Fresh approach to effluent education

Waikato Regional Council is taking a fresh approach to helping farmers with effluent management next year, with more catchment-based field days for providing advice to smaller groups of farmers closer to home.

In recent years, the council has run an annual Effluent Expo at Mystery Creek, an event which has regularly attracted hundreds of farmers and dozens of exhibitors.

The council has decided not to hold another expo at Mystery Creek in 2016 given the dairy payout situation but also believes its new approach will make things simpler for farmers.

“We feel we can better support farmers in the current economic climate by running effluent management fieldays in each catchment to help drive overall improvements in effluent systems,” said sustainable agriculture advisor Electra Kalaugher.

Meanwhile, the council also intends having a stand at the Grasslandz agriculture hub in Hamilton in January.

“So we certainly won’t be slowing up on offering ongoing effluent management advice to farmers even though we’re not going ahead with the Effluent Expo at Mystery Creek again next year.”

ENDS

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