Irrigation brings joy

McKenzie, independent chairman of the Waitaki Irrigators Collective, was hosting a tour of the various types of irrigation schemes operating in the district as part of the 2016 Irrigation New Zealand conference and expo held in Oamaru.

Visitors stood at the top of Kokoamo Dairy farmers Matt and Julie Ross's farm admiring spectacular views of the Kakanui Mountains and Waitaki River valley surrounded by lush green paddocks.

The Ross's say the ability to have a guaranteed reliable water supply was an eye opener for them after farming elsewhere in the district and struggling with drought.

Buying their own farm near Duntroon in 2005 after four years of sharemilking, they have used irrigation to develop it and a neighbouring farm bought in 2012, to the point where they milk 1700 cows and produced 886,000kgMS last financial year from 580ha.

With a reliable irrigation supply, the Ross's felt a weight lifted of their shoulders, giving them the security to invest and develop the farm.

As dry land farms, their farms had only supported a couple of husband and wife teams; now they support ten full time staff. From the flow-on effect of all those extra families in the district the local schools are now expanding.

Local businesses are doing better in an area that was desolate and struggling in the 1970s and 80s before irrigation began.

The skills these families bring into the community also have additional benefits. Ross says his lawyer and surveyor have added value to his farm and to the whole community.

Sharemilkers of the Year in 2007, the Ross's also believe in succession planning for the farm, not just for the family.

With this in mind he fenced a 4ha wetland and planted 100,000 natives in it and now monitors the water quality of the water going in and out. With 2000ha draining into this wetland the outputs are consistently half of the inputs going into it and it is teeming with freshwater crayfish.

The Ross's champion good farming practices, saying you need to farm well; they have always prioritised the environment in their farming. Their extensive tree plantings for shelter challenge the generally held opinion that dairy farms are just big square grass blocks.

With the glimmering Waitaki River in the background, dairy farmer Rueben Allan farms 1500ha of what was once a dry land sheep block near Ikawai. Some 350ha of mostly hill country is irrigated and Allan is working on consent to irrigate another 700ha.

Because of the size of the farm and the challenging topography Allan practices 16 hour milking for his 2000 mostly Kiwi Cross cows. This works out as three milkings every two days and saves stress on the cows.

Producing 850,000kgMS a year Allan, believes he can strike a balance between dairying and the environment.

A hi-tech effluent system, maximising water efficiency, developing wetlands, fencing creeks and planting lots of natives minimise the impact on the environment.

Alan believes the 12 staff working on the farm have strengthened the community. Children from 12 different cultures now attend the school he attended, this diversity benefitting the district immensely, he says.

Elizabeth Soal, policy manager for the Waitaki Irrigators Collective, says irrigation has brought an extra $580 million into the district. This has forever changed a district that was once struggling to survive.