Winter Grazing Plan
Intensive Winter Grazing
Contiguous Operation: Sealach Ltd
Owners:
White Cliff Dairy Farm
Derek Dewar Chalmers, Verna Joyce Chalmers, HC Trustees 2007 LtdDD Chalmers Trust, VJ Chalmers Trust
23 Kauri Crescent, Oamaru 9400Willow Cliff Dairy Farm
Willowcliff Farm Ltd
c/- NM & KJ McLachlan, 47 Dip Road, RD 12C, Oamaru 9491
Loch Lomond
Robyn Ann Moynihan
45A Awamoa Road, Holmes Hill, Oamaru 9401
Grants Rd
Sealach Ltd
c/- N & K McLachlan, 47 Dip Hill Road, RD 12C, Oamaru 9491
Person in Charge:
Nathan McLachlan
027 292 4380
Property Addresses:
White Cliff Dairy Farm
62 Harveys Road Island Cliff
LOTS 1, 3 DP 461559 PT SEC 6 BLK II MAEREWHENUA SD
Willow Cliff Dairy Farm
77 Hedley Road Kokoamo
SECS 31 34-35 PT SECS 25-26 BLK III MAEREWHENUA SD LOT 1 DP 23122 LOT 1 DP 22968
Loch Lomond Support Block
39 Stock Road, Maerewhenua
SECS 1-2 SO 24133 SECS 100-102 BLK VII SEC 4 BLK XI MAEREWHENUA SD LOT 1 DP 531743
Grants Rd Support Block
Livingstone-Duntroon Road, Duntroon-Livingstone
LOT 2 DP 21083 SECS 104-105 PT SECS 85 106 BLK VII MAEREWHENUA SD
Farm Size:
Four blocks totalling 1241.8ha.
Total Wintering Area:
1241.8ha
Maximum Annual Winter Grazing Area:
114ha
2023 Wintering Area:
20 paddocks totalling 114ha.
Consists of:
Loch Lomond and Grants Rd Run Off: 54ha
Whitecliff Dairy: 25ha
Willowcliff Dairy: 35ha
Description:
Winter Grazing on fodder beet, kale and rape for mixed age dairy and beef cows, dry stock, young stock and sheep.
Critical Source Area Management
Critical Source Areas are areas that collect surface water and can transport nutrients to waterways or groundwater. Critical Source Areas (CSA's) are marked on the Winter Grazing Plans for each paddock. All paddocks are within either the Maerewhenua or Waitaki river catchments (or Bushy Creek/Sheepwash Creek tributary) which are significant rivers for Ngai Tahu and these are the strategies to mitigate risk to the river values.
Winter grazing does not occur in CSA's in wet conditions from 1 May to 30 September each year - these areas are left in grass, and upper reaches grazed while dry or lifted rather than grazed.
A CSA is dry enough to graze when no pugging results.
Stock are excluded from CSA's with a buffer of 5m, or up to 20m if steeper than 15 degrees. These buffers may be in a grass paddock lower down the CSA and may be supplemented by a temporary bale detention dam.
Bales are placed on higher areas of crop paddocks away from CSA's in areas where tractors can safely access.
Slopes are grazed top to bottom toward CSA's and waterways if possible.
Winter grazing does not occur within 5m of any waterway, or 100m of a water abstraction point. Any crop in these areas is lifted.
Backfences are used to protect previously grazed areas and they are replanted as early as practicable.
Crops are sown along the contour where safe to do so.
Halter virtual fencing collars are used to exclude animals from CSA's.
The buffers nearest downstream drinking water protection zone is the Waikakahi Rural scheme intake 13,500m, downstream on the Waitaki River.
This CSA plan reflects Mahinga Kai values to prevent degradation of the habitats supporting the resource of fish life and plants so that they may be used in the future.
Wet Weather Planning and Animal Welfare
During wet weather when the paddock is becoming pugged beyond ankle height stock are run off to a sacrifice paddock with a large break to minimise damage and this is typically next years crop paddock.
Pugged paddocks are renovated with full cultivation back to grass including ripping if necessary.
Stock are given extra feed in wet, snowy or cold conditions.
Bale positions are moved daily to leave straw beds for stock to lie on.
Cows are scanned and drafted into early, mid and late calvers so springers can be moved onto grass paddocks ahead of calving.
Stock are consciously monitored daily for animal health issues such as acidosis, lameness, mastitis, condition loss, slowness, bagging up or calving. These animals are monitored, treated and separated as required.
Animal health is monitored by collars which inform decision making during transition in particular.
Transition typically begins with 30 minutes on the first week from first cow on to last cow off and increases in 15 minute increments.
Mob sizes are restricted to 300 maximum during winter to limit competition and to limit pressure on paddocks, cows and staff in difficult conditions. Milking mobs grazing on/off can be 400.
A feed budget is used based on square metres and crop residual is monitored.
Loch Lomond and Grants Rd (ECan)
Loch Lomond Slopes
Maximum slope grazed is 30 degrees.
Loch Lomond Soils
Ngapara_1a.2 Silt Loam - tan coloured on map above, as well as paddock at top of Stock Road.
Well drained, moderate structural vulnerability, low water logging vulnerability, and medium N leaching.
The paddock at the top of Stock Rd is also in the moderate erosion vulnerability area but slope is less than 15 degrees.
Timaru_1a.2 Silt Loam - blue coloured on map above.
Imperfectly drained, high structural vulnerability, moderate water logging vulnerability and medium N leaching.
Although these paddocks are imperfectly drained they are on slopes so the risk is run-off via critical source areas and this is managed by the measures listed above.
Well drained, high structural vulnerability, very low water logging vulnerability and high N leaching.
This paddock is on the flat at the bottom of Stock Road next to the creek. The well drained and high N leaching characteristics mean the risk for this paddock is leaching. This will be managed by planting a following crop as soon as practical after grazing.
Note that paddocks west of the Maerewhenua River are listed on Environment Canterbury Soil Layers. The remainder are on SMap as viewed above.
Grants Rd Paddock Plans
The CSA's are all normally dry and consist of swales. All are planted in crop because they have grass buffers downstream. The smallest grass buffer is 732m from the paddock to the Maerewhenua River. There are subsurface drains but they empty into the paddocks and the nearest waterway to a drain exit is across 996m of grass so rather than a risk of conveying contaminants to water they are considered a mitigation to reduce pugging and pooling.
The flat paddock at the bottom of Stock Road is in close proximity to the creek which is a risk and has a CSA consisting of a swale through the paddock to the North East corner. To manage the risk there is a 45m grass buffer within the paddock consisting of the last portion of the CSA before the fence which has not been planted in crop, and another 42m from the paddock to the creek. There are points where the paddock is closer to the creek but a raised plough line has formed a ridge along the fenceline preventing contaminants exiting the paddock - contaminants will run into the interior of the paddock to the CSA and through the buffer instead.
Whitecliff (ORC)
Whitecliff Slopes
The maximum slope is 30 degrees.
Whitecliff Soils
Whitecliff crop paddocks are on Kauru Silt Loam.
Well drained, moderate structural vulnerability, moderate water logging, and very high N leaching risk.
The leaching risk is to be mitigated by planting following crops as soon as practical after grazing.
Whitecliff Paddock Plans
M23 is a ridgeline paddock grazed to the West. Large grass buffers have been left between the crop and the CSA which runs 1,760m through grass to the Awamoko Creek.
PS1 is a ridgeline paddock grazed downhill towards the cliffs and waterway.
T3 is a ridgeline paddock where a CSA originates and runs together with another CSA over the shortest route from this paddock to the Awamoko Creek being 3,000m over grass.
Willowcliff (ECan)
Willowcliff Slopes
Maximum slope with crop is 35 degrees.
Willowcliff Soils
All crop paddocks on Willowcliff are Ngapara_1a.2 Silt Loam - well drained, moderate structural vulnerability, low water logging vulnerability, and medium N leaching.
Willowcliff Paddock Plans
C5 has a steep paddock but as can be seen the steeper part is excluded.
All paddocks are grazed towards CSA's.
The shortest CSA is 253m over retired rank grass to a detention dam.
N7 is grazed from the top of the hill towards the CSA at the bottom.
The shortest distance between crop and the waterway is 95m.
S12 has a CSA at the Western end with pivot ramps running across it. This then runs through E8 which is also a crop paddock and then 1,710m through grass to the Kokoamo Creek.
E8 is below S12 to the North and has a steep spur that has been excluded from the crop area and two CSA's at each end of the paddock with grazing direction down the CSA's which run together across grass for 1,710m to the Kokoamo Creek.
S6 is a flat paddock with a CSA toward the back.
Grazing is towards the CSA which runs 1,781m to a detention dam.