Farm Environment Plan

Farm Details: 

Contacts

Farm Owner

Waitahanui Farms Ltd

115 Maheno-Kakanui Rd,

Maheno

rossrnz@hotmail.com

Ross & Donna Robertson

021 0232 7220

Home Farm 

115 Maheno-Kakanui Rd,

Maheno

Legal Description

LOTS 1-3 DP 421 PT CLOSED RD INTERSECTING SECS 72 73 SECS 68 72 PT SEC 69 BLK IV OTEPOPO SD 

Description:
Dairy Farm

NOIC and Kakanui irrigation.

Total Area: 112.68ha

Total Irrigation Area: 106.3ha

Pivot: 56.8ha

Fixed Grid: 6.2ha

K-line: 14.3ha

Hard Hose Gun: 29ha

Effluent: 46ha through part of pivot.

Woolshed Rd Block

No address - located opposite 114 Woolshed Rd, Reidston.

Legal Description

LOT 5 DP 507815 

Description:
Irrigated dairy support.

Total Area 48.9ha

Pivot: 34.2ha

Fixed Grid: 3.3ha

Currie Rd Block

No road address.

Legal Description

LOTS 4-5 DP 531000 SEC 1 SO 570553 

Description:
Dry land dairy support.

Total Area: 60.6ha

McCone Block

418 Maheno-Kakanui Rd, Kakanui

Legal Description

LOT 2 DP 462510 LOTS 40/41 PT 39 DP 156 PT SECS 82/83 199R BLK IV OTEPOPO SD 

Farm Description:
Irrigated dairy support.

Total Area: 106.2ha

Total Irrigated Area: 57.8ha

Pivot 57.8ha

Consents:

• Effluent Storage: permitted activity.
  Drop Tests
  DESC
  Visual Inspection

• Effluent Consent RM23.280.01
  Effluent Management Plan
  Effluent Storage has a Discharge to Air Permit RM13.062.01.V1 

• Winter Grazing Consent RM22.645.01
  Winter Grazing Plan

• Water Take - Home Farm RM24.036.01 To take and use surface water as primary allocation from the Kakanui River for the purpose of irrigation. 

• Surface Water Take - McCones RM23.877.01 To take and use surface water

Irrigation Management

Irrigation Design

Irrigation design by Baxter Irrigation.

Bucket Testing informs the application depth of each irrigator.

2023 Bucket Tests

• Dairy Farm Pivot applies 5mm

• Woolshed Rd Pivot applies 5mm

Irrigation Scheduling

An automatic soil moisture probe is used to measure soil moisture before irrigation is started, or restarted after rain to ensure soil moisture deficit can accommodate the irrigation application from each irrigation type as determined by bucket testing.

The Home Farm soil map is mostly Timaru (Timu_1a.2) on the hill which has a readily available water (RAW) of 30mm which is sufficient for K Line and Pivot. The flats are irrigated by hard hose gun on Pukeuri soils with a RAW also of 30mm.

The soil map at Woolshed Rd is mostly Waipara (Waip_1a.1) which also has a RAW of 29mm and therefore have sufficient capacity for the pivot.

McCones' soil map shows mostly Ngapara (Ngap_22a.1) with a RAW of 30mm with some Longbeach and Selwyn soils with RAW of 35mm and 31mm respectively which is sufficient for the pivot.

The soils therefore have capacity to hold water in the root zone from the irrigation types. The main risk is the hard hose gun on Pukeuri soil on the Home Farm flats which is being progressively replaced with fixed grid.

Irrigation applications are managed only

 by trained staff and are recorded online.

Irrigation Water Optimisation

Training is recorded for each staff member on a new farm training template. The manager also undertakes Irrigation NZ training online.

A library of training resources is available. 

Hard Hose guns are being phased out on the platform to reduce application depth and environmental risk. 

K-lines are operated on a six hour timer. These are shifted across the slope and lines are proactively turned off where there is risk of run off or ponding.

There is an operations manual for K-Line as well as the installation video which are used for training.

Pivot operators manual is in the door of the control panel. 

The fixed grid schedule is optimised to apply more in drier areas and less in wet areas. 

There are Hard Hose Gun operating procedures.

Operating Procedures

1. Check forecast.

2. Measure soil moisture for irrigation trigger.

3. Check soil temperature when considering irrigation in August and in May. Record temperature online if measured.

4. If above conditions allow then start irrigator.

5. Record irrigation application.

6. Check for leaks or other failures.

Incident Report Procedure

1. Irrigation is monitored between 5am and 5pm daily. CSA's are monitored for run off in passing.

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 maintenance.

Maintenance

Preseason checks are carried out and checked again after first start-up for blockages and leaks.

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

Heavier maintenance is undertaken by Baxter Irrigation.

Bucket Tests are carried out to assess performance of each irrigator.

Fixed Grid is monitored for correct performance. Spare radios and batteries are kept to swap out non-communicative or failed units.

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

Soils and Nutrients

• Waitahanui is 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.

• Nutrient and agronomy decisions are guided by advice from Hamish Campbell based on soil tests.

• All nutrients are applied by contractors with GPS guidance and proof of placement.

• Nutrients are not applied to compacted or pugged soil.

• Waterways are avoided when applying nutrients.

Nitrogen

• The 190kg N limit is adhered to using heat maps on Hawkeye.

  • Agronomy Advice - Nutrient Plan

  • Home Farm Nitrogen

  • Currie Rd Nutrient Plan

  • Woolshed Rd Nutrient Plan

  • 2023 Fertiliser Summary

  • 2023 Nutrient Report

Phosphorous 

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

• Platform and support block re-grassing program every 5 to 10 years – spray and direct drill.

• Will Maxi till if paddock needs it or if paddocks needed contoured.

• The aim is to maintain good soil structure by using the relevant cultivation practices for the given situation, and minimise the period of soil exposure to wind and rain erosion. This also minimises greenhouse gas emissions from exposed soil.

• 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.

• Waterways and some CSA's are protected by fencing and vegetative strips.

• 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.

• Compaction is renovated by ripping if necessary.

• A winter grazing plan mitigates the risk of discharges

• Laneways are maintained.

• P applications don't exceed 100kg P/ha and not spread from May to September. Waterways are avoided and run off points are monitored.

• Soil tests and agronomy advice are used to keep Olsen P levels in optimum range.

• An understanding of nutrient loss and also a greenhouse gas number is gained from Nutrient Budgets.

Agronomy Advice:

• Home Farm Nutrient Plan

• Currie Rd Nutrient Plan

• Woolshed Rd Nutrient Plan

• 2023 Fertiliser Summary

• 2023 Nutrient Report

Effluent

• Effluent Consent RM23.280.01

• Effluent Management Plan

• Effluent Storage has a Discharge to Air Permit RM13.062.01.V1 

Winter Grazing

See Winter Grazing Plan.

Waterway and CSA Management Plan

Critical Source Management

• All waterways and some CSA's are fenced, particularly with large buffers to the Kakanui.

• Stock are temporarily fenced from CSA's in wet conditions.

• Significant investment in riparian planting has been undertaken in a large retired area.

• Some paddocks on the support block are harvested mechanically rather than grazed due to wet areas.

• Tracks, troughs and gateways are maintained to minimise their loss of nutrients and sediment. Water tables are maintained to reduce erosion risk. 

• Water tables are cut-out onto paddocks.

Point Source Management

Pit silage is located on a high and dry part of the farm and is monitored for any leachate discharge that may enter a waterway.

Offal: Dead stock are to be buried in a timely way and are not left in sight of the road. In accordance with regional council requirements, dead stock are buried:

• a minimum of 100m from any wells that supply water for domestic drinking or livestock

• a minimum of 50m from any waterway, including lakes, streams, rivers, wetlands and groundwater

• a minimum of 50m from the closest property boundary

• in an area free from ponding, flooding, or erosion

• away from any areas used for offal pits within the past five years

• away from any areas of cultural, historical, or conservation significance

Waste and by product: only steel and concrete is disposed of by burying on farm.

• Household rubbish is disposed of by wheelie bin, or dropping to a transfer station.

• Plastics and other chemical products are not burned.

• Greenwaste, cardboard, and other non-chemical product may be burned in accordance with fire season requirements.

• Bale wrap, and chemical containers are recycled. Only a minimum of chemical is used to reduce the amount of toxins stored on farm.

• Needles and sharps are collected in a sharps bin and disposed of by the vets.

• Sick or injured animals collected for pet food.

• Soil, fill and stones used elsewhere for development.

• Oil is captured in a container and disposed of at the transfer station.

Water Use (non-irrigation)

• All stock water is reticulated.

• Water troughs are maintained.

• NOIC stock and shed water is metered.

Greenhouse Gas Management Plan

• Currently estimated emissions of 1.589 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year which is 12,815kg/ha.

• Areas have been retired and planted which sequester carbon.

• Effluent management builds soil and sequesters carbon.

• Liquid fertiliser use avoids volatisation emissions.

• Watering is timed for as soon as possible after solid fertiliser applications to minimise volatisation.

• Vegetation cover is maintained as much as possible to reduce emissions from soil exposure.

• Existing vegetation is enhanced and protected.

• Soil carbon is increased by targeting areas of low organic matter with effluent applications.

• N fertiliser is capped at 190kgN annually.

• Fuel efficient vehicles are used in preference to less efficient vehicles, and conversion from K-Line and Hard Hose to fixed grid reduces fuel use as there is less quad bike or tractor running.

• GPS guidance is used on tractors to minimise overlap and therefore increase fuel efficiency per hectare.

• Unnecessary transport between farm, suppliers and town is minimised by good communication when supplies are needed. 

• Back loads are utilised on transport companies where possible.

• Freight sharing with other farms is used where possible.

• Local transport companies are used preferentially to minimise empty legs.

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