Useful Farming Technology Apps and Websites

Technology – there are those who embrace it with open arms, and then there are those who don’t… but love it or hate it, there are some very good pieces of technology that could be extremely useful for farmers wanting help with environmental compliance, or even just some advice and support.  And, with the increased need to be accountable and “doing things right”, these are some of the technology tools and resources that I have come across in my day job that I thought were worth a mention. 

Riparian Planner

This is an online tool developed by DairyNZ.  It is a step by step process to design, budget and prioritise water management on farm.  It is extremely user friendly, and a good starting point if you are considering riparian planting on your farm.  This is a useful tool for all types of farms.  The web page address is as follows:

https://riparian-planner.dairynz.co.nz/plans

Check-It Bucket Test app

This is available for both Apple and Android devices via the App Store or Google Play Store.  The app walks you through an annual performance assessment of your irrigation system, provides the results instantly to your device and e-mails a final report to you.  This is a great way to check whether your irrigation system is performing as you expect.  Is water being applied evenly?  Are you putting on what your control box says you are putting on?  You do need to own a few buckets to carry out the test, but the insight into your irrigation systems performance is well worth the trip to town to invest in the buckets.  Some irrigation schemes do have buckets that you can borrow for this purpose, so ask around too. 

Soil Moisture Monitoring

Soil moisture monitoring equipment is by no means new technology, but the amount of it now on the market has increased substantially and understanding what is the right tool for you can be difficult to work out. You must choose the right equipment for your soil, land use activities and irrigation system type, and then locate, install and calibrate (if necessary) it correctly. Accessing, managing and understanding the data is also important. If soil moisture monitoring is to be successful, each of these aspects has to be carefully worked through.  Irrigation New Zealand has developed a resource book for this very topic and it can be found here:

http://irrigationnz.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/Book11-SoilMM.pdf

Online GIS systems

For those of us here in Canterbury, Canterbury Maps is an amazing resource.  Not only can you create farm maps, but it can be used to search for information about any property, consent information, bore information, and any other relevant information that you may need such as nutrient allocation zones, the location of wetlands or Runanga sensitive areas.  This can be found here:

https://canterburymaps.govt.nz/

Other councils do have online GIS systems, but none are quite to the level of Canterbury Maps.  But check out what your local council does have.  Understanding what is of interest and/or significance on and around your farm is key these days. 

  

FDE Calculator app

Dairy NZ has developed an app to allow you to work out how to manage your Farm Dairy Effluent (FDE).  You can easily calculate nutrient loadings and application rates, therefore enabling application of effluent with greater precision.  It can be used for diluted dairy effluent as well as for slurry tankers and muck spreaders.  This is also available for both Apple and Android devices via the App Store or Google Play Store.

I hope you find this information useful, and please let me know of any others that you think might be worth checking out.

 By Keri Johnston, Irricon Resource Solutions

Phone 0272 202 425 or email keri@irricon.co.nz

www.irricon.co.nz

Stock Exclusion - What's the go?

Out and about recently, Lilian Sherman, our North Island Rural Environmental Specialist, has heard a lot of discussion about the stock exclusion rules coming into play.  Unfortunately, a lot of what she has heard has had a serious dose of the ‘chinese whispers’ and the end result is that there are a lot of myths out there with regards to stock exclusion.  Below, Lilian dispels some of those myths and provides you with some confidence around the rules.

While there is no formal definition, stock exclusion generally means to exclude stock by some means from entering a waterbody.  In most cases, the stock exclusion definition does not include sheep or goats, as sheep and goats do not tend to linger in water!  In most cases the means of achieving stock exclusion is not specified, therefore the best method or technology for each situation can be used.  This may be a permanent fence, a hot wire, or as is currently being developed, virtual fencing.
Why is stock exclusion necessary? Stock entering waterways can cause significant damage by contributing nutrients (primarily nitrogen and phosphorus), sediment and faecal coliforms to our waterways. They do this though the direct deposition of dung and urine into rivers, treading damage and reduction in beneficial vegetation that results from grazing stream banks.

As part of the Clean Water package recently released by the Ministry for the Environment, there are proposed National Rules for Stock Exclusion.  Consultation on the proposed stock exclusion regulations and other aspects of the Clean Water package closed on 28 April 2017. This feedback is being considered and will inform the final decision on the National Rules.  The proposed stock exclusion rules are practical and there are different requirements for different classes of stock and for topography (plains, rolling and steep).  More details are available on the Ministry for the Environment Website (https://www.mfe.govt.nz/sites/default/files/media/Fresh%20water/next-steps-for-freshwater.pdf).

The proposed National Rules for Stock Exclusion recognise that for some landowners, there may be significant practical constraints that mean they are unable to meet the new requirements. In those cases, landowners can apply for permission to instead develop a stock exclusion plan with their regional council. The plan may include alternatives to fencing or mitigations to reduce the impact of stock access to waterways.  An example of this would be providing alternative areas of shade and reticulated stock drinking water, which may also provide other economic and animal health benefits.

It is important to note that the National Rules for Stock Exclusion will form the minimum requirements, and councils may choose to regulate over and above these in their regional plans.

There are some challenges excluding stock from waterways, including the effects of flooding, the proliferation of weeds and pests and access through vegetation to waterbodies.  These are valid issues and I have confidence that farmers will find practical solutions for these as the rules come into play.

In the meantime, if you are putting in new fence line or carrying out fencing maintenance, consider whether there is an opportunity to make a change to a fence line to exclude stock or make it easier to exclude stock in the future, but its also an important consideration for any development on farm such as irrigation (whether new or upgrading) and the location of waterways should be a key consideration in any design being undertaken. 

Keep an eye out for the final versions of the National Stock Exclusion Rules.

Lilian Sherman, Irricon Resource Solutions Limited.
Phone: (021) 378 308
E-mail: lilian@irricon.co.nz

Lilian is a Rural Environmental Specialist and Director at Irricon Resource Solutions, who works with farmers and horticulturists to prepare farm environment plans, resource consent applications and to assist with nutrient management and Overseer modelling. 

Lilian grew up on and lives on a sheep and beef farm, she has a practical knowledge of farming, including sheep, beef, deer, dairy, cropping and horticulture and combines her passion for farming with a wealth of nutrient management and environmental expertise in this role.

Managing Environmental Compliance with Precision VRI and EM Mapping

Farm Fast facts:

Farm Name: Seadown Dairies

Cows Milked: 620

Length of VRI Pivot: 565m

Production: 1705/ha, 278000 KgMS

Pasture Grown/Harvested: 17,000 KgDM /14,500 KgDM

Key Benefits from VRI system: Reduced track maintenance, reduced pugging damage less water wasted.

Sustainable farm management was a major driver behind Brendan Caird’s decision to install Lindsay Growsmart Precision VRI with FieldNET on his 565m pivot. A major feature of the farm is a spring fed stream that flows through the middle of the irrigated area of the property. Totalling an area of approximately 5 ha, the streams and springs add to the visual appearance of the property and have been fenced and planted into a riparian zone. However without VRI effective irrigation management would have been considerably more difficult. By installing the VRI system Brendan is now able to work around mother nature and reduce his farms overall impact on the environment.

Riparian Zone in the middle of the VRI Pivot

The costs of irrigating his races and tracks were also a big part of the equation.

“Stock flows better, track maintenance is reduced and water is not wasted on unproductive areas” says Brendan who uses VRI to improve the conditions on the farm races. Nearly 5Ha of the 93Ha irrigated area is able to be avoided which includes races and waterways which allows Brendan to utilise that saved water elsewhere.

With an allocation of only 3.2mm/ha/Day irrigation practices need to be as efficient as possible at Seadown Dairies to maximise water use for grass production. Brendan also finds benefit in the VRI system to help remove paddocks from the irrigation round that are set to be re-sown. In the case of the 2016 season Caird planted fodder beet and set an irrigation plan to avoid the paddock whilst it was being cultivated. You can see the effects of this below. The yellow is the paddock that was avoided. The pink is for zones that were a part of the avoid zones.

As Applied Irrigation for the season. Note the paddock in Yellow.

Agri Optics conducted an EM survey on the property and the major soil zones were able to be identified see (http://www.agrioptics.co.nz/portfolio/em-survey/ for more info). The next step that Brendan and his team are working on is to begin irrigating to the EM soil zone plan. With multiple soil management zones identified on the property the goal is to water according to the relative requirements of each soil zone. This is aided by soil moisture sensing equipment to give the exact time that irrigation is required. Further to this Brendan can also be sure that soils are not being overwatered and water is not being wasted which Brendan says helps make his farm environment plan more comprehensive.

Blog this week by Nick @ Agri Optics
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