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Peat bedding is not a one-size-fits-all type of solution to bedding woes.
The amount you use and the length of time that it lasts will vary depending on the stocking density in the pen, the depth of peat used, what diet you are feeding cattle and if you are able to stir up the bedding after a few weeks or not. All of these factors must be taken into account when deciding if peat bedding could work on your farm.
The ideal set-up for peat bedding is to have a slatted or solid concrete feeding area and a layback which can be bedded with peat – this will help reduce excessive soiling of the peat.
More highly-stocked pens will have to be cleaned out more often than lowly-stocked pens
However, peat bedding can also work where there is no separate feeding area.
The Irish Farmers Journal visited Peat Bed in Co Monaghan, a company which has been producing peat bedding since 2014 to find out more about peat as a bedding option.
Peat Bed claim that peat bedding can last anything from six to eight weeks, if managed correctly. The most commonly used bedding peat that will be of interest to farmers is fibre peat.
The process
Peat is harvested from bogs, it is then screened into five different constituents depending on the size of the aggregate.
The finest material is used for bedding of cubicles while the next material screened is used for poultry bedding. The remaining material is separated into three different sizes and this is mixed together to form the fibre peat bedding which can be used to bed cattle or sheep.
Peat to be used for animal bedding will be harvested off the bog during the summer months, to ensure the peat is harvested at a moisture content between 40 and 50%. At this level of moisture it is easier to manage. Peat is also generally highly absorbent.
If a farmer is using peat taken directly off the bog it will have to be replaced approximately every month according to Ross Mc Donald, manager of Peat Bed, whereas the screened fibre peat can last anywhere from six to eight weeks.
Management
According to Ross, a lot of suckler farmers can have issues with overstocking of pens, which will lead to the peat having to be replaced a lot quicker than planned.
Further research is required to examine exact stocking densities that peat bedding can support, however texamples 1 and 2 are a guideline for farmers to help them to budget how much peat they will need for the winter.
For suckler farmers who operate an autumn calving system, in which calves are allowed access to a creep area it is recommended that this creep would have approximately four inches (11cm) of peat.
A similar set-up could be an option for spring-calving herds where calves will be housed for their first month to six weeks depending on weather conditions.
Where weanlings are being housed it is recommended that five inches (13cm) of peat is used in pens and where heavier stock, such as finishing cattle or cows, are being housed it is recommended to use approximately seven inches (18cm) of peat.
In general, it is recommended that no more than eight inches (20cm) of peat is used for bedding cattle.
Management will have a large impact on how long the fibre peat will last. If a farmer can get into the shed and stir up the peat, either using a front-end loader or a rotovator, then the peat could last up to eight weeks according to Ross.
“There will be some peat that has never come in contact with moisture unless it gets stirred up. If you can get in and stir it up after about four weeks it could stretch its effectiveness to six or eight weeks,” he said.
Peat can be spread straight on to the land after use and does not require a period to break down. As peat has a naturally low pH there can be slight issues if too much peat is spread on land. To combat this some farmers will add lime to the peat before it is spread. This will bring the peat to a more neutral pH. Alternatively, farmers can also choose to spread lime separately.
While peat bedding will generally be a higher cost option than straw, in a year where straw prices are climbing the price differential may make peat a realistic option for farmers. The need to regularly bed cattle is also reduced when using peat as opposed to straw. Depending on how well it is managed the peat bedding will, in general, have to be changed between three and five times throughout the winter.
More highly-stocked pens will have to be cleaned out more often than lowly-stocked pens. If animals are housed on a high dry matter diet they will not have to be cleaned out as often either, as opposed to cattle being fed on a zero-grazed grass diet or very digestible silage, for example.
Cost
The relative cost of peat to straw or woodchip will play a large part in the decision to use peat, as will availability of the product.
The prices can also vary quite considerably depending on where you are located in the country.
The product is available in bulk or in big bags. These 2m3 bags weighing approximately 550kg cost €140.
Lorry loads of 100m3 can be delivered, while the option also exists for farmers to take a part load with the articulated trailer divided into three separate compartments.
The cost of transport will add considerable cost to the peat, meaning it may be appealing to split a load between a few farmers in the one area.
The general costings per m3 depends on the size of the load and where in the country it is delivered to. Prices are at their lowest around Monaghan, where Peat Bed is located.
For a full 100m3 load the price will vary from as low as €20/m3 in places like Cavan, Monaghan and Leitrim up to highs of €23/m3 to €24/m3 in the south and southwest of the country. This equates to a price of between €2,000 and €2,400 for a 100m3 load.
Smaller loads will be more expensive per cubic metre.
For a 65m3 load the prices will vary from as low as €23/m3 to as high as €29/m3, again with higher prices for the south of the country.
Smaller loads of 30m3 will work out expensive for farmers with prices varying from €28.60/m3 to a high of €42/m3.
If we look at an individual creep pen of 4.7m by 4m, which is used to hold calves and is bedded at four inches (11cm) deep, this would require approximately 2m3 of peat.
If the peat is replaced four times over the housing period, it would require 8m3 of peat in total. If the peat is purchased for an average price of €28/m3 this would equate to a total cost of €224 to bed this pen for the winter. Depending on what price a farmer can get the peat for this could vary between €160 if purchased at €20/m3 and €336 if purchased at €42/m3.
A standard 4.7m by 4.7m pen that is used to house weanlings for the winter will be bedded at approximately five inches (13cm) deep, which will require nearly 3m3 of peat. Again if this is replaced four times throughout the winter a total of 12m3 of peat will be needed. Taking an average price of €28/m3 this would equate to a total cost of €336 to bed this pen for the winter.
Depending on the location, and hence the price, this could vary between €240 if purchased at €20/m3 and €504 if purchased at €42/m3.
The straw question
If we take the 4.7m by 4.7m pen with weanlings present (Example 2) it would take approximately four round bales of straw to bed the pen every six weeks.
Similar to the peat bedding the pen is cleaned out completely four times over the winter, with a total of 16 straw bales required.
If straw bales were available at €15/bale this would equate to a total cost of €240 (16 bales X €15). In this example straw works out the cheapest option.
If round bales were available at €20/bale it would equate to €320 (16 bales X €20) for the winter.
Reports of round straw bales costings farmers in the west €25/bale would see the cost of bedding this pen for the winter rise to €400.
If this were to rise to €30/bale the total cost of bedding the pen for the winter period would be €480.
The bedding material that farmers ultimately decide to use will not just be down to price but to ability to store the material on farm and the labour available for bedding.
For some farmers peat bedding will not be a financially viable option but for others it may be.
SHARING OPTIONS: