Piggery effluent polluting stream
Waikato Regional Council has sought an interim Enforcement Order from the Environment Court to stop piggery effluent from entering a waterway north of Te Aroha.
A staged approach to a comprehensive effluent system delivers on all counts, says a Kereone farmer.
“Staging various aspects is easier on your budget, especially in tough times, and doing the right thing at the right time ensures compliance,” Geoff Irwin says.
Irwin called in Hi-Tech Enviro Solutions in 2012 to solve a storage issue on his 270 cow farm.
“I didn’t have enough storage and wanted to resolve this before it became a compliance issue. I also wanted to limit the amount of rainwater entering the system and wanted to add a stone-trap which, with the additional storage, would make the overall system more flexible.
“At the time I was just wanting to store effluent from the dairy shed but I was planning to grow the herd to about 320 cows and build a couple of herd homes, so I wanted a system which would future-proof the farm.
“The result was a 2000m3 lined pond for the effluent from the dairy, and allowing pond water to be used to dilute the effluent from the herd homes (built in 2016) before it was pumped onto pasture.
“The pond has a five-drum pontoon with floating pipe system which connects the pontoon to the shore, limiting access onto the pontoon and allowing me to move it around the pond for optimum pumping and agitation.
“The new storage system worked well but getting effluent out onto pasture was still a manual job which involved dragging lines from paddock to paddock.
“I also had an issue getting effluent to the back of the farm so in 2016 Hi-Tech designed and installed a 1.6km hydrant line which enabled fertiliser to be easily and quickly spread across the entire farm. Trenching in the permanent hydrant line was a huge saving in time and labour.”
Irwin’s effluent system includes the five-drum pontoon with floating delivery, a vertical stirrer, 11kW Doda pump and a Cobra travelling rain gun.
“The Cobra achieves low application depths and rates but also spreads over large distances. It doesn’t have long boom arms so it’s easy to move around and set up.
“The entire system is cost effective, easy to manage and works well for us. Having a lined storage pond gives storage for when conditions aren’t suitable for applying effluent to pasture, and allows us to have more control and apply the effluent at the optimum time to maximise pasture growth and nutrient utilisation.”
Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford is claiming “some real success” on the 12 policy priorities it placed before the Coalition Government.
Federated Farmers is throwing its support behind the Fast-track Approvals Bill introduced by the Coalition Government to enable a fast-track decision-making process for infrastructure and development projects.
The latest report from ANZ isn’t good news for sheep farmers: lamb returns are forecast to remain low.
Divine table grapes that herald the start of a brand-new industry in Hawke’s Bay have been coming off vines in Maraekakaho.
In what appears to be a casualty of the downturn in the agricultural sector, a well-known machinery brand is now in the hands of liquidators and owing creditors $6.6 million.
One of New Zealand’s deepest breeder Jersey herds – known for its enduring connection through cattle with the UK’s longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II – will host its 75th anniversary celebration sale on-farm on April 22.
OPINION: Talking about plant-based food: “Chicken-free chicken” start-up Sunfed has had its valuation slashed to zero by major investor Blackbird…
OPINION: Synlait's financial woes won’t be going away anytime soon.