Boosting Crop Production by Spreading Effluent
Tararua district farmer Jamie Harris milks around 400 cows using a split calving system on his farm, Crossdale Dairies.
The 15,000m3 bag (or bladder) was developed in the Netherlands to comply with regulatory demands for farms to cut greenhouse gases, and to help recover more nutrients and energy from animal waste.
Originally designed for sludge, the Ecobag in NZ is seen as ideal for holding dairy yard-wash water.
It has been used 60 years in many countries and is certified internationally for farm use, Technipharm says.
The Ecobag recently won an innovation award at the Eurotier animal production exhibition in Hanover, Germany.
Technipharm suggests using it to handle ‘greenwash’, either with the company’s Dungbuster greenwash system or with flood washing.
A Rangiora farm recently commissioned such a system: the new conversion has two Ecobag systems -- a 1000m3 system for collection and re-use of greenwash, and a 3000m3 system for longer term storage and re-injection into the irrigation system.
This 4000m3 Ecobag system was preferred over a 7000m3 open pond system originally recommended, Technipharm says. The bag will increase the farm’s nutrient recovery, increase its N efficiency and reduce its fresh water use.
Meanwhile another Technipharm development is the Flextank effluent storage system specifically for peat and unstable ground.
This simple ‘roll out’ and pump system allows rapid installation of effluent storage without a lot of extra cost, the company says.
Earthworks are minimal, and it provides storage close to the dairy –often within the stipulated 45m zone because it exposes no pathogens to air.
A solar panel-driven Oloid mixing system keeps the stored effluent in suspension.
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