Unconvinced their herds are polluting streams, some Madison County cattlemen balk at the idea of fencing their stream-side pastures. But others accept the notion and have already fenced their farms.
Carol Almas sees beauty and environmental harmony in fencing cattle from streams that wind through her Holly Hills farm near Oak Park. Her farm even has goldfish in the watering troughs that replace the streams as the cattle’s main source of water. The goldfish keep the water clean, she says.
“When you put the fence up, you have a pretty greenway by the streams. It is actually a sanctuary for birds to stay in there because nothing can get in there. We are not polluting other people’s streams because it is all connected,” said Almas, who lives in Indianapolis, Ind. for part of the year and visits Madison County three to four times a year.
Recently, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) said E. coli bacteria in the Robinson River and its tributary Little Dark Run are at a dangerous level. While some farmers have doubted this claim about the river, others have filled out applications to get financial help to put up fencing on their farms to keep the cattle out.
Springs originating on Almas’ 100-acre farm on O’Neal’s Road (Route 626) flow into creeks and streams that eventually end up in the Rapidan River. The Robinson River flows into the Rapidan River. These springs use to be a playground for cattle. Now, cattle are prevented from splashing in the water and using it to deposit their feces, one of the culprits of pollution, according to the DEQ.
According to Spencer Yager, conservation specialist with Culpeper Soil and Water District, his organization has helped 12 landowners in Madison County with fencing and 47 landowners district-wide.
Almas said she filled out an application from the Culpeper Soil and Water Conservation District and was selected to get financial help to put up her fence. The Virginia Agriculture Best Management Practice cost-share program helped pay for the fencing. They gave her $30,388 for a couple of miles of fencing and the 500-gallon water troughs. She had to pay around $8,000 herself for the cost of keeping the cattle out of the streams. Almas said she is obligated to maintain the fencing for 10 years, even if she sells the farm. White Fencing out of Gordonsville put up the fencing.
MC man happy with fencing
Madison County resident Carlyle Weaver has his herd of beef cattle on Holly Hills farm. In the summer, there are about 90 cattle that populate the farm. He said the fencing has worked well on the farm.
“It allows us to keep a clean water supply for the cattle to drink and keeps the streams clean and keeps the cattle out of the creeks and works with pasture rotation,” said Weaver.
Pasture rotation is when the farm is divided up by fencing and the cattle can graze on different sections of the land. The benefits of rotational grazing include increased pasture yields, better quality pastures, more animals on the same acreage, less hay, better distribution of manure nutrients throughout the pasture, healthier livestock and improved income, according to a Natural Resources Conservation Service pamphlet. The costs to create rotational grazing for a 40-acre pasture divided into four pastures can cost $200 for single stand fencing. To distribute water will be about 50 cents per foot of water line and a portable watering trough costs about $100 to $160.
Weaver said his fencing has a 35-foot setback from the stream on the farm. He said although he lost five acres because of the fencing, he thinks it was the right decision.
“You have better pasture crops so in theory you don’t lose anything, in some cases you gain something,” said Weaver.
Weaver said originally he thought it was a good idea to put up fencing because it needed replacing anyway.
“The biggest thing that made it attractive to me was the fencing was so old and it needed replacing so why not take advantage of the program and the assistance?” said Weaver.
Benefits of clean water
Another advantage to having clean water for the cattle to drink is the cattle apparently grow more when they drink clean water. An Ohio State University study shows if cattle have access to clean water they can gain a half a pound a day more.
“The health benefits are greater if they aren’t drinking in the creek which could have pesticides and road runoff. They are not standing in it so their feet are better,” said Yager.
Yager said despite the controversy, he has seen a lot of positive feedback from fencing the farms.
“There is been a lot of negative stuff about losing the land, but I have been working here five years and helped these guys in Madison, Orange and Greene counties and the huge majority of them have had no complaints and done more work and recommended it to their neighbors,” said Yager.
Yager said each farm is different; especially farms that are further up the watershed with more streams and springs running through the farm.
“You can’t throw a blanket over it and fix the problem. Different people have different concerns. It’s not a one-size fits all. You got to have to someone look at their farm and get a plan that fits them,” said Yager.
Yager said he praises Weaver and Almas for fencing the Holly Hills farm.
“He turned a small farm into a farm that he manages for profit. His input cost has gone down because he hasn’t been feeding the hay,” said Yager. “People have to change their management style. It is a management thing. If you are not willing to change your management style, the cows will stay around the house by the barn.”
Shelby man fences farm
Joe Johnson of Clover Hill Farm on Shelby Road in Shelby said it has been a 16-year effort to put up fencing on his 1,100-acre farm.
“You can’t fence all your streams out, but you can do your part,” said Johnson.
“I am not saying the cattle are polluting the streams. I think the cattle are better off when they are not standing in the water. They need to stop the household pollutants from getting into the streams and septic waste from getting in the streams.”
Johnson said rotational grazing practices that he has put into place have increased his production by a third.
He said farmers are getting a bad rap.
“I think it’s a bad stigma that farmers are polluting. I think it’s better now. We have to feed a hungry world on less land,” said Johnson. “I think everyone in production agriculture today is a true conservationist because if they weren’t, they wouldn’t survive. It is a renewable asset.”
Johnson has 200 brood cows and 1,000 stockers throughout the summer. There are three or four streams, including Elk Run, that flow through his farm and end up in the Rapidan. Johnson does not have a ballpark figure of how much it cost to put up his fencing. He said he took advantage of the 75 percent cost share through Culpeper Soil and Water on some of it.
He said the benefits of fencing his farm have been managing his grass and improving the water quality.
“The main reason we do it is to set an example for future generations. I wouldn’t be farming if it weren’t for my father and grandfather. I’m just trying to do my part,” said Johnson. “You don’t have to do it all at once. You do a little bit at a time. My advice to other farmers is not being afraid to try something new.”
The DEQ says cleaning up the bacteria in these stream segments on the Robinson River would cost $26.6 million for the first 12 years. Bacteria sources have been identified in a recent study as coming from septic systems, direct unpermitted discharges of human waste, pet waste, agricultural practices and wildlife.
As for now, farmers such as Almas, Weaver and Johnson are the exception not the rule. Some Madison County cattlemen have said at public meetings they don’t believe the river is polluted and doubt the claims of the DEQ water quality results.
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