Efficient Irrigation Improves Pasture Productivity
Increased competition for water means the whole community is looking at how irrigators use water.
This is the intended outcome of the industry’s certification of dairy effluent assessors. It enables dairy farmers to confidently choose suitably trained, competent professionals to assess their farms’ systems.
These assessors will spend three-four hours looking at a farm system following a consistent methodology, then issue a WoF if all is well.
The assessors will examine a farm’s effluent consent or permitted rules to ensure it is complying with all requirements. They will also look at the farm’s nutrient budget, run the dairy effluent storage calculator to estimate if there is sufficient storage, and assess all catchment areas, particularly stand-offs and feedpads.
Application depth and rate test of the farm’s irrigation system will also be examined. The farmer gets a full report detailing areas of concern, why and suggested actions.
There are good reasons why a farmer should get a certified WoF, says DairyNZ.
Many farmers have upgraded their effluent systems themselves and a thorough check will determine whether they now comply.
In the event of a farm sale or purchase, best to get an independent report to determine what upgrading is needed.
For a sharemilker moving onto a farm, being able to see a WoF report means he will know what kind of system he is taking on.
There are no laws or rules that require a farmer to obtain a dairy effluent WoF; it is voluntary, much like a building inspection.
The assessor checks the entire farm, looking at where effluent collects and the corresponding infrastructure, e.g. feedpads, underpasses, storage ponds and the irrigation network.
DairyNZ says the WoF is different from council inspections and Fonterra checks: it is more thorough than either of these, and is practical and diagnostic.
For instance, the assessor will insert a flow meter and pressure gauge into the main line to see if there is a problem with the pump. They also inspect a farm’s irrigator, test application depth and average rate, and calculate the amount of storage for the farm’s effluent management system.
A list of certified assessors is available online. www.effluentwof.co.nz.
