Three companies wanting to develop 16 dairy farms in the Omarama and Ohau areas are proposing different uses for the land they own or plan to buy.
Southdown Holdings Ltd, Five Rivers Ltd and Williamson Holdings Ltd have now suggested alternatives to dairying - "cut and carry" feed for beef and sheep or cropping without stock.
However, dairying still remains their preferred option.
That was revealed in a memorandum yesterday from an Environment Canterbury (ECan) hearings panel considering resource consent applications for water for the dairy developments.
The proposals for Ohau Downs, Glen Eyre Downs and Killermont Station have caused an uproar, particularly the plan to house up to 17,850 cows in cubicles, which has been labelled "factory farming" by some critics.
The outcry led to Minister for the Environment Nick Smith calling in the resource consent applications and appointing a board of inquiry to hear the applications to store and dispose of effluent from the cows.
The three companies feared applications for water could be delayed while the board considered the effluent applications.
The dairy farms cannot go ahead without water to grow pasture and crops to feed the cows, and to dilute the effluent.
They still wanted their applications to be considered by the ECan hearings panel, because the decision made would "affect the course adopted by the applicants" on the called-in effluent applications.
The companies' counsel, Derek Nolan, told the panel it had sufficient information to make a decision and strongly urged it not to delay or adjourn the water hearings pending the outcome of the board of inquiry.
The ECan panel decided last week in a verbal decision it had sufficient information, with the promise of additional evidence, to complete the hearing and make a decision.
The memorandum yesterday expanded on that decision, saying the three companies also offered to provide further evidence about alternative uses for the land and water if the panel had "any significant concerns" about the dairy farming option.
ECan hearings panel chairman Paul Rogers said the panel was told by the three companies that feed operations or cropping could be carried out on the land, but would require amended farm management plans different from those for dairying.
Such new evidence could be produced within two weeks.
"We were also told that 'cut and carry' and cropping options are simpler and less costly forms of farming.
They would provide us with an ability to make a decision without concern about the effluent management should we have any overriding concerns about the dairying issue," Mr Rogers said.
"We were told, nevertheless, dairying still remains the preferred option for the applicants."
It was up to the three companies to determine whether or not they wished, at this late stage, to amend their proposals.
However, the panel was uncertain as to the basis on which the applicants proposed the alternatives.
The panel has given the three companies until tomorrow to determine if they will change and/or amend the applications in relation to the farming systems.
If they are to do so, the applicants have to provide and circulate relevant information to all parties on or before Friday, February 19.
