Most people think of effluent as a waste product, where as in Europe, the size of your effluent ‘manure heap’ is a status of how rich you are. In fact the annual National ‘MUCK’ field days are some of the biggest farmer get-together in the whole of Europe. In Australia we do not have quite the same intensive feedlot type dairy farming as they do in Europe; however effluent management is still an important issue, and one that dairy farmers want to do something about.

 Many farmers now acknowledge that it is possible to reduce impacts on downstream nutrient levels by reusing effluent as fertilizer, which also increases their own production levels. The Burnett Mary Regional Group and the National Landcare Program have made incentive funding available to farmers through the Queensland Dairy Organization to implement these best management practices.  This funding was  through two programs,  one was focused on a competitive tender program utilizing market based instruments, and the other was a sustainable animal waste reuse and recycling program.

The program included training, nutrient auditing, budgeting and general property management planning information to growers. Interested growers had to attend training sessions before they were then eligible to apply for on-ground works funding through a competitive tendering or market based instrument process. This required farmers to provide detailed improvement plans e.g. effluent ponds, shade and shelter belt fencing, feed out troughs and hard stand areas, that would not only increase production but also help the environment.

 

The overall success of this project was evident in the demand being greater then funds available, which resulted in the best options possible being selected. The high level of interest allowed the funding providers to acknowledge growers that had high levels of initiative and enthusiasm to implement on ground works, but also those landholders keen for triple bottom line outcomes of Environmental, Financial and Social outcomes.

Russell and Karen McAuliffe are participants in the program, and milk up to 250 cows a day. During the drought their water supplies became limited, so as part of their on-ground works they installed a pond recycling system to recycle water from wash down concrete hard areas and extended to improve effluent capture and water reuse. Solid effluent separation and trapping allowed it to be stockpiled and spread onto fields for organic fertilizer use. 

Greg and Michelle Anderson are also successful participants in the program and have a herd of 500 milkers. As a part of their on ground works they had installed a new hard area runoff effluent sludge pump to irrigate an additional 15 acres of pastures. This not only fertilized the pastures but irrigated as well.

This state of the art pump set up cost over $20,000, with fully automated float level cut on/off switches control, requiring no labour at all. All wash down water from the huge 100m x 50m concreted bails covered shed area is collected and now reused through the pump out system including rainfall overflow from roof and tanks. (Rainfall captured alone is 7.5ML/pa)

Chemical fertilizer usage has now been reduced significantly on the effluent irrigated area which is an additional saving and soil test organic carbon levels are well above farm average at 4%.

For more information contact Joel Bolzenius of the Burnett Mary Regional Group
Ph: 4181 2999