Rural Advice

Horizons’ rural advice team is on hand to provide advice and practical solutions to all farmers in our region. In particular, our team specialise in helping farmers improve effluent and nutrient efficiency on your farm. This includes effluent discharge consenting and compliance requirements as well as advice on waterway management and nutrient management planning.

Although the team have traditionally worked largely in the dairy sector, they are also happy to work with other agricultural or horticultural sectors to help improve efficiency, productivity and profitability in our region. This includes the development of best practice guidelines and assistance at various field and training days. Please contact the team on freephone 0508 800 800 for advice around any of these issues and they will be in touch.

 

Farmer in Horizons
Farmers in Horizons

 

Tips and tools

There is a Dairy Effluent Storage Calculator available online that accounts for the impact of factors affecting the quantity of storage required on a dairy farm to successfully practice irrigation. Our rural advice team would like to remind farmers to use this tool when planning storage upgrades or calculating the volume of workable storage required for a dairy effluent discharge consent.

You'll find information on offal pits in our One Plan in section 14.10.

There are also a number of helpful factsheets available on the Rural Farming Compliance Information page such as an irrigator depth quick test guide and top tips for dairy compliance. And remember, if you’re after something that isn’t provided here, give the team a call on freephone 0508 800 800.