| 95 nzdairy Total Effluent built everything you see in this image, the cow shed, feed pad and effluent system, earthworks, engineering and concrete placement. Total Effluent & Dairy built this effluent pond, pumping sump, sand trap and fibre drying bunker. DAIRY SERVICES » Total Effluent & Dairy Gravity-fed design just getting better Russell Fredric Running Total Effluent & Dairy (TED) is as much a mission as a business for the family-owned Taupo company. TED is close to achieving three decades of working with farmers to help create efficiencies in their effluent and feed systems, as they face an increasingly stringent and more complex regulatory environment. The company is headed by Trevor Horn, the inventor of the improved effluent system he first developed 10 years ago. It is based on a gravityfed design which eliminates the need for pumps and which have often been the Achilles heel of conventional systems when there is a failure. He has two sons who work in the business; Campbell, who has environmental degree level and compliance qualifications, is its sales and marketing manager and a certified dairy effluent warrant of fitness assessor, while Nathan, who is a qualified mechanic, manages TED’s in-shed feed system maintenance, installs and feed pads which are in strong demand. The company employs 10 staff and its expertise includes constructing the precast concrete to build effluent ponds, traps and sumps. “We are trying to improve farming and help farmers being compliant with the regulations that are involved through councils and Fonterra and Dairy New Zealand,” Campbell says. Many are having to upgrade their effluent systems, sometimes after having a drop test which identifies leakage, but mainly to meet upgraded compliance standards, he says. “A lot are knowing it’s time [to upgrade] and a lot are upgrading their effluent infrastructure which have unlined ponds, and we go in and build new ponds and ensure that they are of adequate size. There’s a calculation to determine the size of the pond.” While there can be anxiety around the cost and dynamics of having to upgrade, a good plan and developing good overall infrastructure with the reassurance of compliance reduces stress and is a win-win both for the farmer and the environment. There can also be benefits to the bottom line through improved pastures and better utilisation of feed. “They can utilise the nutrients a lot better and hopefully they’re doing their part to reduce environmental impacts and to try and to farm the land in a sustainable way that can be upheld to future generations. Farmers are increasingly realising that effluent is a resource, not just a waste product, Campbell says. Because effluent is an excellent source of water storage during dry periods, farms can be irrigated longer over the summer at low rates, which is beneficial during winter because of being able to grow more grass. “People are starting to realise that, with the droughts we’re having, effluent’s a valuable resource. By utilising the nutrients in it correctly, you can reduce the amount of fertiliser used, you can improve pasture growth.” However, it’s not just about gains, as 20% to 30% of supplementary feed can be lost in AGRICULTURAL CONTRACTORS Miers Contractors(1995) Ltd • Harvesting • Cultivation • Supplements for sale & supply • Undersowing (all pastures & crops) • Earth moving • Truck cartage • Balage & Hay • Effluent Management 198 Butcher Road, RD2, Reporoa Gordy 021 593 163 | Reece 021 240 5090 | Mark 021 948 472 E mierscontractors@farmside.co.nz pastures, which is where a feed pad and troughs can create benefits by preserving the feed and, equally important by retaining its quality. Some farmers are investing in a feed pad and an in-shed feed system as a means of mitigating the increased cost of inputs and outputs while improving production, and to also provide flexibility during extreme or prolonged weather events.
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