Macalister Demonstration Farm

Dairy Research Farm demonstrating best management practice

 

Macalister Demonstration Farm

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Effluent Nutrient Management & Profitability

Best practice management of dairy effluent ponds and their nutrients and impact on profitability

Reports by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) that 72% of dairy effluent systems audited on Gippsland farms did not meet auditing standards indicated farmers were not undertaking “best practice” management of their dairy effluent.

Poorly managed effluent ponds have the potential for environmental damage. Publicity created from such damage could harm the image of the dairy industry and its products, on both the domestic and international markets. In addition, by not using the effluent sludge, farmers are not taking advantage of an important farm resource they had already paid for in the form of bought feed and fertilizer to reduce input costs.

Objectives for the project were to demonstrate that natural resource management and profitable farming need not be mutually exclusive through:

  1. Application of nutrients in effluent to pastures means less off-farm fertilisers need to be purchased
  2. Clever use of existing infrastructure, such as small effluent dams, can negate the need for building larger effluent ponds
  3. Assessment of the impact of these to be incorporated into a cost/benefit analysis of “best practice” management of dairy effluent ponds
  4. Assistance to farmers wanting to improve their own operations by providing the demonstration site as well as information via the proposed communications.

Managing Dairy Effluent Ponds Profitably Oct 08

Latest Publications

The MDF IoT Project: Introduction

December 29, 2020 By MDF

MDF Fortnightly Update 533

December 29, 2020 By MDF

MDF Fortnightly Update 532

December 29, 2020 By MDF

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About the MDF

The Macalister Demonstration Farm, formerly the Macalister Research Farm, is a farmer-owned co-operative established on April 13th 1960. A collaboration between dairy farmers of the MID and the Department of Agriculture at Maffra resulted in the … Read More

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