WATER EFFICIENCY
​Improving on-farm water efficiency is essential for sustainable agriculture, helping farmers optimise water use while reducing environmental impact. By adopting smart irrigation technologies, monitoring soil moisture levels, and implementing efficient water management practices, farmers can enhance crop production, conserve resources, and ensure long-term water availability.
Weather and Water: Whether or Not?
How to maximise water efficiency on your farm
TLC and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council hosted a free workshop on on-farm water management, facilitated by Stephen McNally and Vanessa Winning from IrrigationNZ. Their comprehensive presentation on water efficiency provided valuable insights, including charts on soil water retention and the relationship between soil moisture and yield loss. Hyperlinks throughout the presentation offer additional resources for those seeking more detailed information.
The Impact of Cyclone Gabrielle
Monique Benson, Water Management Advisor at HBRC, also spoke at the TLC Water Workshop on the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle. During the Cyclone, 8,700 hectares of irrigated land across Hawke's Bay were flooded, with 20 percent affected to varying degrees. The cyclone also displaced and deposited massive amounts of soil. Monique's presentation featured several interesting maps which showed the areas most affected by flooding as well as sediment deposits immediately following Cyclone Gabrielle and how these deposits shifted as a result of the Cyclone. An estimated 10 to 20 million cubic metres of material were deposited on the flats, creating new soils across Hawke’s Bay overnight. The long-term behaviour and development of these new soils remain uncertain, adding complexity to future land and water management.