“You never miss the water till the well goes dry.” This old saying still holds true today. We just take water for granted. When our pioneer ancestors chose a piece of land to farm on, the first thing that they looked at was the water source. Most old farms were selected because . . .
there was a fast running brook, a clean lake or a never-freezing spring close to where the buildings would be situated.
The first farm that our family lived on was chosen by the bull. Our ancestor and his bull walked many miles from landing on the bank of the Ottawa River to the allotted piece of land.
After walking for hours carrying all his worldly supplies with the help of the bull also loaded with some necessities, both he and the bull would lay down to rest. When he woke up hours later the bull was gone. He spent the rest of the day tracking the bull until he found him. The bull was lying beside a cold water spring. He was also ready for a drink and decided that this was the best spring that he had ever drunk from. By then it was evening and both the bull and he slept beside the spring for the night.
The next day, they went back for the supplies left at the plot of land that had been allotted and brought all the supplies back to the spring. Both the bull and he had decided that the farm with the spring was where they wanted to settle. Our son and his family still depend on that spring for water for their home.
Water is so important that the farmer will secure an adequate water supply before building a new barn. One dairy farming friend built a million dollar milking facility and drilled a new well but didn’t test the ability of the well to produce an adequate supply of water. His well went dry only two weeks after he moved his dairy herd of more than 100 cows into the new (robot) milking barn.
The town of Shawville was built around a fast-running creek and several springs to supply water.
All waters supplied by springs, wells or other sources test a little different for cleanliness and mineral content.
I have close neighbours whose water has a high salt content. That farm never bought salt for their animals or the lady of the house never added salt when cooking. Several wells have been drilled only a few miles away that are so high in sulfur content that the water cannot be used. Some wells are drilled into gravel and the water must be checked for high iron content. Dug wells must be checked for E. coli contamination from surface water.
No matter where your water comes from, it should be tested for different mineral content and bacteria or other contaminants. Municipal water supplies are tested many times per year. Restaurants that have their own well must also test water regularly. Dairy farms must test their water yearly.
Water that animals or fowl drink should be tested yearly for different mineral content. The feed ration that is fed must be balanced for all total minerals consumed. Some cows drink dozens of gallons of water daily and the mineral content of the water can greatly affect the way the animal milks or her general health. Some milk replacers for calves or lambs will not mix in certain water because of the different mineral content. The soap to wash the milking equipment must match the mineral content in the wash water.
The mineral content in the water that is sprinkled on gardens and lawns can eventually affect the mineral content in the soil. The salt that is applied to roads in winter will run off onto the lawns, gardens and fields and create different needs for fertility in runoff areas. It is important to know the mineral content in water used in sprayer tanks because problems can occur when water high in some minerals are mixed with certain sprays.
Canada has the privilege of having the most fresh water in the world. Let’s protect it. All fresh water is not the same.
Chris Judd is a farmer in Clarendon on land that has been in his family for generations.
gladcrest@gmail.com
