BCRC webinar highlights practical approaches to managing stock water
During a Feb. 18 webinar organized by the Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC), Dr. Cheryl Waldner shares insight on the hidden health risks of poor water quality and advice on practical strategies for ensuring stock water safety.
Waldner serves as the BCRC Research Chair at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada where her research focuses primarily on factors affecting productivity of cow/calf herds.
Water quality
To begin, Waldner stresses the importance of water quality to herd health, noting poor water quality can result in a plethora of issues for beef producers.
“Poor water quality can lead to reduced number of calves on the ground, reduced weight gain in calves and an increased risk of disease,” says Waldner, adding poor water quality can even result in sudden deaths in animals on pasture in some extreme cases.
Waldner emphasizes collecting water samples to evaluate water quality is a simple and vital process which all producers should incorporate into their operations.
Testing involves collecting a sample in a clean container in accordance with local guidelines and submitting the water for lab assessment.
“Laboratory testing is extremely important,” Waldner says. “We can’t simply look at a water sample and determine whether or not it’s safe for animals to drink.”
Hidden risks
Waldner discusses the impacts of toxicity from runoff contamination and heightened mineral concentration.
She notes recent cycles of drought and evaporation have posed challenges for producers, and the risk of contamination from manure and fertilizer runoff pose constant threats to water quality.
High concentrations of salts and minerals in deep wells located near ancient aquifers can also cause concern, Walner adds.
Waldner emphasizes heightened levels of inorganic salts in surface water accompanying cycles of drought and evaporation have resulted in harmful concentrations of sulfates in surface water.
Waldner warns if sulfate levels reach high enough concentrations, harm can come to herds in the form of severe disease and nervous system damage.
Another threat stemming from poor water quality is the risk of blue green algae toxicity – a type of toxicity caused by cyanobacteria which can cause damage to the liver and nervous system and result in extreme sensitivity to sunlight.
While cattle can heal from this type of toxicity, the recovery process is intensive and often unsuccessful.
Waldner also warns of another toxicity threatening to ruminants – nitrate and nitrite toxicity.
This type of toxicity can result in a variety of issues from respiratory distress and abortions to sudden death and is exacerbated by fertilizer runoff into surface water and shallow wells.
Staying protected
After detailing the potential impacts of poor water quality, Waldner offers some advice for managing stock water and maintaining herd health.
She notes good management practices can help keep the threat of mineral saturation and toxicity at bay, encouraging total herd health from the ground up.
To reduce the chances of accumulating high levels of nutrients known to encourage bacterial growth in water, Waldner recommends solutions such as pumping water to troughs or aerating water sources.
She also notes treating water with copper sulfate can help clear out harmful bacteria, but warns water toxicity can increase for a period of time following this method of treatment.
Additionally, Waldner stresses testing water sources at frequent intervals is crucial to monitoring mineral levels and ensuring water safety, since several environmental factors and outside influences can affect accumulation.
In closing, she encourages producers to consider the impacts of feed and water intake when assessing total herd performance.
“Looking at total impacts on animal health, we can’t just look at water,” Waldner says. “Remember, these things act cumulatively.”
Grace Skavdahl is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
