Business Central February 2021

| 51 CONTRACTING Effluent Irrigation and Design Providing farmers with best options Sue Russell Ultimately the system chosen will match the soil type amongst and deliver just the right amount of nutrient cover back over pasture. “We wanted to give farmers a one-stop shop which didn’t push a particular system over another, but laid out what were the best options...” www.precisede.co.nz Allan 021 909 463 Brian 027 492 4046 For EVERYTHING and ANYTHING Dairy Effluent Proudly supporting EID Effluent Irrigation &Design Hamilton Vortex Bladders for Dairy Effluent &Water Mixers & Pumps for E fflu ent 43 Phillips Street, Phillipstown Christchurch, New Zealand www.liquidprocess.co.nz E fflu ent Irrigation Pumps Slurry Distribution Partnered with W ith a history that dates back 40 years, Hamilton rural solutions company Effluent and Irrigation (E&I) offers clients today an impartial and objective assessment as to the best way to manage their effluent and irrigation needs. Unit Manager Matthew Rice says the com- pany originally focused on servicing effluent ponds out in the field, however with the raft of compliance and issues bearing down on dairy farmers the consultancy and install service the company supplies is needed more than ever. “When E&I superseded the original compa- ny back in 2002 we could see a definite gap in the market for independent advice,” Matthew explains. And with the tightening in regulations and compliance governing what dairy farmers were required to do with their effluent and ir- rigation systems a large number of companies evolved, each pushing their own particular brand and thinking. “We wanted to give farmers a one-stop shop which didn’t push a particular system over an- other, but laid out what were the best options for their particular situation to consider.” Business has peaked and troughed some- what as the dairy industry has adjusted to good and challenging years. Matthew says its also fair to say that at times there has been some lack of confidence within the dairying industry as regulations and policy continue to be reviewed. When it comes to purchasing large cost items such as new effluent and irrigation sys- tems, even uncertainty by a farmer as to how farm succession will go, or whether the farm will be sold, come into play when considering whether to invest capital in infrastructure. In the Waikato there are effluent companies who manufacture systems as well, where E&I prefer not to do this – their expertise lies in the independent advice they give farmers from years of experience and then using vari- ous suppliers that they work with. The critical decision is which form of irri- gation to use, whether that be a travelling or stationary system. Ultimately the system chosen will match the soil type amongst and deliver just the right amount of nutrient cover back over pasture. “If too much effluent is applied then there can be waste in terms of nutrient not taken up,” Matthew says. “Get the level just right and the system pays for itself in terms of savings on fertiliser required to be spread.” The best irrigation system will be one that balances volume pumped, consistency and utilisation of nutrient cover and low labour content - the team at E&I understand this. “It’s possible to supply a system, suited specifically to a particular farm, that delivers on all three of these parameters.” There’s a strong flow to business activity in any given year, with the bulk of earthworks to prepare for a new irrigation system taken care of during the summer months. “In the dairy industry, usually the deadline for any compliance work or upgrade to be done is in tune with the milking season with a ready-by date of June 1, so we are busy well before this time, preparing the plan and overseeing its development on site once work gets underway.” In the winter E&I is mainly occupied with servicing plant and Matthew says there’s op- portunity within the company to broaden its outreach well beyond the Waikato.