Dairy News july 9, 2013
management // 29
on energy switch that pumps the arate liquid from solids one of 330ha milking1200 liquid to a 4500m3 lined cows and the second 188ha with the advantages of holding pond from where fewer blockages in irrimilking 600 cows. The it is pumped to the irrigagators and full use of the partnership also has a tor. This liquid is spread remaining solids. 540ha run off. twice a week and “We decided “Because the system continuously when to consolidate to combined with the home farm and works so well with irrigation water. another 177ha at Gorlow labour input, full The bunkers/ donton with equity partners our daughter utilisation of the liquid sludge beds are and the solids being 50m from the Emma and her husdairy shed and are band Finlay Maclen- such a great fertiliser odourless nan milking 600 we can’t get enough of almost in operation. At cows. the stuff,” the inlet there is With a weepa simple two way ing wall Craig says gate to direct effluent to All material from the the process solves all the the left or right bunker. shed and pads flow into problems by containThere is also a large diamone of the twin bunkers ing all effluent from the which are 40 x 8 x 2m deep eter pipe to bring effluent dairy shed and the feed direct from the feed pads. with no fall. Two metres pad and he has control of The pads are used to from the outlet end is the disposal of liquid and feed about 700kg/cow solids and is not subject to the weeping wall consistof PKE and maize silage weather. The spreading of ing of 50mm plastic slats during the season and with 6mm gaps which the liquid is done through there is calving pad 30 x hold back the solids but the Vanden Bussche irrilet the liquid through. The 30m adjacent. gator. The left hand bunker Weeping walls are a low liquid falls to a sump with a pump operated on a float has taken all the mateenergy system which sep-
Craig Harris says he has control of the disposal of both liquids and solids with the weeping wall.
rial for five months with no labour input before the gate was changed to fill the second bunker. The first bunker will not be emptied until bunker two is almost full in another 5-6 months.
“This allows as much liquid as possible to pass through the wall and further consolidate the material.” All rainwater from the dairy shed can be diverted between milkings and a
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contractor will empty the bunker and spread the material. The installation was designed by Agfirst Engineering, Te Puke and built by Archway Construction Ltd, another local firm.
“Because the system works so well with low labour input, full utilisation of the liquid and the solids being such a great fertiliser we can’t get enough of the stuff,” concluded Craig.
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1
National dairy statistics, 2 Margerison et al, Massey 2011, 3 Peter Fraser, Economist, Ropare Consulting, based on a $7 payout
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6/26/13 5:02 PM