Owl Farm case study - Environment plan

Owl Farm case study - Environment plan

Owl Farm

This page from Owl Farm, a demonstration dairy farm in the Waikato, covers its Farm Environment Plan, developed with Fonterra's TIAKI sustainable dairying advisory service. It explains how the plan was drawn up through an on-farm assessment and covers land and soil, irrigation, effluent, waterways, biodiversity and nutrients.

The page also links to the farm's separate Effluent Management Plan and its Farm Insights Report, and notes that the plan has been reviewed and updated since it was first created in 2017.

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Have you thought about

On-farm actions

  • Owl Farm case study - Biodiversity

    Whenua
    Biodiversity
    Conservation
    On-farm actions

    Track the native species and planting programme behind Owl Farm's biodiversity.

  • Owl Farm case study - Nitrogen management

    Whenua
    Fertiliser
    On-farm actions
    Soil

    Explore how Owl Farm has lowered nitrogen fertiliser use and modelled nitrogen loss.

Farm planning

  • Owl Farm case study - Animal well-being plan

    Enterprise
    Farm planning
    Livestock
    Wellbeing

    See how Owl Farm builds a seasonal well-being plan for its dairy herd with local vets.

  • Owl Farm case study - Feed budgets

    Enterprise
    Dairy
    Farm planning
    Productivity

    Learn how feed budgets keep pasture cover and cow condition on target.

Sustainability

  • Owl Farm case study - Soil health

    Whenua
    On-farm actions
    Soil
    Sustainability

    Discover how Owl Farm tests and protects its soil's physical, chemical and biological health.

  • Reducing soil damage in high rainfall: Sustainable dairying

    Climate
    Dairy
    On-farm actions
    Resilience
    Soil
    Sustainability

    Learn how Woldwide Farms uses sustainable practices to reduce soil damage in high rainfall.

  • Using sustainable practices to reduce emissions and protect waterways

    Climate
    Agribusiness
    Dairy
    Emissions reduction
    Livestock
    On-farm actions
    Sustainability
    Water

    A Taitokerau farm is using on sustainable practices to improve production efficiency, reduce emissions, and protect the Mangakahia catchment.

An alternative perspective

  • Owl Farm case study - Lameness management

    Enterprise
    Livestock
    On-farm actions
    Wellbeing

    Learn how Owl Farm halved its lameness rate by changing yard flow and race care.

  • Owl Farm case study - Greenhouse gas performance

    Climate
    Emissions reduction
    Greenhouse gas
    Methane

    Learn how Owl Farm cut biological greenhouse gas emissions over a ten year period.

Explore related content

Introduction to Farm Environment Planning

Climate
Agribusiness
Emissions reduction
Horticulture
On-farm actions
Planning
Policy
Sustainability

Hear from experts on how to create and implement farm environment plans for sustainable farm practice in horticulture.

Owl Farm case study - Tail audit

Enterprise
Livestock
On-farm actions
Wellbeing

Find out how Owl Farm tracks tail damage in its herd to protect cow welfare.

Owl Farm case study - Wetland performance

Climate
Biodiversity
Regeneration
Water

See how Owl Farm's constructed wetland strips nitrogen and sediment from farm runoff.

Farm environment planning to improve water quality

Whenua
Farm planning
Livestock
On-farm actions
Sustainability
Water

Find out how the Ridge family has used farm environment planning to improve the water quality on their sheep and beef farm.

Farm Environment Planning to reduce environmental impact

Climate
Agribusiness
Dairy
Emissions reduction
Farm environment plan
Farm planning
Forestry
Livestock
On-farm actions
Planning
Sheep and beef
Sustainability

Learn how a Bay of Plenty farm used Farm Environment Planning to transform its operations and reduce its environmental impact.

Owl Farm case study - Milk production

Enterprise
Dairy
Productivity
Profitability

Compare season milksolids results against Owl Farm's production targets.

Rules for farm effluent in Waikato

Whenua
Compliance
Livestock
Water

Check the Waikato rules for putting farm effluent on land or near water.

Owl Farm case study - Milk quality

Enterprise
Compliance
Dairy
Productivity

See what keeps Owl Farm's alert, grade and demerit counts falling.

National rules for farm effluent

Whenua
Compliance
Dairy
On-farm actions
Water

Learn the national rules for storing and spreading farm effluent.

Native biodiversity

Whenua
Biodiversity
Conservation
Farm environment plan
Farm planning
On-farm actions
Sustainability

Practical steps for planning, boosting, and caring for native biodiversity on your farm.

Owl Farm case study - Paddock performance

Enterprise
Fertiliser
Productivity
Soil

Discover which paddocks grow the most feed and why some fall short.