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Dairy farmers in Canterbury's Selwyn and Hinds catchments are actively reducing their footprint, with data indicating many have reduced nitrogen loss by 30 per cent.
Most Selwyn dairy farmers are required by current Environment Canterbury rules to reduce nitrogen losses by 30 per cent by 2022 - compared to their baseline figure from 2009-2013.
A farm's baseline figure is its average annual nitrogen loss over those four years
Preliminary information showed 70 per cent of Selwyn farmers had already met this 30 per cent nitrogen loss reduction target, DairyNZ strategy and investment leader Dr David Burger said.
Not only that, but a further 20 per cent are well on track to achieving this goal.
The data was collated from dairy and irrigation companies, as well as a survey run by DairyNZ.
"We're starting to see some really exciting results from this project," Burger told The Country Sport Breakfast's Brian Kelly.
DairyNZ has been working with farmers from Selwyn and Hinds for three years through the Meeting a Sustainable Future project.
"Over the last three years we've been helping farmers to co-develop and implement solutions to reduce their nitrogen loss while ensuring their farms remain profitable and financially resilient," Burger said.
Dairy farmers used Farm Environment Plans to help identify the specific actions that worked best for the local landscape and their farm business, Burger said.
"Off the back of that, many farmers have had a very large focus on improving efficiency, for example, water use efficiency, irrigation efficiency and how effluent is managed and utilised better."
Farmers are also adapting other practices to reduce nitrogen loss.
This included reducing fertiliser use, changing stocking rates and using different forages such as plantain, Burger said.
"A whole range of actions have been taken and the great news is that many of those farmers are now well on track to meeting that 30 per cent reduction target by 2022."
To help out, DairyNZ was currently trialling options with 40 partner farms and sharing knowledge with local farmers, Burger said.
"We're there to support with the research and in establishing partner farms to actually showcase what's been achieved."
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Ultimately it was a farmer-led initiative, he said.
"We find that when farmers develop the solutions and learn from other farmers – that's the best way to find the best result that will work for that local environment."
Burger said DairyNZ hoped what had been learned at the Selwyn and Hinds catchments could be applied all over New Zealand, to help other farmers meet their environmental outcomes.
"There's really exciting stuff happening and we see our role as supporting farmers and really quantifying that change as well, so we can tell the story of what's been fixed."
For more information on the Meeting a Sustainable Future project, go to dairynz.co.nz/selwynhinds