Scott Farm | DairyNZ

Welcome to DairyNZ's Scott Farm - Effective farming systems for dairy farmers.

Focus

DairyNZ's larger scale farming systems research trials are based at Scott Farm.

A main feature of Scott Farm is an Advanced Ponds System (APS) for treating dairy wastewater from both Lye and Scott Farms. Research trials to utilise nutrients from these effluent ponds are also conducted on this farm.

Farm profile

Milking cows:	340 (Subject to scientific requirements)
Research focus:	Large scale farm systems trials
Soil type and fertility:	Peaty loams, Sandy loams, Silt loams
Dairy Infrastructure:	44 bail Turn-style Alfa Laval Agri Harmony & ALPRO milking system Zenith turnstyle platform with SUPERDEK Milking point controller (MPC) at each bail recording for each cow: Time the cups were put on and removed Time to milk letdown Peak milk flow Milking length Automatic cluster removal Facilities for 6 vats to allow collection from individual groups Cows are fitted with transponders and on entry to platform through a 'curtain', each is identified The walls of the dairy are constructed from colorsteel sandwich panel which has a polystyrene core

Effluent processing 'environmentally friendly' 10-pond system

Lye and Scott Farm's dairy effluent is piped to a 'environmentally friendly' 10-pond system on Scott Farm.

An Advanced Ponds System (APS), designed by NIWA, is used for treating farm dairy wastewater.

Overview of Advanced Ponds System.
Primary effluent enters at left, treated water exits the series of ponds at right.

E.coli bacteria count is becoming increasingly important in dairy farm effluent. Ideally, treatment of dairy wastewater should be so effective that when the effluent is discharged and mixed with streams, the E.coli count should be low enough to swim in.

APS ponds are in 4 stages

Stage 1: Fermentation pit for raw effluent

These ponds allow for sedimentation and methane fermentation.

Stage 2: High-rate pond

This is a large, shallow high-rate pond with baffles and a paddle wheel to keep the water circulating. The shallow water allows maximum penetration of sunlight for algae to grow, photosynthesise and produce oxygen, as well as for killing bacteria.

The large, shallow high-rate pond in the APS system, with baffles and a paddle wheel to keep the water circulating.

Stage 3: Settling ponds

Water moves on from high-rate ponds to algal settling ponds, where algae settle out to be harvested as high-nutrient, slow-release fertiliser. Alternatively, the algae can be returned to the fermentation pit.

Stage 4: Maturation pond

The maturation pond is large and shallow, about a meter deep, where the water undergoes final disinfection from solar ultraviolet light, protozoa grazing and sedimentation. The resulting water is of sufficient quality to use as washwater, irrigate farmland or discharge into waterways.

Source: Dairy Exporter, February 2004, p14

Key research projects

Most research work at Scott Farm is focused on large scale farm systems trials.

Resource Efficient Dairy (RED) trial

The aim of the RED (Resource Efficient Dairying) trial is to measure the economic and environmental effects of different feed inputs and management processes on a dairy farm. This farm systems trial started in 2001 and was completed in 2008. The trial design was based on 6 farm systems with feed inputs that varied from 17 to 40 t DM/ha/year, and with stocking rates varying from 3 to 7 cows/ha. >>Read more

Effluent pond aquatic plant production

Lye and Scott Farm dairy effluent is piped into a new advanced Pond System designed for efficient dairy-farm effluent treatment (see above). The ponds incorporate technology for growing algae and duckweed - aquatic plants that mop up nutrients in the effluent.

Besides purifying effluent wastewater, algae and duckweed could become high protein feed supplements having crude protein contents of 40-45%.

Research, funded by DairyNZ measures seasonal dry matter yields, dry matter and protein contents, faecal bacteria and heavy metal contents of these aquatic plants.