Hynds help ensure stock never go dry

Founded in 1973 by John and Léonie Hynds, the Hynds Group of Companies are New Zealand’s premier manufacturer and product supplier for the drainage, watermain, stormwater, wastewater and rural markets. WORDS BY RACHAEL RICKARD

Through the manufacturing and distribution of over 40,000 product items for drainage, watermain, environmental, industrial process and rural products, Hynds products have become synonymous with how water and effluent is moved through farmland around rural New Zealand. With over 600 employees and 32 distribution centres, Hynds Pipe Systems remains proudly family owned and has built its reputation on customer service and innovation. And it is the need to continue to offer great customer service which has seen the introduction of a new Stock Water Design Service—a complimentary service to complement their range of Hynds concrete troughs and ensuring that farmers get a stock water system that is right first time. The benefit of getting a full stock water design completed is that it gives the farmer confidence that the right amount of water is going to get to the individual trough and the volume is enough, in relation to the numbers of animals it is supplying. When this is done right, animals get good quality water and plenty to drink. Issues occur when the incorrect sized pipeline is used, and in this case there will always be a water shortage as the wrong sized pipe can never deliver enough water, meaning you’ll see stock standing around the water trough waiting. Good placement of troughs ensures a better feed utilisation as the total paddock area gets more evenly grazed. This differs from when a natural water source is offered, as these are commonly situated at the lower areas of the paddock, and on hot dry days the animals get the lay of the land and to gather the information required to start the design process. Once this is completed the designer then works with the farmer, planning the layout of Hynds concrete troughs and pipeline to ensure the system will meet the needs, ensuring that everybody is happy before the design process begins. A good quality water system is crucial to the health and well-being of animals, and an investment in the future of the farm. It allows for better grazing management and options to break feed based around the concrete trough placement, keeping animals in good stead, and ensuring they never go dry. Farmers who are considering an on-farm stock water design, or further information just contact your local Ruralco store or

will tend to hang in these areas. The Hynds Stock Water design service offers a full Irricad based plan, which is an irrigation and stock water-based CAD programme. They also use a GPS to gain certain waypoints such as tank or pump sites, certain trough sites and any further relevant information such as tracking pipeline which helps with the accuracy of the design process. Additional mapping tools via Google Earth and LINZ Mapping are utilised for accuracy and analysing topography. Information farmers need to consider when planning a stock water system is: climate, elevation, paddock sizes, accessibility, stock numbers—including considering what the future or potential numbers for the property might be, numbers in a mob or herd that the stock would be running in, source of water and pump or gravity fed capability to run the system. The design and planning phase is critical to getting the best result, so a Hynds designer will work directly with a farmer to go through all the relevant information required to ascertain what sort of stock water system a farmer is looking at and what might be required for the property. Following an initial discussion an on-farm visit is arranged, where the designer will representative, who in turn will contact the Hynds Stock Water design service.

IMAGES: Sir David Fagan, Hynds Rural brand ambassador