Iron contamination in dairy farm water supplies causes turbidity problems that lead to water restrictions, says Waikato milking technology company Longveld. 

Safety around effluent ponds is essential. In general the Health and Safety in Employment Act (1992) rules bear on ponds’ operation rather than their design and construction, so they affect the pond owner more than the designer or builder.

Diary farmers in the Waipa River catchment are being offered free consultancy to develop environmental plans as part of a project to improve the health of the Waikato River. 

LIC is joining forces with Precision Farming Ltd, supplier of GIS-based systems that manage the application of farm nutrients to optimise pasture growth including fertiliser and effluent.

An app which sends out a daily text message to dairy farmers can completely eliminate the risk of them receiving a hefty fine for spreading too much effluent on their farms but can also save them money of fertiliser.

Good effluent management requires having a well-designed system and processes for workers to ensure the effluent collected is applied to pasture in the right quantity at the right time, says DairyNZ.

Last month saw the release of the 2013-14 DairyNZ Economic Survey, which contains a wealth of data on the average physical and financial performance of 301 randomly selected owner-operator herds during the 2013-14 season. 

Calves that suckle on Peach Teats have higher growth rates than those which don’t, according to trials commissioned by its maker Skellerup.

Feed supplier GrainCorp Feeds has teamed with independent research and technical specialist Dairy Club to help GrainCorp dairy farmer customers using supplementary feed to achieve maximum profit.

Think again about the benefits to be gained from farm environmental planning, says consultant Charlotte Glass.