Hose runner saves time and effort
Rakaia-based equipment manufacturer Pluck’s Engineering will soon start production of a new machine designed to simplify the deployment and retrieval of temporary water troughs used in winter break feeding.
An innovative dairy effluent management system is being designed to help farmers improve on-farm effluent practices and reduce environmental impact.
Farm trials are underway to ensure the technology works effectively across various farming environments.
Developed by Ballance Agri-Nutrients, Plucks Engineering and Southwater, the technology aims to address a significant environmental and regulatory challenge in New Zealand’s dairy sector. In addition, the by-product of the system is a nutrient and water source that can be recycled on farm.
“Incorrect disposal of effluent can land farmers with fines in the hundreds of thousands, and regulations restrict effluent application during rainy conditions, meaning farmers are often left with an issue to deal with,” says Stuart Kay, innovation lead at Ballance.
“This technology is designed to be a reliable, sustainable solution, transforming waste into a resource that improves compliance and lowers risk. By providing control over water and nutrients, we’re offering a pathway for more responsible and effective farm management.”
The new effluent management system, first conceptualised in 2020, offers dairy farmers an easy way to retrofit a practical solution to meet both current and future effluent storage and regulatory demands. As regulations evolve, farmers often need to renew their consents and invest in upgrading effluent systems to ensure adequate storage, control, and mapping.
Additionally, current regulations cap nitrogen application from effluent at 150 N/ha/year, meaning farmers must carefully manage their land area to avoid over application per hectare. The effluent system has been developed to aid farmers to specifically meet these requirements.
Plucks Engineering has been at the coal face of dairy effluent for nearly 30 years and says it knows and understands the burden dairy farm effluent can impose.
We love what we have developed together with our partners which removes all the stress for the farmer and gives them complete control of their effluent from day one, while removing all the risk and liability,” says Neil Pluck, managing director at Plucks Engineering.
Southwater’s core business is the dredging of municipal and industrial pond slurries into high-capacity dewatering systems to separate the water from solids. The project with Ballance and Plucks is a natural extension of the approach but with critical steps in the process being dairy specific.
OPINION: Farmers are rightly urging the Government to relax the rules around KiwiSaver and allow young farmers to use their savings towards purchasing either a house, cows or a farm.
Winning the 2025 New Zealand Share Farmers of the Year still hasn't sunk in for Thomas and Fiona Langford.
The grass may be growing again in the drought-stricken coastal area of Taranaki, but the outlook for many farmers there is far from rosy.
Doctors and rural women are welcoming the recent pre-budget announcement from the Government that it would be boosting funding to urgent and afterhours care facilities.
Over 300 farmers and rural professionals have gathered in Hamilton for the first DairyNZ Farmers Forum for this year.
Winter grazing is looming again and the Ministry for Primary Industries says it's going to increase proactive farm visits and provide practical advice for farmers in the lead up to the season.
OPINION: At the recent NZ Dairy Industry Awards, opposition leader Chris Hipkins made a surprise appearance.
OPINION: The Greens aren't serious people when it comes to the economy, so let's not spend too much on their…