Resources for Environmental Advisors
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2 min read
As an environmental advisor in the dairy sector, your expertise plays a vital role in guiding farmers toward more resilient and sustainable farming practices. To support your work, these tools and resources help you assess, plan, and advise, to improve environmental outcomes. These resources are designed to help you deliver clear, data-driven support that empowers farmers to make informed decisions. Use them to strengthen your impact and support sustainable farm success.
Your go-to tools and resources are here
If you are short on time, start with these quick links to the most used resources.
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Good farming practices for environmental management guide
Anchor your advice with the industry-agreed foundation for good farming practices across ten key environmental areas.
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Managing on-farm greenhouse gas emissions
Guide farmers through emissions reduction options tailored to their farm systems with actions that maintain productivity.
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Quick guide to reducing your environmental footprint
A summary of nine practical actions to boost farm efficiency and sustainability —ideal for hands-on work with farmers driving change.
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Nutrient management on your dairy farm
Share the farmer’s guide to understanding how nitrogen and phosphorus enter, cycle through and leave your dairy farm.
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Waterway technical notes
Practical freshwater solutions for farmers. This science-based guide covers fencing, planting, and erosion control to support tailored advice and healthier waterways.
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Dairy effluent storage calculator
The calculator uses measurements from the farm, including farm management and milking practices, to determine the volume of storage required for the FDE system.
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Effluent system design
Read more about the effects of landscape and climate on effluent management, soil assessment techniques, effluent technology and tools, energy capture systems, and using recycled dairy effluent water.
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Effluent storage considerations
With a well-designed storage system, you'll provide farmers peace of mind, improved irrigation, efficient use of nutrients and water, and enhanced environmental protection.
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Effluent management and operation
Set farmers up for success with a well-designed system and a process to ensure the right amount of effluent gets applied to pasture at the right time.
What's timely
Ground your nitrogen advice in a clear next step
Use the catch crops webpage and resources to add a clear, practical option to your conversations about managing nitrogen loss after grazing. It gives you something tangible to bring to the table when you’re talking through high-risk paddocks and where catch crops could make the biggest difference.
Read more on Catch Crops here, or compare gross margins and costs using the catch crop gross margin calculator.
Turn wintering best practice into a practical on-farm plan
A successful winter is much easier when everyone has a clear, shared plan. Looking to achieve the following outcomes with farmers?
- Planning for how cows will cope in wet conditions.
- Improving cow lying time, grazing movement, and access to shelter and water, to prevent issues before they arise.
- Identifying risks such as critical source areas and areas prone to pugging early.
- Supporting paddock layouts and grazing approaches that protect soils and waterways while maintaining cow comfort.
- Gradually transitioning cows onto crop and using practical grazing strategies to reduce both animal and environmental stress as conditions tighten.
The winter grazing plan helps turn the following conversations into a practical plan that everyone can work from.
Explore more tools to strengthen your advice and support farmers
Support impactful conversations on wintering systems
Support farmers to improve their wintering systems with practical guidance and planning tools. Review the farmer guide and learn how to set up for effective, sustainable winter grazing.
Back up your advice when supporting on-farm decisions that improve water quality
Continue to support farmers with practical, science-backed advice on managing nutrients, reducing nitrogen loss, and protecting waterways, while keeping productivity on track with the resources below:
Discover what's driving better farm systems
Stay informed with the latest research designed to support your high-quality, reliable advice alongside farmers. Discover insights into greenhouse gas emissions in pasture-based systems, and the role of plantain in improving animal health and reducing environmental impact. Dive into results that connect emissions reduction with farm profitability. The best advice starts with this great research:
Optimise pasture performance to support sustainable and profitable goals
Use the resources below to guide conversations around emissions, feed efficiency, and business resilience:
See on-farm success in action with these environmental case studies
Leadership in profitability and sustainability
Justin and Melissa Slattery have been on their 100 ha farm at Elstow, between Tahuna and Paeroa for 6 years. Their approach to farming is to be good stewards of the environment through having simple systems that are resource efficient.
A real-life example on how to grow plantain as part of the dairy farm
Using plantain has resulted in a 5% reduction in N-loss for the Passey’s so far, as modelled in Overseer and based on an average of 10% plantain in the pasture sward.
Unlock insights shaping environmental decisions with these podcasts
A curated selection you'll find both relevant and thought-provoking for your role.
Looking for something else?
Explore the links below to return to the Rural Professional Hub, contact your local area manager, explore current research, or sign up for updates on upcoming events, resources, and insights to support your work with farmers.
