Problem: A day in the shoes of a dairy farmer is a long one. During the 2 milking runs a day, cow faeces are hosed from the milking shed in preparation for the following milking. This waste as it builds cumulatively is potentially harmful for local waterways, as it contains nutrients and bacteria that impact on water quality and aquatic life.
Outcome: Tide to Table funding enabled a number of farmers to install dairy effluent solids trap, irrigation hoses and pumps to utilise the effluent as a source of irrigation and nutrition for crops. Excess nutrients entering waterways assist exotic weed growth changing fish habitats to favour non native species. Oyster farmers need healthy harvest area protection zones in order to sell their product and protect oyster consumers.
A dairy effluent solids trap and a new travelling irrigator to spread effluent on pastures. The last picture shows the River in flood during which time build-ups of dairy wastes can be washed into the river system.
"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." SOURCE: Charles Darwin 1809 - 1882
