Taranaki dairy fencing off riparian strips

Scientists are reporting encouraging results from seven years of riparian planting and effluent diversion on a South Taranaki stream. The Waiokura is one of five streams in NZ's major dairy farming regions that are being used to measure the benefits of changing farm practices on water and stream quality reports The Taranaki Daily. It's a typical spring-fed stream on the Taranaki ring plain, running through 44 farms roughly above Manaia. The catchment covers 2100 hectares and is crossed by three roads: Eltham, Skeet and Hicks. All but one of the farms have adopted riparian management plans. Monitoring of the stream in three locations and on 17 of the farms has been done jointly by Niwa, AgResearch, the Taranaki Regional Council and DairyNZ. Their report, recently published, says that over the period 2001-2008, water quality has improved significantly due to riparian management and changes in farming practices. The monitor streams project evolved from industry concern about increasing degradation of soil and water quality and the long-term sustainability of dairy farming. The five streams were selected in a study begun in 2001 called Best Practice Catchments for Sustainable Dairying.The goal was to devise best- management practices that would be widely adopted by farmers and result in better stream water quality by reducing inputs of faecal matter, sediment and phosphate fertiliser. The Waiokura catchment practices were: To use permanent fencing to exclude stock from waterways. Riparian strip planting to intercept and filter overland flow of particulate contaminants. Reduce direct pond discharges of dairy shed effluent and encourage land irrigation. Reduce soil phosphorus (P) levels to economic optimum values.