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The project listed here are a snapshot of what we have done over the years, projects are listed in year order, latest ones first, older ones last.
A snap shot of a project may give you a quick way to establish if any of our make farming ezy product solutions would work for you. We can also put you in contact with the farmer related to the project if you feel its beneficial to have a chat.
350 Cube Effluent Storage
Year Completed: 2021
Location:
Reporoa area
Objective:
provide easy care storage bit further awau from the dairy to irrigate farm paddocks further afield
Solution:
350 Cube round effluent storage with Flecitank Round
8000 Cube Ecobag Nutrient Capture and Re Use
Largest totally enclosed effluent system in NZ
Year Completed: 2021
Location:
Otautau
Objective:
To store all cowhouse effluent over winter and early spring and ability to use this on farm as natural fertliser and organic matter. Wageningen (NL) research indicated cowhouse effluent means 50% of nutrients are available straight away, the other 50% is slow release. Soil carbons in the form of organic matter is build up over time.
Solution:
8000 Cube enclosed Ecobag Nutrient capture and storage system. This system is fully approved by the Southland Regional council. A new standard in non crusting, none smelling storage is now set.
Instalation completed Feb 2021
Client Testimonial:
“The big benefit is there is no volatilisation of nitrogen as methane, as there is no contact with air so the slurry we’re spreading on to the farm from the Ecobag™ is higher in nutrients.”
Headline: Effluent - it’s in the bag
By Karen Trebilcock
Southland dairy farmer Abe de Wolde installed his first Ecobag Effluent Storage System in New Zealand for the storage of wintering barn slurry last year.
“They’re well used and well regarded in Europe but this was a first for New Zealand,” he sAYS.
And he’s so impressed he’s installing a second one in mid-January at a new wintering barn he’s building.
The 45-metre by 45m bladder, supplied in NZ by Technipharm, is 4.8m deep, and can hold 8000 cubic metres of effluent. It sits in the ground and when full is 75cm above the surface of the land.
As the effluent is not exposed to the environment there is no crusting, no odour and it’s completely safe.
“You can walk over it, there are no worries about anyone falling in.
“The big benefit is there is no volatilisation of nitrogen as methane, as there is no contact with air so the slurry we’re spreading on to the farm from the Ecobag ™is higher in nutrients.
“Our slurry is giving off very little methane and nitrous oxide so it’s good for us and good for nature.”
Abe’s Woldwide Dairy Group milks 4200 cows on five dairy farms near Winton.
The 2300 hectares produces about 2.5 million kg of milksolids a year from the mainly Friesian cows which have a mix of NZ and Dutch genetics.
Abe and his wife Anita moved to NZ from Holland in 1992 after milking 40 cows there on 26ha. They were one of the first farming families to convert sheep farms into dairy in Western Southland.
Right from the start they saw the possibilities of bringing European technology and farming systems to Southland.
“It’s our goal to combine the best farming systems from around the world to produce food more efficiently,” Abe said.
Very soon their first dairy farm had a 625 free-stall wintering barn built on it.
Now cows on four of their five farms go in the wintering barns at night in April and May, extending the round so milking can continue through until the end of the season.
Then they are in them fulltime in June and July with the cows milked until they are sixty days away from their expected calving.
Some of the barns are also used for calving in August and September.
Automatically scrapers travel the length of the barns eight to 10 times a day with no water added but the slurry still contains enough moisture for it to be spread when soil conditions are right.
And Technipharm’s Ecobag helps.
“As the effluent is completely enclosed it doesn’t dry out but also rain can’t get in so we don’t have more slurry than we need to spread on our paddocks.”
A 18kw stirrer keeps the contents from separating.
“It goes from about two until three in the morning, well I hope it’s going – no one is awake to hear it.”
He said regional council Environment Southland was supportive.
“The Ecobag came with very good instructions and specifications so they could see that it met all of the consent requirements.”
Effluent is spread mainly on silage paddocks using either a slurry tanker on an umbilical when soil moisture conditions allow which hasn’t been easy these past few months in Southland.
“We’ve had the most horrendous Spring, the worst we have known. It’s been very wet and very cold but there have been a few small windows when we have been able to spread effluent on safely.”
And he’s taken the scraping technology from the wintering barns into two of the dairies.
Instead of washing the yard, the most hated end-of-milking chore by far, it is scraped automatically.
“We wash inside the dairy and the two or three metres into the yard but the rest is scraped.
“A dairy cow produces one and a half litres of effluent on average every milking but it can take another 50 litres to wash that away per cow.
“That is a lot of clean water that you have to store and pump and then get rid of afterwards.
“And why turn clean water into effluent if you don’t have to?”
Lowering the environmental impact on all five dairy farms as much as possible has always been the goal for Woldwide Dairy Group and effluent management is a key part of it.
With good practices, and the right technology such as the Ecobag, the amount of nutrients entering Southland’s waterways are lessened but also less fertiliser needs to go on to grow the pasture and forage crops to feed Woldwide’s cows.
“Because we don’t lose the nitrogen through methane loss with the Ecobag, it means the effluent we’re putting on is high in nutrients which is exactly what we need.”
Dairy Shed Upgrade with Dungbuster, new gate, drafter and Teatspray unit.
Year Completed: 2021
Location:
Australia Victoria
Objective:
Create time and resource savings for this dairy.
Solution:
An integrated backing gate and dungbuster was provided for this new dairy renovation including pre cast for sump and drain.
Drafter ( 3 way) and Teatspray unit for better cow management and cow udder health
Replacement old Pond to new Bladder
Year Completed: 2021
Location:
Katikati
Objective:
The old pond done its dash, leaking and silted up a new approach was needed
Smell and weedcontrol also issues close to the Dairy
Solution:
A 800 Cube round Flexitank was installed just below the existing pond on a new formed level platform
Year Completed: 2020
Location:
Objective:
New owner wants the DungBuster checked and serviced. Some of the bars not cleaning well.
Had little maintenance over the years.
Solution:
Remove all bars and clean thoroughly, check for blockages, check backing gate motor and filters.
Cowhouse Installation new scraper system
Year Completed: 2020
Location:
Raglan
Objective:
After the old system had done an estimated 300.000 Km of scraping over many years it was time to replace the old chain system with a more modren and easier to manage rope system
Solution:
Rope scrapers managed per lane for best utilisation of use, when outer lanes not used the scrapers do not have to operate thus savig on wear and tear. ( multi lane loop systrems require the scrapers to run regardless of use)
Calf weight monitoring crate and trailer
Year Completed: 2020
Location:
Rangiora
Objective:
Establish entry / start weights for new calves to ensure target weights are reached.
Solution:
A mobile calf weigh crate on trailer with panels to create a small pen for holding the animals in the paddock.
EID scanner and weigh system all integrated. Robust and easy to use
DungBuster servicing
Year Completed: 2020
Location:
Putaruru, Waikato.
Objective:
Service old DungBuster unit to make like new again.
Solution:
New blades, new fittings and all just in time!
Robot Automatic Adlib Feeders
Year Completed: 2020
Location:
Waikite Valley Rotorua
Objective:
Feed dairy replacement and beef calves to 100 Kg.
Solution:
3 Robot Automatic Adlib feeders are set up to feed milk powder and waste milk to approx 400-600 calves each year. The Feeders are part of a comprehensive rearing program.
This property has used Robot feeders for 15 years and recently upgraded to new units.
The feeders are set up on a small garden shed in the centre of a pizza style pen configuration, each pen holds approx 20-30 calves which are supplied by 2 feed stations. Each Robot can supply 8 Feed stations.
Client Testimonial:
Name available on request
Scraper reconditioning
Year Completed: 2020
Location:
Studholme Canterbury
Objective:
Recondition scrapers in 300 Cow Cowhouse. These scrapers done 10 years of hard work in a hybrid cowhouse without much mainteance, moving over 12000 Cube of sludge per year that is 120.000 Cube of sludge moved! that is a lot of #$%^&*
Solution:
Some parts news some parts reconditioned to get more life from good solid steel work which fundamentally is sound and to good to just row out.
Effluent Storage for Hybrid Farm
Year Completed: 2019
Location:
Ohaupo
Objective:
Extra storage on small strip of non-utilised land next to dairy housing.
Solution:
Customised Flexitank with rounded ends and narrow width.
Year Completed: 2019
Location: Corromandel
Objective:
Use of existing unused dairy shed at run off to provide for new handling facility for
young stock and beef
Solution:
A compact design Smart Yard system with easy flow and great handling facility
Year Completed: 2019
Location: Rerewhakaaitu
Objective:
Provide removable roof for existing structure bins with objective to keep feed dry and clean
Solution:
PrestoShed Roof ( retractable) with gutters for rain diversion. New divider wall and rear wall ( concrete blocks)
Year Completed: 2019
Location: Hunter Waimate
Objective:
Large mob handling for range of stock ranging from weaners Waiugu X, dairy heifers and dry cows frequent use, collection all effluent
Solution:
High performance hydraulic handling system with Auto drafter under covered (previous sheep shed) and large mob lead in pens Full EID.
Full Effluent containment. Concreted area 300 m2
Year Completed: 2018
Location:
Examples from several installs around the country
Objective:
Install new DungBuster
Solution:
-
Client Testimonial:
-
Effluent storage high rainfall area
Year Completed: 2018
Location:
Mamakus Tauranga/Rotorua
Objective:
To provide 2000 Cube storage for new dairy in high rain fall area.
Open pond system would require double the storage and significant more pumping cost
Solution:
2000 Cube totally enclosed ECOBAG nutrient capture system
Client Testimonial:
Available on request
Effluent storage high rainfall area
Year Completed: 2018
Location:
Mamakus Tauranga/Rotorua
Objective:
To provide 2000 Cube storage for new dairy in high rain fall area.
Open pond system would require double the storage and significant more pumping cost
Solution:
2000 Cube totally enclosed ECOBAG nutrient capture system
Client Testimonial:
Yards for Dairy Grazers and Beef fattening, Waikite Valley
Year Completed: 2016
Location:
Waikite Valley Rotorua
Objective:
Integate yards to existing lead in and lay of the land
Solution:
Navigator Force yard, curved race and load out, draft pens to main lead in.
Midranger Handler and 3 way drafter
Client Testimonial:
Great set of yards works really well.
Year Completed: 2016
Location: Opunake
Objective:
To make handling, weighing, hoof trimming as Ezy as possible
Solution:
Top of the line Dairy handling for new shed
Stirring 12000 Cube of Cowhouse Effluent
Year Completed: 2013
Location:
Leeston
Objective:
12000 Cube of effluent is a lot of effluent in any ones terms, but when it contains high solids its even more challenging. Storing requirements for up to 7 months and maintaining an homeginised consistancy for pumping and dribble boom distribtion
Solution:
3 times 22 Kw Eisele High Performance Stirrers strategically placed and with ability to change level height of stirring so all levels of the pond can be stirred and mixed properly
Client Testimonial:
Available on request, as of Dec 2020 the stirrers have not been touched for maintenance other then oil changes.
Dairy Research
Year Completed: 2010
Location:
Hamilton. Palmerston North, Lincoln, Southland
Objective:
Support handling systems for research
Solution:
Dairy Handler systems with specialist customises options for research users
Year Completed: 2010
Location: Glenavy
Objective:
To create a modern high volume throughput Rotary dairy milk harvesting platform and related animal management system aswell as interlinking race and effluent system to Cowhouse
Solution:
1) Rational and clear specifications created for maximised output and value for money for client
2) Transparent comparisons of price V value from 3rd party contractors
3) Engage contractors and execute plans and build
4) Deadline 1 July and transfer from old shed to new shed within 12 hours achieved
Dairy Support yards Tapanui
Year Completed: 2009
Location:
Tapanui SI
Objective:
High volume young stock yards for replacement dairy herd
Solution:
Full yard and Dairy handling, drafter and load out, main features Curve race and initial 360 force yard, Supreme handler which later on went to the Dairy farm and was replaced with a Hydracommander handler
Year Completed: 2001
Location: Nationwide
Objective:
To create a movable support frame for farmers to easily tail paint, pregames test, AI and read air tags
Solution:
The Dairy caddy ™ concept was originally provided from a 450 raised platform which then over the years evolved to a 650, 700 and extendable version, fully braked and mobil so it could be move along the pit wall. Various innovation awards have been received for this innovation and many thousands are in use throughout NZ Dairy Sheds
Cowhouse Wintering Barn
Year Completed: 2000
Location:
Otautau
Objective:
1998-2000
Solution:
One of the first wintering barns in Southland. Initial discussions and design criteria were to create a cost effective model for NZ conditions and economic models. Supply of all sludge pumping systems.
Year Completed: 2000
Location: Taumarunui
Objective:
Create a high performance efficient handling facility for a dairy herd and replacement stock
Solution:
Figure 8 yard with electric backing gates full console control
