Simple tricks, new technology help Northland dairy farmers reduce water use

The Alexanders milk around 350 mainly Holstein Friesian cows. Photo / Supplied

In a region increasingly prone to drought, being able to reduce the amount of water used in your dairy shed by 50 per cent is a massive win.

For Hukerenui Holstein Friesian breeders Kevin and Michele Alexander that win came down to measuring good data, a commitment to finding a better way to manage water on their farm and using better tools and methods, including a hose nozzle that uses significantly less water than a normal hose.

The couple have been on their 178 hectare farm about 20km north of Whangarei for the past 20 years. They milk around 350 mainly Holstein Friesian cows, which in a good year returned about 1100kg/MS a hectare.

Kevin said the district's drought in the summer of 2020/21 was as bad as the 1945 drought Northland experienced.

"We had 106ml of rain on 16 October 2019 and our next meaningful rain was 160ml on June 1, 2020. We had to re-grass a large part of our farm. It was probably our toughest season ever," he said.

This season was looking almost as challenging.

The couple never ran out of farm water though, where some other farmers in their district had to ship water in.

Kevin remembered his grandparents telling him about the drought that hit the region in 1945. One of the lessons was when looking for a farm, always look for one with a gravel-bottom stream as they never ran dry in Northland.

"We brought in a small amount of feed, dried the herd off early and then concentrated on resowing resilient pasture species to take advantage of our growing seasons."

It was also a good opportunity to reboot the pasture species on their farm, Kevin said.

It had been hard work and the couple said they always tried to be prepared for where the future was heading.

In the past they took part in an effluent reduction project which led to them reducing water use in their farm cow shed by 50 per cent.

The project was run in conjunction with the Northland Regional Council.

Meters were fitted to key water outlets in their cow shed as part of the project, from washing down to their backing gates and vacuum pumps.

Using the meter data, the couple worked out, using simple ideas, how to make the most efficient use of their water in their shed.

For example, they moved from 42mm hoses to 32mm hoses and made sure staff were using correct procedures when hosing down the shed.

They also discovered they were pushing their water driven backing gates far harder than they were designed to work.

Michele Alexander. Photo / Supplied

"We reduced the volume of water driving the backing gates significantly, so the gates travelled at their designed speeds," Kevin said.

By fitting a three-quarter brass tap worth about $30 to the backing gate, they went from using 180 litres a minute to 15 litres a minute.

"We went from using 23 cubic metres a day to 12, excluding dairy hygiene and stock water."

"We improved the efficiency of dealing with our effluent, albeit it was far more concentrated, so we have to be conscious of how we are spreading that over our effluent field, which covers half the dairy farm."

It also meant they reduced their hours and input into managing their system, Kevin said.

"Overall, it's a win, win."

The couple believed the next three years were going to be very interesting in New Zealand from a farming system perspective.

"Over the next three years, with new legislative requirements coming at us, it's going to be a bit of fun working it all out. I think all the answers are there we just have to actually look at it smarter. Look at the science and technology that's available to us and look at changing farming patterns that will help us meet our requirements."

On their farm they were looking at maximising fodder growth using the advantages within the Northland climate.

The Alexanders' Holstein Friesian herd had been described as commercial, but Kevin, who had been dairy farming for the past 40 years, said they found Holstein Friesians more efficient along with providing better production.

Kevin Alexander with grandson Alex. Photo / Supplied

"The Holstein Friesian is by far the largest dairy population in the world and because of that, the potential for the rate of change with the genetics is immense. The trick is finding the traits we want and having them made available to us," Kevin said.

"We have a clear picture in mind of what we are trying to achieve with our herd."

"Genomic testing has huge potential. It could help identify the cattle we should be keeping, not the ones we think we should be keeping."

The couple used genomic sires as well as some proven sires across their herd.

They used mainly bulls from ST Genetics, World Wide Sires, CRV and some LIC.

Farnear Miami-ET, Edg Rubicon-ET, ST Gen Rubi-Fire 61432-ET, Edg Delta-B52-ET, ST Gen DW Prowler-ET, Delaberge Salt PB, Roylane Bookem Bob 5170-ET and a little bit of Maire FI Golddigger and Maire IG Gauntlet-ET feature recently.

The couple had a clear picture in mind of what they were trying to achieve with their herd. Photo / Supplied

Kevin liked the fact the Holstein Friesian breed was also dual purpose.

"It's not just about milk there is also a high-quality beef product there as well. The New Zealand milk model is built around cows that only make milk and they're not too worried about the beef or the surrender value of cull cows."

The couple aimed to run a competitive live weight per hectare.

Currently they had 2.3 cows to the hectare, with cows around 550kg plus.

The Alexanders were looking to adjust that with more suited farming techniques, and modelling that would better suit their farm's grass growth patterns and weather patterns, as well as their farm environment, Kevin said.

The farm had a strong environmental base. It had 30 hectares of native bush that was more than 100-years-old, and the couple had also added considerable new planting to that.

The Alexanders were also in year three of using GPS technology to improve their fertiliser and urea application on farm.

Kevin said the accuracy of that had already significantly reduced any over application of synthetic nitrogen and fertiliser.

The couple said they were always open to new technology that continued to help them adapt to the challenging Northland climate, as long as it gave them an economic return.