BMPs are an important tool in helping the state and individual landowners protect and enhance state’s waters. Given the water quality issues facing Lake Okeechobee and other sensitive water bodies, the importance of BMP implementation has increased since their official establishment as part of the FWRA. In order to ensure that BMPs are reducing nutrient loadings, on-farm research is needed to verify BMP effectiveness. A four-year study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the cow/calf stream fencing BMP. The study concluded that the BMP did reduce the amount of P being discharged from the ranch. This BMP should continue to be included in the cow/calf BMP manual, and, hopefully, its widespread implementation will help the state in meeting its TMDLs. This 3-page fact sheet was written by Sanjay Shukla, Wendy D. Graham, Alan Hodges, and James M. Knowles, and published by the UF Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, May 2014.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ae501
Tag: Fences
Estimated Livestock Fencing Costs for the Small-Farm Owner (AN258)
One of the most expensive costs for a small-farm owner considering the production of livestock is pasture fencing. The type of permanent fence constructed impacts the cost per foot and total cost. This publication compares the cost of constructing a ¼-mile (1,320 feet) fence with two different types of permanent fencing plus temporary interior fencing for rotational grazing. This 7-page fact sheet was written by Derek L. Barber, and published by the UF Department of Animal Science, January 2011.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/an258
AN230 Livestock Fence Construction
AN230, a 5-page illustrated fact sheet by Reyna Speckmann and Jeff Steele, describes the materials and assembly guides that are standard operating procedures practiced at the UF/IFAS Range Cattle Research and Education Center in Ona, FL. Published by the UF Department of Animal Sciences, November 2009.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/AN230