A simple device could potentially lift the daily weight gains of livestock across the country.
And the fact it costs less than $600 is bound to get producers sitting up and taking notice.
Croc Trough Pump Systems offer solar pumping systems in two sizes that can be added to livestock troughs.
These pumps recirculate and oxygenate the water, while a magnetic softener separates particles that cause hard water, resulting in more palatable water for cattle and sheep.
By breaking up the surface tension, dust and debris aren't able to create a biofilm on the surface, in turn reducing the odour and improving the taste as the liquid isn't stagnant.
Animals don't drink as much when the water temperature is too hot so bringing cooler water to the surface also increases consumption.
Another added bonus is the growth of algae and harmful bacteria is slowed by recirculating water so troughs don't need to be cleaned as often.
Access to clean water sounds like a no-brainer and while pumps are commonplace in fish tanks, their use in livestock troughs has been almost non-existent.
It's something Croc Trough Pump Systems owner Chris Grieger has set out to change.
Mr Grieger is a motor mechanic by trade and spent 13 years working with Elders and Landmark at Katherine in the Northern Territory.
It was here he began to build and redesign troughs before moving to Adelaide two decades ago and starting his own rural merchandise business.
He started building troughs once more and sold this business to Onesteel Cyclone in Sydney before moving to Brisbane three years ago.
"While I was doing the troughs down south, everyone was using copper sulfate tablets to control algae in the troughs," Mr Grieger said.
"We know copper can be quite poisonous, especially for sheep, and it reacts with gal (galvanised steel), so we had to come up with another concept.
"It was only when we were at Beef Week seven years ago that I thought, 'there's got to be a better way of doing this' and that's when we came up with the design of the pump system."
It has been a fascinating, costly and trying journey for Mr Grieger.
Research abounds as to how nutritional changes and genetic selection can improve the quality of livestock but studies into just how important water quality is when it comes to stock health have been sorely lacking.
Mr Grieger has contacted agricultural departments and industry groups but found there was no appetite to conduct this research.
"I started researching what you could do to improve trough water - there's nothing out there," Mr Grieger said.
"Who knows how much poor quality trough water is costing the industry? From the research and development undertaken there is no doubt there can be significant financial gains.
"When you see how well the animals react to the moving water all the time and if they're drinking more, well, they're just going to be healthier and put on more weight from what we've seen."
Read more:
Mr Grieger has conducted small trials with his customers where possible and the results have been clear.
When using pumps to recirculate trough water, water consumption in both sheep and cattle has increased. In some cases this has been by up to 25 per cent.
Daily weight gain in cattle has gone up by 100 to 200 grams per day and in one trial cattle were eating less but gaining more weight.
Weight gain trials in sheep haven't been possible at this stage but water consumption increases are clear and stock appear more satiated.
Some producers have reported lambs in feedlots will meander around the troughs in the early morning waiting for the pump to start before drinking.
When moving livestock it can take up to two weeks for animals to adjust, however this adjustment period is greatly reduced when stock are put into pens with troughs that have pumps installed.
"Young lambs especially, if they come off of drinking out of dams then they come into a trough situation, it takes them awhile to learn how to drink out of troughs," Mr Grieger said.
"Livestock owners are reporting that when they bring lambs in from the paddocks, as soon as they hear that water running, they go straight to the trough, no problems at all. Transitions and inductions into yards and feedlots is negligible now."
Water remediation business BioRemedy has been working with Mr Grieger to distribute his products nationally and educate the agricultural sector about the importance of livestock water quality.
This has allowed Mr Grieger to focus on R&D as there are many variables to water quality, including salt and trace element levels as well as biological factors and bacteria.
Understanding how these variables impact the pump system is vitally important to him.
BioRemedy managing director Mike Thompson was on hand at the FarmFest field days, outside Toowoomba, Qld, showcasing the product to producers last month.
Mr Thompson said the response to the product had been excellent.
"There's particular interest with young people because they understand the meaning of fresh water and good health for the animal," he said.
"It's really getting momentum and the farmers are seeing that there's a real need for it.
"Once you have it, you sort of feel like that's a thing you should have always had."
The journey doesn't stop here for Mr Grieger, who has other trough modifications and projects in the works that he believes will significantly improve animal trough water and reduce costs for farmers.
"Some of the water I've seen in troughs, you could not expect animals to drink it," he said.
"It's a pretty big animal welfare issue from what I'm seeing and if they're not drinking, they just don't do well."
