The good, the bad, and the opportunity of regenerative farming in NZ In November, 2019 a group of 85 farmers gathered in a mixed cropping farm and a dairy farm near Leeston, Canterbury, to find out what they could learn about regenerative agriculture. They marveled at healthy pasture, dug in the rich black foot-deep top soil, heard stories from their peers, and visited some happy, healthy cows...
An organic entrepreneur’s advice on scaling up regenerative agriculture in New Zealand In the 37 years that he has been in the business of organic food production, Gary Hirshberg has seen the US market for organic products grow by over 2.6million percent, from US$2m in 1983, to the US$52.5b industry it is today. Consider that figure for a minute. And then consider that the market is growing in...
How regenerative methods turned around a tired old farm When Hamish Bielski took a phone call from a “random caller” in 2014 who was looking to speak to the manager of the sheep station where he was working, he almost hung up. It was a busy time of year at Mt Lincoln Station, and Hamish was in the midst of weaning lambs. But he stayed on the line, chatting with Neil Gardyne and it turned out to...
How a Kiwi soil expert is leading the global conversation on building healthy soils through regenerative agriculture Whenever Nicole Masters tells international audiences that New Zealand farmers are experiencing drought conditions, they are amazed. The typical response tends to be, “how is it that a temperate-zone country like NZ with comparatively high rainfall is in the middle of a drought?”...
New Zealand’s new accelerator and investment programme for regenerative agriculture Mike Taitoko has big plans to catalyse rapid growth within New Zealand’s regenerative agriculture (regen ag) industry, with environmental outcomes, farmer support and providing access to funding all within his sights. His new impact venture, Calm The Farm, sources impact investor funding to assist farmers and...
Using whole system science to understand the way regenerative ecosystems operate When Dr. Gwen Grelet began to study soil ecology on dairy farms in New Zealand in 2016, she got a rude shock. As a soil ecologist with no prior knowledge of farming and a deep appreciation for the complexities of natural systems, the conventional dairy model finely tuned for maximum milk solid outputs didn’t make...
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