Three companies wanting to develop dairy farms in the Omarama and Ohau areas have suggested alternative farming methods to an Environment Canterbury (ECan) panel hearing their water applications.
Southdown Holdings Ltd, Five Rivers Ltd and Williamson Holdings Ltd want to set up 16 dairy farms with up to 17,850 cows.
They have applied to ECan for water to irrigate the farms and dilute effluent from cubicles housing the cows.
Earlier this month, the companies said there were other options if the panel had concerns about granting water for the dairy farms.
Those companies have now filed additional evidence in amended farm-management plans outlining those alternatives, while emphasising dairying remained their preferred option.
The alternatives are cut-and-carry (growing feed and transporting it), sheep and beef finishing or mixed-enterprise farming, which includes some dairying.
An irrigated cut-and-carry system, with a small area of arable crops grown during pasture renewal, would have stock housed off site and, in general, no grazing except for light spring grazing during pasture renewal.
Pasture will be cut, conserved and exported to the herd (off farm) throughout the year.
The irrigated beef and sheep finishing would have an area of cut-and-carry and a small area of arable cropping undertaken during pasture renewal.
The mixed-enterprise farm would comprise a dairy herd, a sheep and beef-finishing enterprise, an area of cut-and-carry for the production of supplements and a small arable rotation for the pasture-renewal phase.
The three amended farm management plans had to be filed with ECan by last Friday and are now available for other parties, including those opposed to the dairy farms, to consider and make comment.
The panel will decide on resource consent applications for water lodged by the three companies, while applications for dairy effluent storage ponds have been called in by the Government and will be heard by a board of inquiry.
