Rainwater Harvesting for Beef and Sheep Farms, it is possible for farmers to save up to 90% of the rainwater falling on roofs through rainwater harvesting. Large volumes of water are used to produce each kilo of meat through the whole process from growing forage, cleaning, and animal drinking, and with water as a limited resource and global concern.
Rainwater harvesting for beef farms is seen as a rainwater harvesting is seen as a suitable solution with the scope to reduce mains water use and a water source for water supplies rainwater harvesting for sheep farms.
Average Water Use for Beef and Lamb
Sourced from an ADAS UK Ltd and Cranfield University report on the potential for water reduction on farms state, the average water requirement or ‘footprint’ is estimated at 18m3 /kg for English beef and 58m3 /kg for English lamb. With average annual requirements of about 7.3m3 for adult cattle, 1.8m3 for calves, 1.2-1.6m3 for adult sheep and 10.6m3 for lambs under one year old. Some of an animal’s water requirement is satisfied by its feed, with fresh grass typically containing 77 to 88% water.
Site Visits & Rainwater System Installation
How much water can be saved depends and the savings can largely on the roof area for water collection and the installation of their rainwater system. Not enough water tanks to collect the water required or not being able to store enough water for your farm can affect the RIO of the investment.
With water being the lifeblood for agricultural, correct installation of rainwater harvesting equipment is a must to make sure it is clean and suitable for the application of which it will be used whether for livestock drinking. dairy washdown or for sprayers for arable farmers.
Rainwater Systems Design for Farms
Enduramaxx works with several rainwater system installers and at the beginning of the process, we like to start with the following criteria for an efficient system.
- Your roof area – a large roof can supply water for many uses; however, a small roof may not give what you need
- Average annual rainfall – large arable and growers in the eastern counties where average rainfall is lower may need alternative ways of topping up the water in the tank.
- Storage capacities – how much you can store and the space you have for rainwater storage will decide if you can store enough to make the return-on-investment stack up financially. Tanks can be put above ground or below ground. However, there are more costs associated with below ground tanks with the installation.
- Usage – it may be that you need a mains water or borehole top up as the rainwater you can collect from your roof may not be enough for your needs
- Filtration – water stored for a long time may require filtration either through UV or chemical means depending on the intended uses. There are now systems and treatments on the marketing now which allows you to keep water stored in tanks for up to 6 months ensuring availability through the spring and summer when there is less rainfall.
More details on water harvesting advice and installation here
Rainwater Harvesting Tanks
Enduramaxx rainwater harvesting tanks are available for above and below ground installations to store water. Above ground plastic rainwater tanks interlinked to up 120,000 litres for agricultural sprayers, water for dairy wash down from barns, pressure washers and other applications for washing.
These water storage tanks are used in conjunction with rainwater filters where the diverted water runs down to the bottom of the tank, fills the tank through the claimed inlet from the bottom oxygenating the water into the tanks, helping to prevent stagnation. When the tank is full the overflow siphon diverts the excess water to a drain or soakaway. The siphon design draws dust and pollen which may be on the water surface first.
For more details on rainwater tank storage tanks, WRAS approved tanks, drainage systems and rainwater harvesting systems pricing please contact our sales team on 01778 562810.
