Water quality results reinforce need for action
Hundreds of water samples taken from Ōtūwharekai Ashburton Lakes and streams over the past year confirm that water quality remains a concern, according to Environment Canterbury.
THE BENEFITS of keeping stock out of waterways with fencing can be boosted by a planted margin, which will help improve water quality.
Long dense grass, flax, sedges and rushes serve as a filter to help remove sediment, bacteria and nutrients (mostly phosphorus) from surface runoff. The planting shades narrow waterways (less than 2m) and improves the habitat for fish.
There are a number of locations where low planting will be most effective at improving water quality, such as along drains and small lowland streams that feed into main rivers; areas with significant runoff; and beside waterways strip grazed in autumn and winter.
Other ideal locations are beside vegetated drains in areas with poor soil drainage or pugging and moderate slopes, and where paddocks are cultivated.
In general, the steeper and longer the slope feeding into the waterway, or the more poorly drained the soil, the wider the planted area needs to be.
For gently rolling land, a margin width of 1-3m per 100m of slope feeding into the waterway is ideal. In areas with steeper slopes or poorly draining soils, a grassy margin of 10-15m per 100m of adjacent slope is recommended.
Getting plants in the ground
Here are some simple reminders to help get plants off to a good start:
Plant on an overcast, wet or windless day (if you can)
Handle plants carefully to avoid root damage
Set plants out to check for correct spacing
Dig a good size hole and loosen the soil
Set the plant in the hole and fill three quarters full. Give the plant a gentle lift to set the roots in a natural position and continue filling with soil, firming as you go
Stake plants to help find them again at weeding time.
Weed growth (especially gorse, broom and blackberry) can be a problem in low planting areas, so it’s important to manage it from the outset.
• This article is adapted from the fourth in a series of nine DairyNZ Farmfacts on managing waterways on farms. They can be viewed at www.dairynz.co.nz in the Farmfacts – environment section.
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.
OPINION: Scientists claim to have found a new way to make a substitute for cow's milk that could have a…
OPINION: The Irish have come up with a novel way to measure cow belching, which is said to account for…