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