September 1999

Livestock operations have high traffic areas that become muddy or rutted during wet weather. Mud can be a problem wherever there is heavy equipment traffic. Muddy conditions can limit equipment mobility, hinder access to feed or manure and could also limit animal movement. Muddy conditions also have been shown to affect animal health and performance.

Livestock producers looking for solutions to problems with mud will find a new Agricultural Engineers Digest, Using All-Weather Geotextile Lanes and Pads, AED-45, from Midwest Plan Service (MWPS) to be a good resource. AED-45 recommends surfaces constructed with geotextile fabrics as a way to combat mud and the adverse conditions it creates. The publication provides a good overview of how to develop all-weather surfaces designed with geotextile fabric, which is a synthetically engineered spun or woven polypropylene material used below the surface of the soil to provide additional stability to the soil and to distribute loads over a wide area.

AED-45 illustrates some typical designs and common layouts for geotextile applications. It contains photographs depicting the proper way to install geotextile fabrics along with the engineering details of how to develop geotextile lanes and pads. The publication also presents a comprehensive example comparing five options for the surface of a cow lane showing the annual cost of investment .

The book sells for $4.00 and is available from Nancy Aitcheson, Plan Service Secretary, Agricultural Engineering Department, Farrall Hall, MSU, East Lansing, 48824, 517-353-3297. A no-cost office copy is also available from Nancy.

Howard Person