West Coast Monitor Farm

Westland has some unique challenges such as high rainfall and seasonal dry peroids which are variable across the region. Westland has now been collecting data for 10 years and continues to building on the information currently available.

This project funded by Westland Milk Products, DairyNZ, CRV Ambreed, ARL-Ravensdown and Rabobank aims to generate reliable pasture growth and quality, and soil temperature information, over the next 12 months, on two commercial dairy farms in Westland.

Farm walks schedule for this season are weekly from August to May, and monthly over the winter period.

Each week we will provide a Weekly Summary of information from the following regions:

Buller: Mawheraiti (Stu and Deb Bland), Westland: Kowhitirangi (Anna and Jeremy Hart).

Expanded farm summary for the week ending 27 May 2020

CO comment 

Last week the Government made some announcements regarding the Essential Freshwater Package. We will start to see some changes around freshwater management. Now is a good time to acquaint yourself with your on farm nutrient numbers and begin to make a plan on how the requirements will be met in your business.

Keeping in mind that this is still very new, there are some good resources online around the basics of nutrient function and management. Understanding the basics is a good place to start as we see this policy progress.

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are only two of many nutrients that are essential to plant growth and function when applied strategically, they increase pasture growth. The input of N and P to a water body can have serious impacts on water quality. Understanding the N and P cycles, and how the nutrients can move from farmland into water bodies, is an essential first step to managing these nutrients efficiently on your farm.

Knowing your farm’s soils and their drainage qualities is important as this influences how much nitrate and phosphate may be lost to the environment. Most farms have multiple soil types on their property; therefore, the risk of nutrient losses will vary across and between farms.

Remember all water in a catchment is connected. Be aware of the location of water bodies (e.g. streams, rivers, creeks, drains, ponds and wetlands) on your farm and where they flow.

All farms have several hotspots for nutrient losses. To familiarise yourself with these have a look at https://www.dairynz.co.nz/environment/nutrient-management/ where you can download a number of resources to assist you with making your plan.

There will be more specifics around the policy detail communicated to you, but the above resources are a good place to start.

Farm Summary

  NB: pasture quality data are for 1 sample collected from each farm

 Previous Weekly Summaries

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016