When visiting Joe and Kevin Doran’s farm in Donadea, Co.Kildare, Agriland learned that a vital part of their farm operation and efforts in reducing lameness on their farm was the utilisation of astro turf roadways.
Joe and Kevin Doran are milking 160 pedigree registered holstein friesians cows and are proud hosts of the IHFA National open day this year on the Wednesday, July 10.
The astro turf track is recycled from all weather pitches and has been used to improve the top surface on the road in order to increase cow flow and reduce lameness.
Maintaining farm roadways to allow for optimal cow flow is an essential element for cow production, health and welfare which will subsequently lead to easier cow management and a reduced work load.
Usually, recycled astro comes in 2m wide rolls and has different grades of astro with hockey pitch astro being a heavy, durable surface while football pitches tend to be quite lighter.
Using astro on your roadways, especially in high traffic areas can be a cost effective way to blind your roadway and maintain the top surface for longer.
Astro turf roadway
Agriland spoke with Kevin Doran who has found the astro turf laneway a game changer on his farm as it has reduced lameness issues and has made his life that bit easier.
Kevin and Joe had to resurface their roadways when the changes in derogation around farm roadways came into play, with the need to change their slopes away from ditches and water.
In order to refurbish the roadways, it would have taken a large investment in stone, so, they decided to explore their options.
They are now on their third season of having the astro turf roadway down and they opted for the heavier track which is still in perfect condition today, with tractors and machinery also driver driving on it.
“Ever since we put down the astro turf, it has reduced our lameness and improved cow flown dramatically” Kevin Doran
However, in areas with heavy machinery traffic, they have left space for the machinery to pass without driving and potentially damaging the surface.
The farm has 70% of the roadways close to the yard surfaced with the astro, these are the areas of heavy cow flow on the farm. They intend on getting 100% of these roadways done in the next couple of years.
Even at this time of the year, with cows working hard to try and reach peak milk production while also bulling, Kevin says the number of lame cows has been limited.
“Our cows are very high producing, hard-working cows and even at this time of the year, we have only five cows ready for the hoof trimmer, and he hasn’t been here in six weeks, and three of them cows have recurring problems”
However, Kevin says that putting in the astro turf is not going to resolve all your lameness problems as they have also re-grooved a bad surface around their milking parlour and have a good focus on lameness management.
Considerations if using astro
A good base material and smooth surface is still critical if you are laying out astro as if it is spread on an uneven surface, it will cause discomfort for the cow and will reduce the lifespan of the astro.
A crossfall of 1:20 is required and for the road to be higher than the field in order for the water to flow sideways off the road.
As we mentioned previously, under the derogation rules, the fall of the roadway should be away from any drain and should go towards the field regardless of whether its astro or not.
Ideally, like what Kevin has done with his astro where he could, the astro is to one side of the roadway to allow for machinery to pass and is also placed on the high side to make sure it stays dry.
Astro should not be used on excessive slopes as the mat itself can slip, but can also become very greasy in certain weather conditions which can make it difficult for cows to walk down the slippy surface.
In general, cows can handle an incline of up to 12 degrees meaning that anything beyond this will mean that astro may not be suitable.
Using astro turf on your roadways can clearly provide a comfortable and smooth surface for cows which reduces lameness and improves cow flow but should not lead to a neglect of lameness management, trimming and foot bathing.