Water Use and Demand

[cakadu]

Thanks for the clarification on this emrald, even though as you say - it is rather difficult to explain. I know that one of the recommendations from a workshop that I conducted was to have the basic AOPA regulations included in one of the apporpriate chapters because it was hard for people to know how to rate themselves.

I know that the new binders will have some changes made to them, but don't exactly know what all of the changes are and don't know when the new binders are heading off to be printed. One change I do know about is the change to Chapter 2 on Water Sources.

[cakadu]

Linda, I know that there were some discussions this past week regarding bringing the EFP into line with AOPO as far as rating is concerned.

[cowman]

The boy did the Environmental Farm Plan thing. Well he has been to both workshops and I think he said he gets the peer review sometime in March.
We had a few problems and took care of a couple of them...really just common sense things...just never thought about them all that much.
The "biggie" is the problem of watering out of flowing springs. I suspected quite awhile ago the "government boys" would come knocking, and had drilled a new well with that day in mind! When we ran water lines to the corrals and barn we put in a line in a sunken upright culvert with the idea of a waterer built over it. Hopefully a waterer that could be as energy efficient as possible. I still don't think it is necessary but am going with the flow!
We do intend to get this done this summer, but am not going to jump through the hoops to get the money. Not worth the few hundred I might(or might not) get!

[cowman]

It sounds like one of the nose pumps that grassfarmers neighbour sells would fill the bill for your watering issue cowman.

[cowman]

I've seen the nose pumps but I just don't like them. Too slow in my opinion. Cows seem to think they all need to go for water at the same time and there is always a big brawl to see who gets to drink! Now I will admit the same thing would happen at a waterer.
That is the nice part of watering at the springs. Lots of room to spread out and drink without another cow slamming the drinker in the guts!
My own opinion is hey it worked for the last hundred years, so why reinvent the wheel, sort of thing? But I also realize the times are a changin and we live under a microscope these days. Got to be pro-active.

[cowman]

In the ad on the webpage for the nose pump I notices an awful lot of ice around one of them, that always makes me nervous about cattle slipping and falling when they are fighting over getting a drink.

I always keep the ice down around the stock waterers by putting a mixture of sand and ashes from the woodstove, mixed with chicken grit !!!!! My winter recipe !

[Deb]

You folks are still here yakking! It's like coming home again.
I just checked in to see what the latest discussion was and i thought it would be all about the border closure but perhaps we are sick of it now, yes?

About water. It will get drier in this semi-arid desert and I think humans are just going to have to be realistic and move out of the areas where there is no water. It sounds harsh but this scenario will be happening world-wide. We also have to stop allowing water-greedy industry and certainly not an industry that takes the water and completely removes it from the hydrological cycle.

In the words of Forrest Gump, that is all I have to say about that.