Monitoring technology helps keep farmers out of the effluent

Wellington company Harmonic will launch technology next week designed to help farmers fight effluent runoff – a major headache for the dairy industry.

The industry comprises 8 per cent of the New Zealand economy, netting export receipts of $6.6 billion last year.

Farmers say they face hefty fines if effluent leaches into waterways and the problem can restrict farm size.

The Re:Generation system measures soil moisture and the level of effluent ponds to tell farmers via text message or computer how much effluent to apply to optimise pasture growth without wasting nutrients.

The system, developed by Harmonic and Massey University with grants from DairyNZ and the Foundation of Research, Science and Technology, can also monitor irrigator speeds and turn pumps off automatically.

Harmonic programme manager Bridgit Hawkins says trials of the system on eight farms around New Zealand have shown it prevents effluent ponds from overflowing, saving farmers from large fines.

One farmer with a small pond was able for the first time to get through a winter without it overflowing, she says. "He had the confidence to irrigate on a daily basis. It might have just rained, but he knew he still had some capacity in the soil."

Fines for effluent runoff can be as much as $100,000, and $30,000 to $50,000 fines are not uncommon.

Councils are more prepared to prosecute farmers than they used to be, Ms Hawkins says.

Farmer Charlie Pedersen says farmers applying for resource consent often have to reduce stock numbers to keep their effluent levels down.

All farmers that farm intensively – such as dairy, pig and chicken farmers – are required to have effluent management systems but these are not fail-proof and are often thrown by wet weather.

"Anything you can do to automate reporting back and give automated prognosis is potentially very helpful. Most farmers want to do the right thing. It's a huge irritation when things aren't going correctly."

Federated Farmers dairy vice-chairman Willy Leferink says regional councils and authorities are tenacious in pursuing farmers for effluent run-off. Farmers tend to establish farms, then realise they have to do something to manage effluent and opt for systems that might be sub-standard.

He trialled the Re:Generation system. "I could see on my cellphone when I was in Australia that my swamp was full. I texted staff at home to ask them to check the system and we found there was something wrong with it." But the quality of telecommunications services – particularly cellphone coverage – in rural areas will need to improve dramatically before farmers latch on to technology, he says. "If you drive 15 kilometres south of Christchurch, there's no reception."

Ms Hawkins says the system – which cost about $1 million to develop – could be further developed to monitor nitrogen levels and prevent nitrogen leaching into the soil, and to determine the optimum time for re-grassing and crop planting.

It could use information on soil moisture and temperature to help predict the probability of a facial eczema outbreak. "For example, it could say that in 10 days time or so there's an 80 per cent chance of an outbreak.

"Having more information allows you to manage farms more efficiently. You can't keep increasing your inputs to get more output."

Farm ownership had changed – with many farms owned by people and groups of shareholders based off-site and worked by different staff – and the ability to capture information and send it out to them was becoming increasingly important.

"You need to have different ways of capturing information for decision making and communication."

The system, which costs $2000-$3000 to install and $120 a month to run, has export potential, and farmers in China have expressed interest in using it, Ms Hawkins says. Telecom IT services arm Gen-i is also an investor.

- © Fairfax NZ News