Practical sessions at IrrigationNZ conference

The biennial event, which takes place April 5-7, will focus on a series of workshops.
These include measuring and monitoring data for improved irrigation performance, attracting and keeping talent on-farm, the case for piping of irrigation and making sense of Overseer.
Many of the workshop sessions touch on the foundations of IrrigationNZ’s SMART Irrigation Programme (for Sustainably Managed, Accountable, Responsible and Trusted).
SMART has been designed around the industry body’s accreditation programmes.
Irrigators and irrigation schemes are being encouraged to use accredited companies for their systems.
The Irrigation Design Accreditation programme joins the already-established Blue Tick Water Measurement accreditation programme and the Farm Dairy Effluent System Design accreditation programme.
The most recent accreditation programme introduced by IrrigationNZ is Irrigation Design.
Accredited companies under this programme need to demonstrate that the designs they produce meet the design code of practice and standards, which distinguishes them from other organisations. With ever-increasing pressures on irrigators, from water quality and nutrient allocation limits, the importance of a well-designed system is now critical in order to meet these regulations.
For more information about any of these accreditation programmes visit www.irrigationaccreditation.co.nz or contact IrrigationNZ project manager Steven Breneger on (03) 341 2225.
Registrations for the conference are open and early bird discounts apply until February 23, 2016. Full details of the conference programme can be found at; http://irrigationnz.co.nz/events-training/conference-2016/programme/