Dairying

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Environment Southland wants to work with farmers and industry to develop effluent strategies that will result in achieving the community's goals for water quality and dairy farmers' compliance with their resource consent conditions.

To help dairy farmers manage farm dairy effluent, the Farm Dairy Effluent booklet was produced and aims to achieve the following:

  • Guidance on storage of dairy effluent, including construction of storage ponds.
  • Advice on management and maintenance of irrigation systems, including information about low application systems such as K-line.
  • Guidance on how to comply with consent conditions, particularly those concerning effluent application rates.
  • Information about soil types, topography and the risk of surface runoff, leaching or flow into tile drains.
  • Advice on minimising water use and total effluent volume.
  • Advice on nutrient management.

Require a Consent?

Download our Farm Environmental Management Plan Template as this will assist you in the preparation of your farm plan to meet the requirements of your resource consent.

Farm Environmental Management Plan Template

Farm Environmental Management Plan Template

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Farm Environmental Management Plan Template (43.42 KB)

Case Studies

K-Line

K-Line Case Study

Hugh and Monica Luoni realised that whilst tile drains were an effective form of drainage, there were major environmental impacts such as green tile drain discharges associated with conventional effluent irrigation. Therefore, K-line irrigation has been used in an attempt to minimise these impacts, resulting in increased pasture growth.

Hugh and Monica have been using nutrient budgeting for 3 years. Economic benefits have been limited on the majority of the farm because of a capital fertiliser programme...

K-Line Case Study

K-Line Case Study

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K-Line Case Study (175.22 KB)

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Travelling Irrigator

Travelling Irrigator Case Study

Vaughan and Megan Templeton farm next to the sea, on sandy loam soils. These soils are very susceptible to nutrient leaching. Since converting the farm to dairy in 2002, the Templetons have focused on using effluent to build up soil humus levels, as well as maximising the utilisation of the valuable nutrient resource in effluent. Eco-N has also been used to increase the nutrient use from effluent.

Three years ago, the Templetons completed a nutrient budget using the Overseer programme. This helped to refine the fertiliser policy on farm but most benefit was achieved...

Travelling Irrigator Case Study

Travelling Irrigator Case Study

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Travelling Irrigator Case Study (154.15 KB)

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Agricultural Effluent Ponds

Environment Southland has prepared and publicly notified Variation No. 6 (Agricultural Effluent Ponds) to the Proposed Regional Water Plan for Southland (The Southland Times, 28 March 2009). The purpose of the Variation is to incorporate a new policy and rule regarding the design and construction of agricultural effluent ponds into the Plan. Read more about the pond construction rule on the Water Plan page.

Do you have a complaint, request, or compliment? We welcome your feedback.