Balance the key to sustainable farming

Andrew and Jenny Hayes have shown that improving soil and
water quality does not compromise farming productivity.

Andrew and Jenny Hayes’ recipe for success on their North Waikato dairy farm has been to improve soil and water quality while maintaining farm production levels. Their 10-year effort to improve the health of two peat lakes bordering their property earned them the Ministry’s 2007 Green Ribbon Award for Rural Sustainability.

With restoration of lakes Komakorau and Kaituna at the front of their minds, the Hayes significantly reduced their nitrogen fertiliser use by more than 130 tonnes per hectare per year. It took two years to cut back without compromising soil quality but regular soil testing showed it had to be done.

Knowledge, said Andrew Hayes, is essential to best practice farming. Understanding the nitrogen cycle, how to assess nutrient levels and trace elements, reliable soil testing and yearly nutrient budgets kept him informed.

Reducing nitrogen fertiliser has had a positive effect on farm finances but Hayes prefers to stress other benefits. What he enjoys most can be seen outside his window. These days the peat lakes are brimming with vitality. Native plants are regenerating along the shoreline, and teal, Australian bittern and grey ducks have returned. The green algae bloom across both lakes has disappeared.

But changing years of farming practices wasn’t easy. Hayes likens reducing fertiliser use to smoking. “It isn’t an overnight thing,” and it took some three years for clover to begin growing again on his pasture.

The Hayes have also reduced the impact of leaching on the lakes. Drains that formerly ran into the lakes have been blocked and sediment traps installed to trap silt run-off. Land close to the lake margins has been retired and a buffer of wetland vegetation has been planted along the lake shores.

“You’ve got to look after the lake at the same time as the farm,” advised Hayes. “You’ve got to get a win-win situation.”

Advice is what the Hayes are now in demand for with two visits planned to neighbouring farms. Their farm is a showcase for sustainable farming and wetland conservation. Many visitors have tramped through on Environment Waikato field days, during the National Wetlands Symposium and on World Wetlands day.

For more information contact Carmel Rowlands on (04) 439 7412 or carmel.rowlands@mfe.govt.nz

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