Young water science talent recognised
Third-year student Cady Burns has won the Waikato Regional Council Prize in Water Science for 2024.
Effluent is now an even more valuable resource, for its nutrient value continues to increase as fertiliser prices rise, says the Waikato Regional Council.
Therefore farmers should treat effluent as a fertiliser.
However, it needs to be managed with care because it is not a balanced fertiliser, being very high in potassium, it adds.
"This can lead to higher leaching levels of magnesium and subsequent animal health problems if potassium soil test levels are high.
"You can manage this risk by increasing the effluent area or by making silage on the effluent area and feeding it out on non-effluent areas of the farm."
Applying shed effluent at light rates will ensure stock feed intakes are not adversely affected.
Managing effluent is also necessary for the health of our waterways and groundwater, so knowing the regional council's rules for effluent management is important.
Under the Waikato Regional Plan you cannot exceed 25mm per application and 150kg of nitrogen from effluent per hectare per year.
"So you need to know how much your irrigator is applying and how concentrated your effluent is," it says.
Effluent must not discharge into surface water or contaminate groundwater. Having the capacity to store effluent before it is applied to land means effluent doesn't have to be applied during wet periods when the risk of surface ponding and run off is high.
This substantially reduces the risk of overflows to surface water and plant nutrient uptake is maximised.
South Waikato farm manager Ben Purua’s amazing transformation from gang life to milking cows was rewarded with the Ahuwhenua Young Maori Farmer award last night.
Bankers have been making record profits in the last few years, but those aren’t the only records they’ve been breaking, says Federated Farmers vice president Richard McIntyre.
The 2023-24 season has been a roller coaster ride for Waikato dairy farmers, according to Federated Farmers dairy section chair, Mathew Zonderop.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director general Ray Smith says job cuts announced this morning will not impact the way the Ministry is organised or merge business units.
Scales Corporation is acquiring a number of orchard assets from Bostock Group.
Family and solidarity shone through at the 75 years of Ferdon sale in Otorohanga last month.
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