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.
With the agricultural sector realising that farm effluent is a resource rather than a nuisance, the company has changed its focus over the last decade completing training in farm dairy effluent system design and management in conjunction with Dairy NZ.
Around seven years ago, the company became Farm Dairy Effluent Design accredited. This allows Williams Engineering to design, install and commission a fully compliant effluent system from start to finish.
Over the past five years adequate effluent storage has been a big part of the business, starting with an onsite visit to develop a farm specific plan, utilising a range that includes precast in-house concrete panels for sand traps, bunkers and weeping walls etc, then specifying pumps, agitators, mainline systems, hydrants and a suitable irrigator for efficient application.
In the case of the irrigators, the Williams GB Magnum Travelling Rain gun Irrigator is the first of its kind, using a patented design to combine the performance of a static rain gun with the reliability of its Greenback travelling irrigator. The 8.5m wide boom can offer a wetted area of 45 to 90 metres, application depths of 3 to 25mm and handle flow rates up to 51,000 cubic metres/hour.
In particular, it delivers a wetted area that is more than twice as wide as a traditional travelling irrigator, with application rates and depths competitive with sprinkler systems
The Greenback Spider Travelling Irrigator can help increase pasture production utilising a simple speed change procedure with a choice of five travel speeds, allowing greater control of effluent application depths, with a minimum of 5mm, thus allowing greater control of soil absorption rates.
