Ross Aimer, GM of Water to Grow spoke at the DairyNZ facilitated field day hosted by Donne and Phil Cram. It was held at Wylam Dene Farm situated in South Taranaki on 27 November. Donna and Phil farm approx 270 cows on an effective milking platform of 107ha.
The field day had the theme of minimising environmental impacts while maintaining profits. Donne & Phil have a strong commitment to producing quality food sustainably. They believe in farming in harmony with the environment and having a catchment-orientated focus. As part of that commitment, they established the first artificial wetland in NZ on their property as part of a study undertaken by NIWA, which has been very successful in reducing sediment runoff into waterways.
Donna's commitment has also seen her lead a group of 5 farms in her catchment to Water to Grow in a project partially funded by the Sustainable Farming Fund. The project aims to improve the efficiency of water utilisation and improve the management of effluent using the Water to Grow system. The Wylam Dene Farm has 6 flow meters, a water tank level meter, an effluent pond level meter and an effluent application tracker. The system provides detailed information to Phil, who manages the farm, on the status of water use, and alerts to his mobile phone if there is excessive use (indicative of a leak) or insufficient water in the cow shed tank (indicative of a pump failure).
Tank and flow meter readings from Wylam Dene Farm
