66 | Supporting farm environmental performance Their practical advice and guidance helps support farmers’ environmental performance. Kim Newth Working alongside the Barhill Chertsey Irrigation (BCI) scheme in Mid Canterbury and other local irrigation schemes, the Enviro Collective provides environmental services at the grassroots level. Their practical advice and guidance helps support farmers’ environmental performance with many now operating at the highest possible Advanced Mitigation level. “Our target was to have 15% of BCI farmershareholders at that Advanced Mitigation level by mid-2025,”says Richard Fitzgerald, General Manager Enviro Collective. “In fact, we are currently at 21%, which is well ahead of target. That’s largely due to the support the scheme provides as well as the willingness of farmers to embrace advanced environmental management practices.” Irrigation water is the lifeblood of Mid Canterbury’s highly productive dairying and mixed cropping farm sector. The BCI scheme delivers water to 23,000ha of irrigated farmland in the district and operates under strict nutrient discharge consents. The Enviro Collective’s specialist team of certified nutrient advisors and trained facilitators plays an invaluable role by supporting farmer-shareholders address any gaps in Farm Environment Plans as well as connecting them with best practice tools and technology through regular on-farm workshops and field days. Richard describes Advanced Mitigation as not so much a list of actions but a menu of options that farmers can tailor to their particular operation. “We’re two years into a three-year cycle of using Advanced Mitigation standards for the first time and it’s specifically designed to reduce nutrient losses into the environment. We don’t prescribe what that should look like because every farm has its own unique environmental conditions, soil types and management practices. So, we work with farmers to help guide them through their problems, find solutions and figure out how they can optimise their particular farm system. There are two key parts to that, one being around efficient water use and the other being efficient nitrogen use.” Workshops and field days organised by the Enviro Collective are often built around sharing insights from local farmers on helpful technology. For example, one of their workshops this year showcased a local farmer using cow collar technology to manage nutrient distribution across their paddocks. Other events have covered topics like precision irrigation, soil mapping and using data to support fertiliser practices to optimise growth while protecting the environment. Local farm hosts share their own learning at these events. Enviro Collective has a new workshop for arable farmers coming up in mid-December 2024 and another for dairy farmers in March 2025. Farm Environment Plans have been a requirement for BCI’s farmers for a number of years and farm performance is regularly audited against RURAL SERVICES » Barrhill Chertsey Irrigation these plans. Richard says that 91% of farmers have reached A-grade or the higher Advanced Mitigation standard. The remainder have B and C grades. “If a farm gets a B or C grade, that’s not necessarily a reflection of their physical practices. It may be that areas of recording or monitoring are not up to scratch…The environmental footprint of farming overall is getting better with the direction of travel heading the right way.” Richard says today’s farmers share concerns about poor water quality – a legacy of past practices - and are deeply committed to improvement, as borne out by the shift to Advanced Mitigation now underway. LIMITED 03 382 8260 | Leanne: 027 329 0540 admin@fusionsolutions.co.nz | fusionsolutions.co.nz Fusion Solutions are considered specialists in the pipe welding process due to our extensive daily involvement with some of New Zealand’s leading civil construction companies, working on major infrastructure projects following the Christchurch Earthquakes in 2011. Fusion Solutions have undertaken a range of challenging and difficult repair work from leaking pressure pipes to collapsed 1600mm pipelines and instigating a quality, proven methodology that exceeds the client’s expectation whilst providing cost savings at the same time. Our ability to plan methodologies, design, develop and implement solutions for time critical projects is second to none, we stand by the quality and reliability of achieving a consistent high standard of HDPE welding whilst remaining focused of completing each installation with the minimal amount of electrofusion connections required to provide peace of mind to the client. Fusion Solutions are dedicated to providing you with the very best in polyethylene pipe welding products & services.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=