farm roadway for suckler to beef farm

foxy farmer

Anyone running a beef enterprise and have farm roads installed. Looking at my farm on Google Maps earlier looking at possible roadway routes. I'd like to rotate my silage ground more. One central roadway with a 90degree turn and a tee to catch 4 small fields looks like simplest option. Farm is laid out in natural divisions. The roadway would run along one central ditch that runs almost the length of the farm. With the size of machinery now fields suffer from rutting or compaction if silage slurry etc is drawn across them on a regular basis. No need to shift bunches of cattle or put up temporary fences while at slurry silage etc. One field has ruts that were made nearly six years ago and need serious work to be removed.
I have plenty of soft slatey type rock here that I'd use as a base but would need a good crushed stone surface to be brought in.
Is it worth the money for the amount of traffic on it compared to dairy farms?

freedominacup

foxy farmer wrote: »

Anyone running a beef enterprise and have farm roads installed. Looking at my farm on Google Maps earlier looking at possible roadway routes. I'd like to rotate my silage ground more. One central roadway with a 90degree turn and a tee to catch 4 small fields looks like simplest option. Farm is laid out in natural divisions. The roadway would run along one central ditch that runs almost the length of the farm. With the size of machinery now fields suffer from rutting or compaction if silage slurry etc is drawn across them on a regular basis. No need to shift bunches of cattle or put up temporary fences while at slurry silage etc. One field has ruts that were made nearly six years ago and need serious work to be removed.
I have plenty of soft slatey type rock here that I'd use as a base but would need a good crushed stone surface to be brought in.
Is it worth the money for the amount of traffic on it compared to dairy farms?

If you are running along a ditch be sure to keep the road south and/or West of it. Suckler/beef farms seem to have no problem spending money on housing but improvements to grassland management cause endless debate. Fastest return on money spent here over the years other than on dairy stock came from roadways and fencing.

Markcheese

If your running a road along a ditch make sure you can easily access the fields either side of the ditch - see plenty of farm road ways on one side of a hedge serving just one side cos it's a tidy job - they'd have been better off going up middle of field serving both side of road -

foxy farmer

What would be the recommended width for a passage? 12-14 ft should accommodate Big M and harvester.

freedominacup

foxy farmer wrote: »

What would be the recommended width for a passage? 12-14 ft should accommodate Big M and harvester.

Just make sure field entrances are big enough.

onyerbikepat

Also worth keeping a road on the higher side of a field is possible. All the trafficking will compact the natural drainage under the road and restrict the overall drainage of the field.

Markcheese

Would you need much of a top dressing on top of your own rock ? It's not like your beef cattle will be doing massive distance daily

Buford T. Justice XIX

foxy farmer wrote: »

Anyone running a beef enterprise and have farm roads installed. Looking at my farm on Google Maps earlier looking at possible roadway routes. I'd like to rotate my silage ground more. One central roadway with a 90degree turn and a tee to catch 4 small fields looks like simplest option. Farm is laid out in natural divisions. The roadway would run along one central ditch that runs almost the length of the farm. With the size of machinery now fields suffer from rutting or compaction if silage slurry etc is drawn across them on a regular basis. No need to shift bunches of cattle or put up temporary fences while at slurry silage etc. One field has ruts that were made nearly six years ago and need serious work to be removed.
I have plenty of soft slatey type rock here that I'd use as a base but would need a good crushed stone surface to be brought in.
Is it worth the money for the amount of traffic on it compared to dairy farms?

A few things.

Keep the road out about 2ft from the ditch especially if it is a whitethorn or blackthorn ditch as they will grow out fairly quickly and smother the road.

Leave a slope in the road out to the field to help drainage and stop potholes on the road from water lodging.

Are you just laying the base on the top of the soil or are you digging down a few inches and laying the base on this? I would dig out the top soil for the most travelled section, if you can afford it. It lasts longer and there is less subsidence. Definately dig out and wet sections and put a proper base in. Any topsoil removed can be used to fill in the ruts from previous years or fill in low lying sections of land.

If money is a bit tight, you might do it section by section.

foxy farmer

freedominacup wrote: »

Just make sure field entrances are big enough.

I saw a young lad make that mistake with a model farm he was building. He was disgusted when he realised it!
Yeah avoid the obsession with a 12ft gap.

Del2005

freedominacup wrote: »

Just make sure field entrances are big enough.

+1 my Uncle and Dad put a new entrance/parking space outside his house. It is plenty wide for a car/tractor to drive but the access road is so narrow that you need to shunt a car to get in, a trailer is impossible, if they'd done it a metre wider or sloped the entrance it wouldn't have been an issue.

foxy farmer

I draw silage on passages in one farm that was done by a road surfacing crowd. They put a layer of fine crushed stone on top of the filling and its almost as good as the M1. My own stone is soft enough (can dig it out with 50hx no bother) and gets greasy in wet weather. There is harder stuff here that would have to be ripped but that has been done before so not a major concern. I'd definitely strip the topsoil as I'd consider it a mortal sin to bury it. It wouldn't go to waste as there a few places here that are light enough. Wouldn't have to be drawn far in any case. Its mostly ash trees and furze on the ditches. Contractor hates trees with a vengeance. Years ago he wanted me to dig along the ditch with my 50hx to break the roots and try and pull them out before he ploughed the field. He'd be delighted to be 4-5yards out from the ditch if the passage was in.

skoger

freedominacup wrote: »

If you are running along a ditch be sure to keep the road south and/or West of it. Suckler/beef farms seem to have no problem spending money on housing but improvements to grassland management cause endless debate. Fastest return on money spent here over the years other than on dairy stock came from roadways and fencing.

um...why? You've got me stumped there.

foxy farmer

skoger wrote: »

um...why? You've got me stumped there.

At a guess the Prevailing wind and sun keeps surface drier.

Feckthis

I have no experience with this I'm curious as to why you wouldn't take the whole ditch out of it instead of using ground that can be grazed? Would that not be making the most out of your place?

foxy farmer

Feckthis wrote: »

I have no experience with this I'm curious as to why you wouldn't take the whole ditch out of it instead of using ground that can be grazed? Would that not be making the most out of your place?

Shelter for cattle. Also to slow the run off in heavy rain. Its a fine high ditch with grand trees. I've knocked enough ditches here. I'm not going to turn the place into a prairie. Enough of them around here. Anyway isn't there something about planning or permit for that work now thanks to the Green Party?

Buford T. Justice XIX

Feckthis wrote: »

I have no experience with this I'm curious as to why you wouldn't take the whole ditch out of it instead of using ground that can be grazed? Would that not be making the most out of your place?

I think you must replace and knocked ditch with the corresponding length of a replacement hedge. And i think it must be in place before you knock the old ditch but i'm not 100% on that, just taking a neighbour on his word.