Frost-Free Waterer Lets Cattle Pump Their Own Water

Frost-Free Waterer Lets Cattle Pump Their Own Water LIVESTOCK Feeding Equipment 26-5-29 Cattle, horses and other livestock can get water in any weather without the need for a water heater with this Frostfree Nosepump. What's more, they pump the water themselves. Jim Anderson, a Rimbey, Alberta, rancher, borrowed the idea from a friend, Walter Diehl, who came up with the idea for this type of pump to get water to cattle in cold weather. Anderson tried it out on his own herd. It worked so well that, with Walter's blessing, he redesigned the pump, applied for a patent, and formed Frostfree Nosepumps Ltd. to put it on the market. The waterer consists of a small trough about the width of a cow's head. A nosepad attached to a lever activates a down-hole piston pump that brings up water with each stroke. When an animal reaches into the waterer for a drink, it pushes against the nosepad and pumps its own water. A short riser nipple in the water trough prevents backflow contamination of the well. Water in the riser pipe drains back down, so it doesn't freeze. The Frostfree Nosepump sits atop a length of corrugated culvert that's set vertically into the ground. The culvert, which extends two feet above ground, becomes a reservoir for the nosepump to draw from (whether in a well or dugout situation) and makes a stable base for the waterer. Geothermal heat in combination with an insulation sleeve prevents freezing. Anderson says the pump will raise water at least 50 ft. An insulated concrete pad around the waterer also helps prevent freezing. To use it with a dugout (pond), lake or stream, water needs to be diverted underground to the culvert, with the nosepump waterer installed overhead. Besides saving energy, the nosepump eliminates the need for cattle to wade into ponds or streams for water. This protects streambanks and means less silting in ponds, providing easy access to clean water. Anderson says cattle learn to work the pump quickly. He suggests the system be installed during the summer, though, so cattle learn to drink from it before cold weather hits. A Frostfree Nosepump waterer sells for $975 (Canadian). Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jim Anderson, Frostfree Nosepumps Ltd., Box 675, Rimbey, Alberta, Canada (ph toll-free 866 843-6744; fax 403 843-6916; E-mail: info@frostfreenosepumps.com; Website: www.frostfreenosepumps.com).

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