The average water use across farms is therefore 911 litres of water per litre of milk. The main point I would like to make though is that the water use efficiency varies between the different farm systems.
The SWAN system is composed of soil, water, atmosphere and nutrient components. The best way to show how these integrated and interrelated measures reflect the journey of improving agricultural sustainability is to show a case study of a farm which has become more sustainable over the past five years.
The reality is that adapting agricultural practices when the drought is already upon us is actually too late. Sustainable agriculture should be a way of life.
The use of flow meters can be used as a water conservation tool? Read this blog to find out how.
Is our water resources really under the amount of pressure that media headlines make it out to be? Read this blog to find out for yourself.
Each percentage increase in soil carbon results in 230 818 more litres of water stored per hectare. That is a massive amount of water. Increasing soil carbon levels is therefore a key factor to improving water use efficiency on farms.
Wind can cause havoc on dairy farms. affecting it’s soils, plants and animals. Although a natural occurrence, something can be done to decrease the devastating effects of the wind.
Rain is always welcome on our lands. It is our responsibility as good water stewards to use it as the valuable resource which it is
Sometimes I wonder if we actually realise the extent to which water management influences the entire farm system? From the health of the soil, to pasture growth and production, to milk production, to holistic farm efficiency and profitability.
Water use in agriculture is unavoidable but where possible, it can be decreased. If we are to have maximum impact on saving water, all water users should play their part in saving water, but the greatest impact comes from involving the role players in agriculture.