavior - both of which have a major impact on productivity, says Dr. Doug Veira of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Kamloops Range Research Ranch. Managing cattle watering habits is also essential to protect fish habitat and the streams and creeks of the riparian zone.
“All of the issues around water management need to be considered because they affect either cattle performance, the use of the grazing resource, or public perception of the livestock industry,” says Veira. “It’s important to remember that while water is the most important nutrient source, it’s often the most neglected.”
Research by Veira and colleagues examines both the effects that water quality has on animal performance, and watering alternatives that influence cattle behavior to reduce environmental impact. Boosting water quality can increase cattle productivity by up to 20 percent, he says. And, off-site troughs are an effective way to keep cattle away from dugouts and other riparian areas, preventing water contamination.
Scientists are only beginning to learn what factors determine water quality and affect cattle drinking habits but it’s apparent fresh water offers major benefits that ranchers should consider. Traditionally for ranchers, little thought is given to water quality and its effects on the growth and productivity of cattle. Yet in many situations where water sources are limited, cattle must consume whatever water is available. “The question is, how much productivity is lost when cattle are forced to drink poor quality water?” says Veira.
Research is aiming for a more sophisticated understanding, he says. In a recent study at Kamloops, two groups of yearling heifers on summer pasture were given free access to a dugout or to clean water offered in a trough and researchers compared summertime weight gains.
The impact of water quality - as measured by the concentration of naturally occurring sulphate salts - on performance was dramatic, he says. In the second year of the two-year trial, cattle drinking trucked-in water from a trough had an average daily gain (ADG) of 2.62 pounds compared with an ADG of 1.98 pounds for cattle with access only to dugout water.
On the environmental front, a separate Kamloops study found that offering water off-site in a trough reduced the number of times cattle drank from a nearby stream by 80 percent. “In this study, we compared the difference in water source,” says Veira. “It was the same water, all we did was pump some of it from the creek to a trough.” The results show using troughs as a water source can have a major impact on lowering the risk of water contamination, as well as supporting healthier vegetation in the riparian zone, which is a filter for surface run-off.
These results and others have also led Veira to conclude that fencing-off natural watercourses - a legal requirement now in some jurisdictions - might not be necessary to protect riparian areas if producers can provide an alternative source of good quality water for their cattle.