A NEW Dairy Effluent management program has been delivered to dairy farmers in Lismore, Dorrigo and Kempsey.
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The program was delivered by North Coast Local Land Services in partnership with Subtropical Dairy through workshops funded from the National Landcare Program and is designed to help dairy farmers assess their current effluent management strategies.
Effluent management is an important part of any dairy business and offers many benefits on and off the farm, including opportunities for saving money on fertiliser, improving soil condition and farm productivity.
Subtropical Dairy and North Coast Local Land Services launched an agreement in 2016 designed to deliver additional natural resource activities for dairy farmers.
Subtropical Dairy, a Regional Development Program of Dairy Australia, is the dairy industry development body for Australia’s northern dairying region, which extends from Kempsey NSW to the Atherton Tablelands in QLD.
Senior Land Services Officer, Brendan O’Brien said that the partnership with Subtropical Dairy is critical to helping them maximise their services for farmers and outcomes for natural resources.
“Through programs such as these we are helping farmers grow their knowledge to support a productive industry and healthy natural environment,” he said.
North Coast Local Land Services engaged effluent specialists Scott MacDonald and Paul Wallace from Agriculture Victoria Services and ICD Project Services and Scott Birchall to deliver workshops, on farm assessments and effluent management plans.
Farmers who participated in the program had the benefit of receiving one on one advice, as well as a Dairy Farm Effluent Management Plan to guide them into the future.
The workshops introduced farmers to tools and resources to assist with effluent management and the economic benefits of effluent reuse including reduced costs in conventional fertilisers and decrease in animal health issues.
“The feedback from producers has been very positive with farmers able to explore new options that may not have been considered previously,” Brendan continued.
“Some were given reassurance that the system they had implemented was the right one for their farming enterprise and future plans.”
For further advice on effluent management there are a large number of resources available for farmers including:
