We help people
care for their land.
care for their land.
This program helps me and other students learn about the environment and teaches us to be future leaders to help us and others.
–Michael, 13
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Reducing Mud
What can you do about it? Learn about some techniques that have worked for other horse and livestock owners. You may not be able to eliminate mud, but you can reduce the amount of mud by managing rain water and manure.
Install roof gutters.
Install roof gutters and downspouts to divert clean water from the animal yard. A 1-inch rain on a 20-foot by 50-foot roof will produce 620 gallons of water; with 40 inches of rain per year that’s 25,000 gallons of water! Design gutters to handle the amount of rainfall in your area.
Protect downspouts
Protect downspouts from animal and equipment damage by using heavy polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe, a hot wire, or a permanent barrier.
Empty downspouts into a stock watering tank or rain barrel and direct any overflow to a vegetated area that the animals cannot access.
Control runoff
Put new animal yards at least 100 feet from wetlands, ditches, and streams.
Divert animal yard runoff away from wetlands, ditches, and streams and into a vegetated area that can filter the flow. Divert clean water above animal yards to wetlands, ditches, and streams.
Close open ditches with a buried pipe to carry water past animal yards.
Try Out a Nose Pump
Have you been curious about using nose pumps for off-stream livestock and horse watering? Give us a call to borrow ours.
Fence animals
Install fencing to keep animals away from wetlands, streams, and ditches. Rotate water tank areas to avoid mud and manure buildup.
Install firm footing - create a heavy use area
A heavy use area made of geotextile fabric, gravel, and sand will provide an all-weather surface for you and your animals. To reduce muddy areas and increase forage production, move animals into the heavy use area when pastures are wet in the winter or when grass is less than 3 inches high in the summer. Install heavy use areas on high ground and at least 100 feet away from wells and open water. The design of a heavy use area is specific to your site. We can help you save time and money by getting it right the first time
Contact us
We have broad experience with the strengths and shortcomings of the various approaches to mud issues, and together we can tailor a cost-effective solution for your operation so that you won’t need to worry about mud next winter. Contact us now!