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.
New Zealand's farmers seem to have at last woken up and smelt the coffee.
They're realising that farmyard manure and dairy effluent have exceptional fertiliser value, and used wisely can greatly reduce inputs.
Many set-ups, particularly in the dairy sector, are being forced to meet increasingly tough environmental standards applied by local authorities; they are rightly concerned about runoff, groundwater contamination and destruction of local habitat.
Most 'new builds' must have a storage system to hold the effluent produced, particularly in wet seasons, and where ground conditions do not lend themselves to heavy traffic.
Unfortunately, the traditional method of application, centred on 'put it on thick lads, she'll be right' can result in two-thirds of the available N value being lost as ammonia emissions, losing the best part of the fertiliser value.
So it might pay to follow a lead from Europe: trials set up by the European Commission in 2013 looked at alternative methods of application and explored the best ways to reduce ammonia emissions.
These trials identified basically four ways to apply dairy liquid manures or slurries: the 'slap it on method', which resulted in losses of available N of up to 70%; application by dribble hose or trailing shoe applicators (losses 40% and 30% respectively); and shallow injection down to about 100mm (losses only 10%).
The findings mirror those in the Netherlands, which in the 1990s imposed mandatory injection for grassland. The results: ammonia emissions fell from 220 million kg in 1992 to 70 million by 1996 and 40 million kg by 2013.
So that foul smelling deposit excreted by Old Daisy – more often than not in the dairy shed when you're not looking – has serious potential to reduce input costs in these troubled dairy times. Stored properly and used wisely, with decent soil sampling en route, should help keep some businesses in the black.
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.
Telco infrastructure provider Chorus says that it believes all Kiwis – particularly those in the rural areas – need access to high-speed, reliable broadband.
World Veterinary Day falls on Saturday 27 April.
The Director General of MPI, Ray Smith says it's important for his department to celebrate the success of a whole range of groups and people around the country.
A small company which mobilised veterinarians around the country to deal with Mycoplasma bovis was one of the winners in this year's Biosecurity Awards, held at Parliament.
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