Now that the grazing season is coming to an end, farmers are closing off paddocks, investing in farm roadways and setting themselves up for a successful spring.
Farm roadways should be built, or even maintained and corrected, when the weather is dry, to avoid any unnecessary damage and to ensure a well-built roadway.
With the weather proving to be very dry, farmers may get the opportunity to get started on building a new farm roadway, or even work on maintaining the existing roadways.
A well-designed farm roadway will reduce lameness, accommodate faster and easier stock movement, reduce roadway maintenance and will provide farmers with more efficient paddock access.
A roadway that is well-kept will reduce the cases of mastitis, as the cows will be cleaner, and in turn will produce milk with lower sediment and lower thermoduric levels.
Farm roadways
One way of keeping cows at grass and allowing for flexibility, is having a good layout for farm roadways in place.
Most farms already have roadways in place, but extensions to these roadways could significantly improve grazing during challenging weather conditions, which is becoming the norm in the spring period.
Getting the width right is crucial for cow flow and to prevent lameness and a herd with 150 cows or fewer, a roadway width of 4.5m is adequate, with an additional 0.5m for every extra 100 cows advised.
An extra 1m of width for the roadway near the yard should be considered, as it will be the most congested area, so the fence should be positioned 0.5m from the edge of the roadway.
It is best to remove a 10-15cm layer of topsoil, as 80% of the cost of roadways is on material and you want your final road surface to be above the field level.
Farmers must ensure that the roadway is higher than the field so water can escape. If there is a grass verge at the sides holding water, the farmer should dig a channel every 5-10m.
Roadway design and maintenance should be as follows:
- A width of 4m for 100 cows and another 0.5m for every 50 cows after;
- A camber of 5%, 10cm in 2cm;
- Electric fence should be 0.5m from sides;
- Wide turns and drainage;
- A fine blind of at least 25mm.
The greatest pressure on cows’ feet is caused from the cows turning, meaning that farmers must ensure the turning points are wide to allow the cows to turn gradually.
Spring 2025
Having a well-designed roadway can make all the difference for the spring time, and may be the difference in profits at the end of the year, as cows can access paddocks from different access points and keep grass in their diet in challenging, wet conditions.
This will help with getting cows out to grass and prevent them from damaging the ground, as well as ensuring a maximum graze out.
This investment in roadways will also save time in the already busy spring as there won’t be as much a need for back fences and spur roadways as there will be more access points.
When farmers are making these investments in roadways, they need to determine where the best return of investment will be on the farm as extensions should be made in areas where the most paddocks can be accessed or where it is required most.
