BUFFER ZONES ON DAIRY FARMS

Goal: Is to develop best practice guidelines for improved wetland and river management on dairy farms.

Some conclusions and recommendations from the study:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           1. Strategies for a specific site should be implemented, e.g. stream fencing is most effective when implemented along headwater streams and as a result, is a more suitable option for farmers in the headwater catchment.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 2. Similarly, the benefits of riparian buffers are most tangible when continuous strips of unbroken buffers are implemented. Therefore, it is advised that landowners within a catchment work together to form coordinated management plans for the catchment.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  3. Since sustainable dairy farming is an essential requirement to ensure that receiving freshwater systems are protected from harmful dairy farm wastewater, trade-offs have to be made between dairy production and the associated environmental impact. The challenge is that environmental and economic goals often conflict, and a middle ground must be found to achieve a level of balance on dairy farms.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  4. To conserve scarce water resources rehabilitation of degraded wetlands may be the best option.                                                                                                                                                                            5. Also, the potential benefits of constructed wetlands should be investigated as the long-term benefits will outweigh the loss in grazing land and costs of construction. The challenge is that these treatment options usually require portions or sections of land to be fenced off from cows to protect the system as well as the health of the herd. Farmers that operate pasture-based farms may be reluctant to utilize such technologies as they will result in a loss of grazing land. In cases whereby farmers can implement these technologies, it is advised that they be used in conjunction with mitigation measures to ensure that their land is managed optimally and that the wastewater treatment practices are protected.