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Find our information on water saving initiatives based on the effort involved in putting them into place.

Water Saving Options by Effort

Water saving initiatives sorted by the effort involved to put in place.

  1. Low Effort to Implement
  2. Moderate Effort to Implement
  3. High Effort to Implement

In This Section

  • High effort to implement

    High Effort to Implement

    • Re-use water from effluent ponds
    • Divert and use rainwater from yards 
    • Concrete surface and grooving
    • Yard slope 
    • Yard drainage 
    • Manual scrapers 
    • Drink from troughs 
    • Stop leakage from dams 

  • Low effort to implement

    Low effort to implement

    • Wake-up cows first 
    • Stock handling
    • Alternative (bore) water supply 
    • Wash section closest to the shed only
    • Wash yard less frequently
    • Hose nozzles 
    • Hydrant wash systems
    • Flood wash - riser systems 
    • Flood wash - tank systems 
    • Curb operation of plate cooler water pump 
    • Recycle water for other dairy processes 
    • Store and re-use plate cooler water
    • Enhance vat cleaning
    • Check plant wash regime 
    • Increase turbulence  Strategically wash platform 
    • Use gloves to clean rubberware and pipework 
    • Install 'non-stick' surfaces in the dairy 
    • Use cow ankle straps on pipework 
    • Wet surfaces prior to milking 
    • Use low pressure hoses 
    • Strategically wash teats 
    • Dry wipe teats
    • Use trigger nozzles on udder hoses 
    • Fix leaking troughs 
    • Reduce evaporation from water storages

  • Moderate effort to implement

    Moderate effort to implement

    • Reduce the time they spend on the yard 
    • Nutrition - Feed adequate fibre 
    • Voluntary cow flow into dairy 
    • Mud and stone trap at laneway-yard junction 
    • Solids trap for re-use systems 
    • Short, high volume hoses
    • Mechanical scrapers 
    • Gate scrapers and auto-flushing 
    • Tipping drums 
    • Sprinklers
    • Dribble bars 
    • Optimise heat exchange 
    • Tailor water to milk flow
    • Re-use final rinse water 
    • Re-use detergent wash 
    • Catch rain water from shed roof 

Major Initiatives

Focus Farms

Dairy Australia has established a network of Focus Farms to support farmer decision making.

DairyBase

DairyBase is a web-based tool that enables dairy farmers to measure and compare their farm business performance over time.

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