Jim and Jackie Anderson
Jim and Jackie Anderson applied a little ingenuity to solve the
problem livestock producers have with providing clean water to their
herds all year long.
Cattle raisers near Rimbey, Alberta (northwest of Red Deer), the
Andersons know getting water to their cattle through the entire calendar
year is not easy. Dugouts and other water sources freeze in winter,
solar-powered water pumps often fail during cloudy periods, and watering
the cattle directly from a stream or pond can leave a muddy,
manure-filled water source.
The
Andersons spent countless hours exploring ways to graze their cattle on
a waterless quarter-section of land, without using electricity. Already
familiar with existing nose pumps (the so-called pasture pumps which
cattle push to pump water from a remote water source into a drinking
trough), Jim knew he had to find a way to let the water drain away so
that the pump didnt freeze in winter. In 1999, he began designing the
Frostfree Nosepump™ and emerged with working models of the design soon
after.
The Andersons worked with engineers from the Alberta Research Council
(ARC) to fine-tune their design. The ARC staff helped refine some of the
mechanical systems that help draw water from the source to the pump
collection. The pumps were tested on the Andersons herd of cattle, and
the response, which showed the cows drinking easily from the new pump,
encouraged the couple to produce more of the innovative devices.
The pump hit the market in 2002, and attracted a lot of media
attention from agricultural publications as well as local radio.
Jackie Anderson has been directly involved with the marketing of the
Frostfree Nosepump, and has fielded inquiries from as far away as
Argentina and New Zealand. The reviews from the Andersons peers in the
ranching community include high praise for the pumps ease of
operation and the ability to keep water sources clean.
Watering Cattle All Year Round
The Heritage Community Foundation is pleased to present this episode
of the Innovation Alberta radio series, courtesy of Porcupine Stone
Productions and Cheryl Croucher.
Jim and Jackie Anderson from Rimbey, Alberta talk about the benefits
of the Frostfree Nosepump.
Listen
Sources:
This article also has an audio link, as well as a photo of the Andersons
with the nose pump.
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