Boosting Crop Production by Spreading Effluent
Tararua district farmer Jamie Harris milks around 400 cows using a split calving system on his farm, Crossdale Dairies.
The Dairy Effluent Spreading Calculator app provides dairy farmers and effluent spreading contractors with guidance around nutrient application rates based on the depth and type of effluent they apply.
The easy-to-use app ensures effluent nutrients can be applied with greater precision.
"It is important to ensure that the area of effluent application is appropriate for the amounts of nutrient being applied, which is where the app comes in" says DairyNZ sustainability team leader, Theresa Wilson.
There are two calculators in this app, the Quick Calculator which is for spray irrigation systems such as travelling irrigators and sprinklers, and an Advanced Calculator which is for slurry tankers and muck spreaders.
"The Quick Calculator allows you to choose the type of effluent you are spreading (each type has different standardised nutrient values and solids content) or if you have had your effluent tested, it allows you to enter those values. It gives the option to calculate spreading based on either nitrogen loading or application depth," says Wilson.
"The Advanced Calculator performs similar functions to the Quick Calculator but has more input fields to account for the additional variables for slurry tankers and muck spreaders."
"As well as nutrient loading, this calculator also determines the area required for spreading and the number of loads that are required."
The app, DairyNZ's first, is available for both Android and iPhone.
