Dairy NZ

Be proactive with your environment

• Optimise soil fertility for your farm by making sure you are in the target nutrient range and only apply fertiliser where necessary to keep them there.  Utilise your Nutrient Budget when updating the fertiliser recommendation.  Discuss with your fertiliser advisor
• Be proactive to prevent pasture and soil damage due to grazing wet soils. If using on-off grazing, ensure all effluent is contained and managed
• Measure the application depth your effluent applicator is applying. Adjust to avoid ponding, runoff and contamination of surface or sub surface water.  Aim to keep effluent in the root zone
• Ensure the application depth meets consent or permitted activity conditions
• Walk the whole effluent system to check for any faults or damage in the system. Repair any faults immediately
• Look for opportunities to reduce water use around the farm dairy as you can dramatically reduce your effluent volumes.

Tip: Take action on the issues and opportunities identified from the DairyNZ Farm Enviro Walk and  the DairyNZ Compliance Checklist. 

For more information, download or order the Spring Survival Guide here.