The Dairy Effluent Storage Calculator (DESC) is a software tool created by Massey University and Horizons Regional Council, to help determine the effluent storage requirements for a dairy farm. Many dairy farmers approach us to help them determine the storage requirements when installing a new effluent system. It is important to consider that the final […]
Freshwater Farm Plans (FW-FP) must include key information, such as administrative details, on-farm risks identification and assessment, risk management and an action plan. Below is a guide on how to build your FWFP, which is based on 3 key steps: Risk identification and assessment, Risk management and Action Planning. Guide to develop a FWFP 1. […]
Assurance systems are crucial mechanisms of the New Zealand economy and agribusinesses that ensure compliance with regulations, enable international trade, ensuring safety of products and operations, animal welfare, water quality, biodiversity, and many other aspects of farm management. Most of the programmes include common categories, but each of them is unique in terms of individual […]
Under the new Freshwater Farm Plans Regulations 2023, a farm operator must identify, map and describe Land Units (LU) on the farm, in order to identify risks of adverse effects of farming activities on freshwater or freshwater ecosystems. The farm operator must also assess for each LU, its inherent vulnerabilities and the risks from farming […]
Dairy effluent management is an important part of any dairy farm business as it represents a valuable resource for farmers to put nutrients back into soil. The effluents originated in the milking areas contain excreta, urine and water, as well as traces of milk and chemical products used for plant wash. Due to this, the […]
With new legislation on the horizon, some clarity is needed around the difference between an Integrated Farm Plan, Farm Environment Plan and Fresh Water Farm Plan. There is uncertainly around what exactly is required of farmers/orchardists and where their priorities lie. Integrated Farm Plans Integrated Farm Plans (IFP) encompass all modules of the Freshwater Farm Plan […]