02/08/2026
Several years ago, we invested in building this pond. We had been struggling with consistent water supply for the cows, particularly in the winter time. We noticed this spot high in the pasture where there was always a little bit of water running through a small ditch. So, we built a dam on the downhill side of that ditch and dug out a heap of dirt on the uphill side of the dam. Voila - pond! We also installed piping below the dam which travels 4 feet underground to the location of water troughs. One of those troughs is a frost proof drinker that (for the most part!) stays thaw. See my post from last week about how that waterer works. This morning, at -11F, the water was thaw - whew!
This entire system is far from any power source, so having gravity (which is more reliable than the power grid!) is the main reason why this works.
We’ve made a lot of mistakes here at SRF over the years, but this pond is not one of them. It’s nice to get the occasional win!
