Recently I have been asked about how much the cost of accessing water for grazing cattle on cornstalks should be. This is difficult to answer because of factors such as distance from the field, who is going to pay for pipes to go from the well to the cattle, and maintenance costs, just to name a few.
The easiest option would be to use either USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) or Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) rates. For example, ERS estimates off-farm per acre surface water to cost between $10-$85 dollars (which when $85/acre is converted it’s $0.00026/gallon); groundwater between $7-$69 and on-farm surface water between $0-$15. This range is due to many factors such as distance to water source, materials, etc.
For producers or landowners interested in pricing water for animals grazing cornstalks, who bears the cost will be important. Some questions to ask are: Does the cattle producer pay the cost for materials, supplies and labor or does the landowner? Also, maintenance? No one wants a busted pipe in winter, but it does happen.
The time of the year can also factor in determining water costs, as dry cattle in cold weather drink on average one gallon per 100 weight, and twice that in summer; and lactating cows require almost twice as much water compared to dry cows. All these factors can make a lot of difference when determining the cost of water.
Source: unl.edu
Photo Credit - gettyimages-jacqueline-nix
Categories: North Dakota, Livestock, Beef Cattle, Dairy Cattle