Regenerative dairy farm project mooving along

The tools are in the ground and data collection is in motion at Aotearoa New Zealand’s second-largest regenerative farming research project.

The 8-year research project, Te Whenua Hou, Te Whenua Whitiora (The New Land, the New Horizon) led by Ngāi Tahu Farming, has been established on two dairy farms in North Canterbury, side by side, to compare the performance and impacts of their different practices. One 286-hectare farm uses regenerative farming practices while the adjacent 330-hectare farm uses conventional methods.

As partners in this project, Manaaki Whenua researchers aim to answer the big questions about environmental impacts: do regenerative practices reduce emissions of the greenhouse gases nitrous oxide and methane? Do they increase soil carbon and nitrogen? Do they reduce irrigation needs? And do they reduce nutrient losses and groundwater pollution?

In addition, Manaaki Whenua staff are documenting how the multi-species pastures’ composition evolves over time, providing clues to their viability and influence on the environmental impacts. Manaaki Whenua project lead Dr Johannes Laubach says baseline data is now being collected on various aspects of the project. The biggest effort was to install six lysimeters - enclosed columns of undisturbed soil from which water and nutrient losses can be collected and measured - on each farm.

“It is excellent to have all the lysimeters in place. This installation has been complex, and it is satisfying to see them now delivering drainage and leaching data,” says Johannes.

We will keep you updated on results as the project progresses.