"Rainfall Catcher" For Remote Pastures

Rainfall Catcher For Remote Pastures LIVESTOCK Beef A Montana rancher has invented a way to catch rainfall in remote pastures and store it using a giant poly “trampoline” Wayne Kucera says his “rainfall catcher” provides a reliable source of water in areas where no natural water is available “It lets me make use of all my pasture land even where there’s no water It makes pastures practically drought-proof and the unit can be quickly taken apart and moved to another location ” says Kucera The system relies on gravity using a 30-ft dia poly tarp to collect rainfall which flows through pvc pipe to a storage tank The tarp is stretched across a round frame made from sq tubing that rests on adjustable legs The tarp slopes inward to a center-mounted 4-in dia aluminum drain that rests about 3 ft off the ground Water flows out of the drain into a big metal funnel and into the pvc pipe The 7 000-gal storage tank Kucera uses feeds water into a small livestock tank that operates off a float “I’ve used this system successfully for 5 years in a remote pasture where the nearest water is 1 1/2 miles away When the weather gets warm the cows won’t go to that pasture because they have to walk too far to get a drink My system catches about 700 gal of water from just 1 in of rain The only limitation is that the water-collecting tarp has to be higher than the tank or it won’t work “Keeping the tarp up off the ground prevents rodents from chewing holes in it Another reason I don’t let the tarp contact the ground is because when rain falls on the tarp it pools and pushes the tarp down too far The middle part of the tarp has to be at least 3 ft off the ground in order to keep the drain from bottoming out If the tarp bottoms out the water won’t drain adequately ” Kucera says he tried building a square tarp system but found that the wind would catch the corners and blow it away “A round tarp isn’t affected by wind nearly as much ” he says Setting up the tarp is simple he says “First I slip the legs together and then I slip the round frame onto the legs After adjusting the legs to make sure the tarp is level I use set screws to hold the legs in place I use turnbuckles to pull the tarp tight Straps on top of the tarp are used to secure it ” Kucera says he’s willing to build the system including the frame tarp drain and pipe for about $6 000 Storage tank not included Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Wayne Kucera 221 Hay Coulee Rd Roundup Mont 59072 ph 406 323-1654; thundrhoof@midrivers com

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