The Waikato Regional Council is urging farmers help stop the spread of dangerous weeds in the Waikato region.

Nearly 60 exhibitors are lining up for this year's Waikato Effluent Expo at the Mystery Creek events centre near Hamilton next Tuesday 17 March.

In a controversial Waikato case, a judge has told the dairy industry to step up in on educating farmers about environmental responsibilities including disturbing stream beds.

An award winning Waikato sharemilker who copped a $16,875 fine for mistakes made in an environmental farm clean-up should never have been taken to court, says a Waikato Regional councillor.

DAIRY FARM effluent grows in value as fertiliser prices rise, says Waikato Regional Council. In its publication ‘Effluent management; for the health of our waterways and groundwater’, the council urges farmers to treat effluent as a fertiliser, but carefully because it lacks balance, being very high in potassium.

ABOUT 90% of Waikato’s 2600 dairy farmers have lodged dairy shed water-take consent applications. The Waikato Regional Council is urging the remainder to apply before the December 24 deadline.

RURAL CONTRACTORS New Zealand (RCNZ) says it endorses recent warnings by Waikato Regional Council (WRC) that agrichemical contractors operating without certification are breaching regulations.

Major recycling opportunities exist for rural waste, according to a new report.

THE WAIKATO REGIONAL Council has confirmed it will suspend use of helicopters for monitoring dairy farm effluent compliance pending a review of its methods for checking farmers are working within the rules to protect waterways.

HAVING ADEQUATE storage to stop effluent being sprayed on to pasture at the wrong time is starting to become the new normal for Waikato dairy farmers, says the author of a report to Waikato Regional Council's environmental performance committee.