The Nevada system was ideal for Stewart, he recalled, and one of the redeeming features for him was that he can maintain the machine by simply spinning it around, dropping the prop on the ground; greasing the nipples, and spinning it back into the pond.
Another quality that sold Stewart on the Nevada system was that Nevada Stirrers are made in Germany. It’s not a toy, he said, and technology is always good from Germany. Stewart likes his first cost to be his last one, and he can see his Nevada Stirrer being there for a long time.
The first benefit Stewart observed after installing his Nevada Stirrer was the fine quality of the dairy effluent liquid-fertiliser. The consistent mixture meant that he could adjust the irrigator to a finer nozzle to get better coverage without ponding. He’s getting an even mix all the time because he’s stirring frequently, and not allowing effluent solids to fall out of suspension.
This cannot come at a better time because at the moment, dairy farmers in Stewart’s area are talking about dry spells; which are not very frequent in Balclutha, but Stewart is confident because he has 550,000 litres of the finest quality dairy effluent liquid-fertiliser up his sleeve. So not only will he get to drop his artificial fertiliser costs, he can also extend his irrigation area.
‘That is all part of the success story. It suits the Council of course, but overall it’s just a wonderful system that’ll help grow the grass and make the farm more productive.’
Stewart Rutter – Dairy Farmer, Balclutha
