Farm Environment Plan

Irrigation Water Optimisation

Hayden is undertaking irrigation training with Thelning Systems. On farm training is recorded for each staff member on a template. A library of training resources is available.

• K-Lines are being phased out to reduce application depth and environmental risk while maximising efficiency of water use. The majority of irrigators are now low rate pivots but there are still some K-lines which are shifted twice a day on a seven day return. These are on the flats and entire lines or individual pods with their own taps are proactively turned off where there is risk of run off or ponding.
  Operations manual for K-Line as well as the installation video are used for training.

Operating Procedures

1. Check forecast.

2. Measure soil moisture for irrigation trigger. Trigger at 30% indicated on the HS2. Soil moisture should go no lower than 25% and no higher than 33%. Saturation is 46%.

3. Check soil temperature when considering irrigation in August and in May.

4. If above conditions allow then start irrigator.

5. Record irrigation in the WhatsApp group.

6. Check for leaks or other failures.

Incident Report Procedure

1. Irrigation is monitored between 5am and 5pm daily during the course of the day. CSA's are monitored for run off in passing. There are two key points to check for run off on the CSA and Waterway Map.

2. When a leak, run off or ponding is discovered shut water off to leaking line.

3. Notify management and source resources needed such as parts, digger etc.

4. Repair, pressure test and continue to monitor before backfilling.

5. Record in Whats App group with a photograph.

Maintenance

Preseason checks are guided by a checklist.

Light maintenance is carried out by staff and recorded. A historic maintenance summary is available, and maintenance is recorded in WhatsApp.

Heavier maintenance is undertaken by engineer Johnny Grumball (027 488 2099).

Bucket Tests are carried out to assess performance of each pivot and Fixed Grid.

End of season checks include draining lines, detaching K-Lines from hydrants and moving to fence lines, and parking pivots in wind safe spots. 

Water Use (Non-Irrigation Water)

• Water use efficiency is to be assessed in Effluent management as part of the Dairy Effluent Storage Calculator.

• All stock water is reticulated, and troughs are maintained. 

• Flow meters and pressure guages are monitored to indicate leakage in the stock water system.

• All water is metered (including stock water).

• Secondary cooler water is recirculated through a closed loop chilled water system.

• Water is recycled as much as possible. Primary cooling water becomes wash water and then becomes green wash which washes the yard, and then is irrigated on pasture.

Soils and Nutrients

• Soils are managed to minimise the amount of nutrient that escapes the farm and becomes a pollutant, and to maximise the nutrient that stays within the root zone of the plants as a resource. Infiltration rate is optimised to minimise runoff.

• Critical Source Areas are managed by only grazing when dry, using a 5m buffer if wet, and monitoring for run off.

• The aim is to maintain good soil structure by using the relevant cultivation practices for the given situation, including stone picking, and minimise the period of soil exposure to wind and rain erosion.

• Minimum tillage cultivation is used where soil conditions allow, and if full cultivation is necessary slopes are worked across. Steep areas are avoided where possible and weather forecasts are considered when deciding on cultivation timing. Care is taken not to work soil into fine aggregate sizes and a 5m buffer is maintained to waterways. There is minimal delay between cultivation and sowing to minimise the time that soil is exposed.

• Run-out grass is cropped then renewed, except steeper paddocks which are renewed directly without cropping.

• Imported oriented to more hay than baleage.

• Feeding out is in trailers to achieve minimal wastage.

• Stock holding areas are positioned on dry rises away from CSA's.

  • P applications don't exceed 100kg P/ha and not spread in Jun or July. Waterways are avoided and run off points are monitored.

• Waterways are protected by fencing, vegetative strips, and detention dams.

• Pugging prevention is achieved by giving larger breaks in wet conditions and cows are allowed to leave longer residuals. Young grass is grazed only briefly and in dry conditions only to minimise damage to the softer soil.

• An understanding of nutrient loss is gained from  Overseer which has informed the prioritisation of fixed grid installation to replace K-line.

• Nutrient decisions are informed by agronomist recommendations and soil tests.

Nitrate

• Annual 190 N limit complied with using heat maps.

• All fertiliser including urea is self spread with proof of placement.

• Stock camps and trailer patches are avoided when spreading fertiliser.

• Applications are typically 60-120kg per hectare of product.

• Fertiliser is not spread on hot or windy days, or when rain is forecast. No fertiliser is spread during June or July except chicken manure, nor on compacted or saturated soils.

• Fertiliser is stored in a silo on-farm away from waterways and CSA's.

• All new irrigation is low rate with higher rate systems being progressively replaced.

• Stocking rate is maximum 4.1 cows per platform hectare.

• Crop rotations: run-out grass is cropped and put into a catch crop like oats as soon as practicable, then back into new grass to reduce N loss and maintain cover.

Phosphate

• Minimum tillage methods are used where possible but compacted soils are renovated. Cultivation is across slopes where it is safe to do so. Regrassing is by direct drilling.

• Detention dams work to reduce P loss down the CSA's. 

• Olsen P is managed at optimum levels through soil testing.

• Weather forecasts are checked before cultivating.

• DAP generally applied at 100kg per hectare which is 20kg per hectare of P.

Effluent

Effluent Discharge Area: 131ha.

The system features gravity feed from the shed through a solid separator to an effluent tank. 

There is a storm water diversion to minimise risk of overflow in rain events.

From the tank the effluent can be screened and filtered to inject into the pivots at 120psi, or alternatively it can run simultaneously through two pods at 100psi. When conditions do not allow application to pasture discharge is deferred.

Effluent is also used to operate the yard wash.

Safety features include pump control and fault notification via SMS with timer automation. The pump controller also automatically shuts off the pump if loss of pressure or flow occurs.

The pivots have backflow preventers.

The dairy shed makes use of recycled cooler water for wash down to minimise effluent quantity, and has a closed loop chilled water cooling system. Nozzles in the shed are operated at the lowest pressure and flow  at which they can be effective

No effluent is to be discharged within:

• 20m upwind of the farm boundary to prevent effluent crossing the boundary.

• 50m of any surface watercourse.

• 50m of any subsurface drainage.

• 100m of any water abstraction point (should any be established).

• 200m of place of dwelling or assembly not on the property - note effluent exclusion area.

Winter Grazing

No crop is grown on platform. A winter grazing plan will be developed for winter grazing at a run-off under permitted activirty rules.

Waterway and CSA Management