Watering Management of Cow Farms in Transylvania

Abstract

Water is one of the main environmental factors that deeply influences all living creatures. Water is the solvent and vehicle for most biogenic substances and the medium for the main biochemical reactions. The present study aims at tackling watering management in cow farms in Transylvania. The research was carried out in 7 farms from Brasov, Mures and Satu-Mare, and the results can be seen in the following table: In three of the farms under study (farms A, D and F) the animals did not have plenty of water, which may decrease production and modify the health state. At the same time, two of the farms (A and F) did not have their own water source, the first being filled from a rented well nearby and the second from the public network. In farm G, the water coming from their own water source was insufficient, which led to the necessity of supplying additional quantities from a distance of 2 km. Two of the farms did have facilities destined for water storing in overground tanks („watre castle”) in farm E, and in underground tanks in farm G. As watering management was considered to be inappropriate in farms A, D, F and G, recommendations for improvement have been put forward in the case of these particular farms. This study was supported by the National University Research Council (CNCSIS) as part of the project PN II-ID-PCE No. 1095/2009