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Rural Otago’s water update Spring 2017 Happy cows thanks to sustainable farming Georgie McCall was raised on a sheep and cropping farm in Canterbury and initially took no interest in farming. That all changed when her parents converted the farm to dairy about 20 years ago. She started out helping the Her husband Adam was never A second travelling irrigator means sharemilkers when she was 13 and going to be a dairy farmer, but they can empty the pond faster worked her way up to calf rearing. Georgie’s enthusiasm won him when conditions are suitable. As she got older she worked over. They now have a 310-hectare “We can use it like full-time on the farm in the school self-contained farm alongside the a water irrigator, holidays. Pomahaka River in West Otago, so instead of the in equity partnership with Adam’s After graduating with an honours effluent being a parents. degree in agriculture science waste product we from Lincoln, Georgie took a job There have been a lot of changes can use it to keep with Environment Canterbury to since they took over the farm 11 the paddocks help farmers with environmental years ago. Back then a sump only going,” Georgie sustainability. A lightbulb moment held effluent from three to four Georgie McCall says. as the calving season approached milkings, which gave them no “It’s had a lot of benefits because made her realise dairy farming is flexibility around irrigating. it also spreads the potassium her passion. This was replaced with a 90+ load across the paddocks, which “I love the challenge of farm days storage pond, and they also is better on the cows. Another management. It’s like a big jigsaw doubled the irrigation area from bonus is that our staff don’t have and you have to put all the pieces 50 to 100 hectares so they could to irrigate on the weekends. It’s together,” Georgie says. better utilise their effluent. also helped our stress levels Continued overleaf Continued from cover because we don’t have to worry if it’s raining or snowing; we have enough storage,” she said. The two irrigators have cut-off systems and will stop if the wheels stop moving. They train their staff to not only use the irrigators correctly but also to watch them like a hawk. “A lot of it is common sense,” Dairy farmer Duncan Wells discusses farming and the environment with students from Otago Girls’ High School Georgie says. “It’s not a hard job, but it’s important to know how to do it properly and to make Students learn about farming while sure staff are well trained and understand our expectations.” looking after the environment Duncan Wells is a third-generation dairy farmer. His English wife Anne-Marie comes from a The other big change on farm business background and didn’t own a pair of gumboots when she met him, but they have happened a couple of years Family fun on the banks of the Pomahaka River combined their talents and are now in their seventh season running a 181-hectare dairy farm on ago when Georgie and Adam • They milk around 10 days being able to reduce their nitrogen the Taieri, with 600 cows. converted to once-a-day (OAD) longer in the season because usage. milking with their 650 cows. A the cows are in such good “A local man has told us our cows Eleven Year 13 economics and that being able to sleep at on recycled silage wrapping that number of factors led to this: condition look like they are the most relaxed students from Otago Girls’ High night and know they are doing the could have ended up in landfill. • The farm is 4 km long with School recently visited the Wells’ right thing is worth it. • Cows are dried off at a Body in the area.” Duncan and Anne-Marie also the dairy shed in the middle. farm to learn how dairy farming Condition Score of 5 and We were impressed with how discussed the importance of The cows had a long walk and She sees farming next to the can be carried out in way that is therefore only maintenance Duncan described OVERSEER animal welfare, and environmental the couple needed additional Pomahaka River as a privilege for friendly to the environment. ORC feed is required over winter to the students. He said they can aspects such as making sure labour to sit behind the cows her family. The effect they have on was invited along to talk about our • The number of lame cows has see a lot about how well things waterways are fenced off, and twice a day and deal with lame the river is always at the forefront Water Plan rules. ones been significantly reduced of their minds. are going on the farm with their ensuring soil is looked after The purpose of the students’ visit eyes, but OVERSEER helps them through the prevention of pugging • Improved reproductive • OAD milking has relieved the Regular water testing gives clarity was to learn about farming in an with something they can’t see by and only applying effluent and performance pressure on needing additional around what impact they are environmentally-friendly way. After telling them the calculated level of fertiliser when needed. feed • Staff have more variety having and where they can make a brief run-down of the farm and a nutrients being lost through the The visit concluded with an because they’re not just improvements. Georgie is an active tour of the milking shed, we were soil profile and potentially into a • Having two off-site beef blocks impressive display of a giant milking, and they are retaining member of the Pomahaka Farmers shown the effluent infrastructure waterway, which can harm the fish at Edievale and Roxburgh fodder beet, which Anne-Marie staff for longer Water Care Group and is really while Anne-Marie and Duncan living there. means they have the time to described as, “The lollies of cow excited about what the group can talked about the importance of retain control without needing • Family life with their two young He said they combine the food.” The students also had fun achieve. Her family gets a lot of responsible effluent management to put a manager on the runoff children has improved because OVERSEER data with best practice patting some friendly calves. enjoyment out of the river, whether and irrigation. blocks. they have more flexibility in the to make sure they’re doing it’s bonfires and fireworks in winter, Anne-Marie is part of the Agri- afternoons. Seeing the contents of the sump everything they can to look after “Converting to OAD is one of or summer afternoons at the women’s Development Trust was enough for the students to the environment. Their nitrogen the most challenging things “The perception is that cows on swimming hole. Escalator Programme, which takes screw up their noses, despite limit is 30, and Duncan said they we’ve done,” Georgie says. “The OAD eat less but we haven’t really 14 women through a leadership An improved effluent system, there being no smell. They hung currently sit between seven and information available a few years found that. They just partition and governance course each year. the conversion to OAD milking, around this area just long enough 12. ago when we started looking into it more feed into maintaining body One of her goals for the farm is to re-building the soil, and on-farm to learn about the effluent tank that is poles apart from what’s available condition,” Georgie says. “A local We also liked seeing that they host at least six groups each year water testing combined with holds one million cubic meters of now, so taking the plunge was man has told us our cows look like collect and recycle the plastic to share what they do with the riparian planting, has given effluent, and has an impressive scary. But going forward we think they are the most relaxed in the from their baleage, which they wider, non-farming community. Georgie peace of mind that not traffic-light system designed and it’s going to be a good move, once area.” said is an effort but worth it if only are she and Adam looking built by Duncan that measures the The high school students were we’ve ironed it out.” it can be re-used or made into Georgie and Adam are also after the environment and the pond level and reflects how much one of the first groups to benefit The benefits are already something else. ORC liaison building up the soil structure on welfare of their cows, but that they storage there is. from this and enjoyed learning noticeable: specialist Nicole Foote piped in to the farm by encouraging micro- also have more time to spend with about how the practical aspects Anne-Marie explained the eye- say park benches are sometimes • Time on the yard has dropped organisms instead of relying on their growing family. Georgie has of farming are combined with watering investment they’ve made from it. It’s a nice thought from six to three-and-a-half synthetic fertiliser. They are already shown that it’s possible to strike a technology and science to look put into the infrastructure and that people sitting in a beautiful hours a day and it only needs to seeing an improvement in young good balance. after not only the animals, but also technology to make sure their spot to enjoy nature are perched be washed down once a day grass performance, and they like the environment.

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