Friday, 26 November 2021 08:55

'Free fertiliser' from the pond

Written by  Staff Reporters
A crust-free effluent pond allows hasslefree irrigation of nutrients to paddocks. A crust-free effluent pond allows hasslefree irrigation of nutrients to paddocks.

Otorohanga farmer Grant Mitchell milks 176 cows once-aday throughout the year, so good grass growth is crucial.

To keep the grass growing, Mitchell has been tapping into “free fertiliser” from his effluent pond for the past 10 years.

Effluent is sprayed onto 7ha of the farm at a time and within a week the cows can graze that area.

To make sure that the effluent is easily irrigated, Mitchell says he has been using the Impact effluent treatment from Bioworks, pouring five litres of the product into the pond every month.

Mitchell built the 1200 cubic metre effluent pond in 2009. The pond became anaerobic not long after he started using it and a thick crust formed on top.

“There was even grass growing on top of the crusted pond,” he told Dairy News.

Irrigating the crusty effluent wasn’t easy, he says. Cows were also delaying their moving to grazing paddocks sprayed with the crusting effluent. The odour from the pond was also becoming an issue.

“You couldn’t put cows onto an irrigated paddock until about three weeks after the cannon had been in the paddock,” he says.

Mitchell started looking for solutions, settling on Impact because it is formulated to speed up the pond’s natural oxidation process.

“The crust went away leaving just green water in the pond. We put them in paddocks now and the cows are there next week munching away.

“There’s no need for a stirrer now, there’s no crust and Impact does its own job. We are getting green, mixed effluent going on the grass and it’s all rich fertiliser.”

Mitchell says the bad smell has gone away.

“When I look at the pond now, it’s just full of green water. I can see bubbles coming up and I know the bacteria are doing their stuff under water.”

Making An Impact

Results of treatment:

  • Reduced sludge, crust and odour
  • Requires once a month dosing
  • Just pour into pond
  • Non-hazardous
  • Reduced chance of pond liner damage
  • Better nutrient availability
  • Graze sprayed pasture sooner.

More like this

Data connection made easier

New Holland and Case IH are introducing new advancements in their precision technology stack to make farming easier and more efficient for customers.

Fresh looking Farmall C models

Ready to be unveiled at Italy’s EIMA Show in November, the 2025 Case IH Farmall C models will deliver not only a fresh look, but also enhanced performance and precision farming solutions.

Landpower increases its offering

Landpower and the Claas Harvest Centre network will launch the Claas Scorpion and Torion material handling solutions to the market in October, in a move to offer greater choice for farmers and contractors looking for the right fit for their operation.

A formidable duo for tillage

The new Lemken Solitair MR series mounted drills, available in three or four metre working widths, features a 1500-litre tank, which is suitable for fertiliser even in its basic configuration.

When compaction is a good thing

Good silage starts by cutting the crop at the correct growth stage, followed by reducing moisture content, chopping to a consistent length, then stacking in a clamp.

Featured

State farmer opens pathway to ownership for more Kiwis

In a landmark move, the state-owned farmer Pāmu (Landcorp) is making four of its 44 dairy farms available for people wishing to take up various contracts including herd-owning, share milking, variable order share milking and contract milking.

Coming to a beach near you!

The popular Surfing for Farmers programme, which gives farmers a well-earned break from life on the farm, starts its eighth season from November 5.

MilkHub sold

Milk vat manufacturer DTS is selling its dairy automation business to MilktechNZ.

National

DairyNZ levy to increase?

Retiring chair Jim van der Poel has used his final AGM to announce the intention to increase the DairyNZ farmer…

Former Fonterra CEO dies

Former Fonterra chief executive Theo Spierings passed away in the Netherlands over the weekend.

Graduate brings passion for farming

Rhys Dawson will join Perrin Ag in 2025 as the firm’s newest graduate recruit, bringing a passion for inter-generational agribusiness…

Machinery & Products

Data connection made easier

New Holland and Case IH are introducing new advancements in their precision technology stack to make farming easier and more…

A formidable duo for tillage

The new Lemken Solitair MR series mounted drills, available in three or four metre working widths, features a 1500-litre tank, which…

When compaction is a good thing

Good silage starts by cutting the crop at the correct growth stage, followed by reducing moisture content, chopping to a consistent…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Feed from farmers

OPINION: The country's dairy farmers will now also have a hand in providing free lunch for schools.

Brighter future

OPINION: The abrupt departure of Synlait chief executive Grant Watson could be a sign that Chinese company Bright Dairy, the…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter