Sustainable dairy farming

Sustainable dairying requires a balance between social, economic and environmental goals. New Zealand dairy farmers have been innovative at applying environmentally friendly practices and pursuing new technologies because their businesses and their livelihood depend on sustainable dairying practices. 

Environmental degradation impacts on plants and animals living in waterways. It can have health impacts on people and restrict their recreation, food gathering and aesthetic pleasure in the landscape.  Pollution can also compromise Maori cultural and spiritual values. These factors may bring society’s pressure to bear on the dairy industry and other land users.

In New Zealand, the Resource Management Act seeks to address the effects on the environment of farming.  Under the RMA, councils manage the effects of activities on natural resources, including discharges, and depletion of natural resources.

THE MAIN SOURCES OF POLLUTION

Pollution or discharges can occur from a point source such as an effluent pond discharge or feed pad.  For example, concentrated effluent could reach a waterway and release toxic ammonia and organic matter that need to be broken down by micro-organisms, taking oxygen out of the water and impacting on stream life.

Non-point source pollution is diffuse and does not originate from a single identifiable source or event. In the case of dairy farming, this may be:

• runoff from paddocks, carrying faeces, soil, or nutrients into surface waterways or through the soil to groundwater
• contaminants that arise from farm inputs such as fertilisers building up in the soil over time
• discharges to the air of greenhouse gases from stock or soil that can have a cumulative effect on the global climate.

KEY ACTIONS FROM MYFARM

Approach

MyFarm knows that high standards of environmental compliance are important both from a public and our investor’s view point.  We are committed to achieving good environmental outcomes given the limitation of known technologies and basic economics.

Establishment

MyFarm commits to ensuring that all effluent management infrastructure (solids separation, effluent storage, low application rate irrigation) will be at good practice levels, meeting or exceeding Regional Council standards.

Operation

MyFarm will work with the farm manager to adopt systems and procedures that ensure the sustainable operation of effluent management infrastructure, including ensuring effluent is applied to pasture at appropriate soil moisture levels, with appropriate irrigation rotation and suitable records are maintained.

Fencing water ways

Stock will be excluded from water ways and riparian margins will be established where needed.

Nutrient management

Nutrient budgets will be used to ensure nitrogen loss is within industry standards.Appropriate nitrification inhibitor products will be used where there is evidence of their efficacy and economic benefit.

Efficient water use

Where a farm is irrigated MyFarm will ensure irrigators efficiently apply water and watering decisions are informed by soil water status information.

Green house gas production

MyFarm will ensure cows are well fed and well managed, thereby reducing the volume of green house gases produced per kilograms of milksolids produced.

The positives

There are many positive spin-offs for farmers in implementing sound environmental management, including efficiencies in nutrient, energy and water use (big-ticket farm expense areas), continued productivity when soil quality is maintained and through stock safety.

It is also important to note that NZ’s outdoor style of farming is considered to be more environmentally friendly than the common indoor system adopted overseas[i].

[i]“Putting Dairy Cows out to Pasture”, Agricultural Research May-June 2011, www.nps.ars.usda.gov