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Dairy farm effluent should be treated as a fertiliser, but carefully.
Dairy farm effluent should be treated as a fertiliser, but carefully, because it is not a balanced fertiliser, being very high in potassium.
This can lead to higher leaching levels of magnesium and subsequent animal health problems if potassium soil test levels are high.
According to Waikato Regional Council, 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 dairy effluent is also necessary for the health of 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," the council says.
"Dairy 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 runoff is high. This substantially reduces the risk of overflows to surface water and maximises plant nutrient uptake.
Effluent storage facilities should be sealed to the required standard of 1 x 10-9 m/s. Storage should be correctly sized for your individual farm system and management.
• Having adequate storage means that you:
• Can defer irrigation in wet weather
• Lower the risk of ponding, run off and leaching in wet weather
• Irrigate when plant uptake is maximised
• Can irrigate in dry weather
• Can store effluent during mechanical breakdown
Have less stress during busy times, e.g. calving. Increasing your effluent area means that you:
• Spread nutrients further, reducing fertiliser requirements and associated costs
• Slow the buildup of potassium in effluent paddocks which can lead to animal health problems in the early spring
• Have more flexibility in grazing around effluent applications and safer withholding periods prior to grazing.
The Pond Calculator is an excellent tool if you are building a new effluent pond. Accredited effluent system designers will assist in matching all components of effluent management to your farming system.
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