With the Waikato and Waipa rivers catchments due to face new targets and limits for water quality, farmers are being encouraged to be proactive over environment-related changes to their operations.

Meetings in Waikato in May will offer farmers a say on Waikato Regional Council’s ‘Healthy Rivers Plan for Change’, which could affect their future.

The Waikato Regional Council plans to hold another farm planning and environmental sustainability field day after the success of their last event at the Kaniwhaniwha Stream.

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.