27 October 2016
Farmers in the Lake Rotorua catchment will feature in videos providing advice to other farmers about good nutrient management practice. The main objective is to reduce nutrients entering Lake Rotorua although the videos may appeal to a wider audience.
Seven projects have been approved by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s Low Nitrogen Land Use Fund (LNLUF) with a $45,000 grant to this particular project. A key focus of this contestable fund is to promote the uptake of proven low nitrogen land uses and practices in the Lake Rotorua catchment.
Fund manager Anna Grayling says the Regional Council is committed to supporting landowners with useful and practical information to reduce nutrient losses.
“We have farmers in the catchment who have already undertaken changes on their farms that demonstrate good practices and a number of them have put their hands up to share their experiences and expertise with their peers.”
Topics covered in the video series will include understanding nitrogen and phosphorous cycles, effluent management, efficient nitrogen fertiliser use, how to integrate good nutrient practices into a farm nutrient plan and more. The project will be co-ordinated by Landconnect Ltd with support from the Lake Rotorua Primary Producers Collective and Ballance.
Landconnect project co-ordinator Maggie Hope says “The project is about showcasing the great work that’s already happening in the catchment. ‘By farmers for farmers’ is the guiding principle behind the video series.”
The Lake Rotorua Primary Producers Collective will work alongside Landconnect to make sure the videos are tailored to meet farmer needs. Collective spokesperson and dry stock farmer Joanna Carr says “We’ve been looking for a nutrient mitigation toolbox like this for a while now. This project is one way to get the relevant information out there.”
The videos will be published on YouTube via the Lake Rotorua Primary Producers Collective website and project partner websites by June 2017.
For more information on the Low Nitrogen Land Use Fund visit https://www.rotorualakes.co.nz/low-nitrogen-land-use-fund
Additional Information
LNLUF is co-funded by Bay of Plenty Regional Council and Ministry for the Environment.
It was established to fund research that assists landowners with meeting their Nitrogen Discharge Allowance and removing 140 tonnes of nitrogen entering the lake by 2032. A total of 320 tonnes of nitrogen needs to be permanently removed to sustainably meet water quality targets set by the community.
$1 million of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s $3.3 million Low Nitrogen Land Use Fund (LNLUF) has been allocated to support landowners with making their required nitrogen reductions as part of the long-term solution to protect Lake Rotorua water quality.
