My wife and I are beef cattle farmers in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

Two years ago, we enrolled in Virginia’s Agricultural Best Management Practice Cost-Share program. We used this state funding to fence our cattle out of the streams and develop a rotational grazing system. The program opened a huge door of opportunity for us to get water for our cows to parts of the farm that didn’t have any.

Livestock exclusion fence along Whiskey Creek in Churchville, Virginia, with cattle farmer Jeanne Hoffman and our Border Collie, Val. Photo credit R. Whitescarver

Historic Levels of Funding

Virginia this year provided a record amount of funding for its agricultural cost-share program, totaling more than $280 million over the next two years. On the Federal level, USDA is also receiving historic levels of investment in farm conservation practices. Private non-profit organizations are helping with funding and technical assistance as well.

In addition to benefitting farmers and cattle, these programs also prevent pollution of waterways from the Shenandoah River to the Chesapeake Bay. People downstream want clean water, and they are willing to pay for it through these robust programs.

Before we enrolled in Virginia’s cost-share program, our cows had one source of water–a creek on the north side of the farm. This meant we couldn’t make full use of our land. The cattle stayed near the creek to drink and were reluctant to walk almost a mile to graze on the south side of the farm.

Eliminate Calving Risk Areas

We have a cow/calf operation, and we didn’t want our cows calving near the creek. Steep banks and wetlands are dangerous places for newborn calves to learn how to nurse. We needed to fence the cattle out of the stream.

Cattle destroy streams by gouging the soil from the stream banks when they travel up and down the banks. They also pollute the water with nutrients and pathogens. Photo credit R. Whitescarver

Under the state program, conservation specialists helped us design a system of six watering stations strategically located throughout the farm.

We installed a mile of fencing to exclude our cows from the creek, a mile of internal fences to facilitate rotational grazing, and a mile of underground pipeline that feeds water under pressure from a well to the six new watering stations.

It was a huge endeavor for us, but we got a lot of help. We were reimbursed more than 100% of the costs through three programs that provided the funds and technical assistance such as engineering designs and site inspections during construction.

Rotational Grazing

The internal fencing and watering troughs help us to be more efficient, and profitable farmers. We prefer to rotate our cattle to new pastures, but we didn’t have water for the cows where we needed it. The internal fencing was designed to not only rotate the cows to new pastures but to also help us get the cows into the barnyard when we need to work them.

Jeanne at livestock watering corral #1. It has four gates that open to separate pastures. The water trough is a Richie, four-hole, frost-free trough. Photo credit R. Whitscarver

Why do farmers fence cattle out of streams? The number one reason is to get more abundant clean water for their cows distributed throughout the farm. The number two reason is to exclude cows from calving risk areas like steep banks along creeks and wetlands. That exclusion fence is good insurance against a dead calf.

Improve Bio-Security

The number three reason is to improve herd health. If the herd drinks out of streams the bio-security program to prevent diseases and infections is only as good as the worst farm upstream. At least 50% of all cattle ailments in the mid-Atlantic states are transmitted through the fecal-oral pathway. If an infected cow defecates in the water upstream, the cows downstream could drink contaminated water.

Number four: well-designed fences make it easier to get the cows into the barnyard.

We have a new cattle head-catch. It was funded by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay’s Healthy Steams Farm Stewardship Program. Jenny McGarvey, Alliance Forester, helped secure the funding. Photo credit R. Whitescarver

There are more reasons, but the bottom line is, that it’s the right thing to do because cattle destroy streams and pollute the water.

It’s all voluntary now. But come July 1, 2026, Virginia’s bovine bill (HB 1422) mandates that any farm with 20 cows or more must exclude them from all perennial streams. It’s a trigger law that goes into effect if the Chesapeake Bay clean-up plan has not been achieved.

Enroll Today

Livestock exclusion from streams is one of the most popular and cost-effective best management practices in Virginia. Right now, the funding and technical assistance are at historic levels. To learn more or to sign up contact your local Soil and Water Conservation District or your local USDA field office.

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