Year: 2017
How a buried stream became a well-formed sieve
How a buried stream became a well-formed sieve
25.09.17

How a buried stream became a well-formed sieve

The southern catchment spans around a third of our farm’s total area and discharges into an extensive gully wetland, eventually flowing into the Whangaipeteki Stream. The water then goes on a 2.6 km serpentine journey to the Waikato River. As on many farms in New Zealand, for a few decades the water had been channelled into a drain system, to make the most of pastureland and to reduce ‘bogging’, or ‘pugging’ by stock. However, the early weeks of the New […]
Environmental Sustainability, Farm, Social Sustainability
René Redzepi, chef and co-owner of Noma

Learning about issues such as sustainability and locavorism are things that you need to have as part of you as a chef, because it will make you cook more delicious food.

The question is wai
22.07.17

The question is wai

Published in Cuisine Magazine (issue 183) in July, 2017.  We were lucky to be featured in Aaron McLean’s strong piece intensified farming, vs exploring alternatives in New Zealand. It’s a great read and part of a much larger debate that’s starting to bubble up to the surface. We’re thankful to Cuisine for backing these more thought-provoking takes on our local food system. If you don’t have razor-sharp eyesight, press the zoom on your browser window to read. Or, grab yourself […]
Apiary, Dairy, Economic Sustainability, Environmental Sustainability, Farming, Organic, Pasture, Social Sustainability
Dame Jane Goodall, primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist and UN Messenger of Peace

The greatest danger to our future is apathy.

The Good Farmer: in defence of (non-industrial) dairying
The Good Farmer: in defence of (non-industrial) dairying
25.05.17

The Good Farmer: in defence of (non-industrial) dairying

Published in The Spinoff on April 24, 2017.  Earlier this month, the current affairs show Sunday aired a segment called The Price of Milk. It outraged a lot of people, especially in the farming community, and for days after the show’s Facebook page was swarming. If you didn’t catch it, a lot of the shock was around the treatment of animals and the environment – building on the last few years of negative sentiment. It felt like a jolt. My family […]
Apiary, Dairy, Economic Sustainability, Environmental Sustainability, Farm, History, Organic, Pasture, Robotics (AMS), Social Sustainability
Shaun Hendy & Paul Callaghan, Get off the Grass

Let’s move beyond a primary-sector, commodity-based economy by experimenting with niche high-value opportunities to enhance our economic diversity.

A study of our organic pasture: grasses
A study of our organic pasture: grasses
09.04.17

A study of our organic pasture: grasses

Common name: Perennial and annual grasses. Scientific name: Lolium perenne and Lolium multiflorum.  Why we use them: Grasses are the ‘backbone’ of a pasture, the primary feed for cows. We have a medley of ‘historic’ and recently sown grasses on the farm. Typically, conventional farming sees pastures sprayed out with glyphosate, which means more of a monoculture is created. The old variety grasses that have been here since the farm was first broken in, are; Cocksfoot, Tall Fescue, Prairie, Grazing Brome, Phalaris, Yorkshire Fog, Brown Top […]
Apiary, Dairy, Farm, Organic, Pasture
Mark Smallwood, Executive Director Rodale Institute

There’s always the pushback from the conventional model – organic can’t feed the world. And after thirty-four years (not three, or four) thirty-four years later, our data shows* yields are the same. Conventional right next to organic. When the soil is healthy, we have shown that yields are improved in the organic trials when there’s issues of drought. Up to 31% higher yields. So, there’s the beauty of growing with life.

*Started in 1981, The Farming Systems Trial (FST)® at Rodale Institute is America’s longest running, side-by-side comparison of organic and chemical agriculture.
A study of our organic pasture: white and red clover
A study of our organic pasture: white and red clover
12.03.17

A study of our organic pasture: white and red clover

Common name: White and red clover. Scientific name: Trifolium repens and Trifolium pratense.   Why we use it: Clover was introduced from Britain in the early 1800’s and bees were brought in 1839 to help with its pollination. White clover is a perennial forage legume and grows well on fertile soils. It has remarkable nitrogen-fixing abilities and helps the cows maintain milk production in late spring and early summer. Large and medium-leafed clovers are used in dairy pastures, as they’re more productive. Red […]
Apiary, Dairy, Farm, Organic, Pasture
Professor Michael Pollan, author of Cooked

There are now millions of people who spend more time watching food being cooked on television than they spend actually cooking it themselves.

Rebuilding on the edge
Rebuilding on the edge
08.03.17

Rebuilding on the edge

The Maungatautari Ecological District has less than 10 per cent of its native vegetation remaining. Before our farm was cleared, it would have consisted of rimu–tawa forest on the flat and gently sloping areas, tōtara forest on gully slopes, and kahikatea forest throughout its gully basins. There’s no denying that, for about a century, marginal land has been marginalised in New Zealand. Back in July 2015, we started to rebuild the wetlands on our farm. With the help of an […]
Economic Sustainability, Environmental Sustainability, Farm, Social Sustainability