Diverse pasture of mixed forage for grazing livestock is one of the key principles used in regenerative agriculture.
With an increasing sense of urgency to act on climate and freshwater issues, regenerative farming is increasingly being shown to be better for the environment and the climate.
It improves the ability of the soil to store carbon and biodiversity, reduce erosion, replenish nutrients, increase water retention and minimise leaching.
Supporting practical farming and scientific evidence is mounting rapidly in New Zealand and overseas where the application of ecological principles to farming is reversing erosion, flood damage, chemical contamination and global warming.
While agricultural practices of the past 80 years have exacerbated these serious problems it is also one of the fastest, most powerful ways to reverse it by restoring healthy function to soils and the hydrological cycle.
Regenerative farming practices do that by adopting a whole ecosystem approach, mimicking natural processes rather then trying to control or suppress them.
Hamish and Amy Bielski are equity partners farming a 300-hectare gentle rolling to steeper gully farm in south Otago.
They ran an integrated sheep, beef and arable operation till Hamish discovered regenerative farming after listening to Australian ecologist Christine Jones.
Now they are running 2300 breeding ewes and 200 trading cattle and there’s no cropping.
“I realised I needed to do something to address the future of the land, its ecological systems and our bank balance.
“I spent the best part of a winter travelling the world on YouTube learning how I could improve the ecosystems, our people and our profit with very little input,
“As farmers we replace nutrients that have gone off our farm with fertiliser and where is that coming from, is it sustainable?
“I had to move from growing winter crops that are the most damaging on the environment but then I needed to know how to grow more feed.”
Instead of growing a single winter crop of pastures Bielski planted a variety of seed in the one paddock to produce diverse forage.
The greater variety of crops produced more root mass, which increased nutrient-holding and water-holding capacity.
The biggest problem then was producing too much feed so Bielski increased stocking rates.
“Our land is one big solar panel and our livestock are energy harvesters that turn energy from photosynthesis to high-quality, nutrient-dense food while fertilising and building the soil carbon sponge at the same time.
“I see myself as a landscape manager – foodscaper and energy farmer.”
In six years the Bielskis have gone from using 50,000 litres of diesel to 5000 litres and dropping.
In year one they applied 125 tonnes of fertiliser. It’s down to 2.25t this year.
“And our soil and herbage tests are either level or improving.
“We have lifted carrying capacity from 2600 stock units to now 3500 with seven tonnes of drymatter grown in year one to more than 11 tonnes six years later.
“Are we sustainable – I cannot answer, ask me in five years’ time,” Bielski said.
“Resources are not the problem, the way we manage them is.
“When you have bare soil you are in trouble, you are going to damage the ecosystem no matter what you do.
“Plant base versus animal base – just stop it. It’s the management systems of what we are doing,” Bielski said.
Regenerative grazing is about maximum animal performance, it’s about vegetative growth, it’s taller and it’s fully recovered.
“The clover is mind-blowing, in a 30-day rotation, no fert, come back and it’s way beyond my expectation.”
The plan when the Bielskis started their regenerative agricultural drive was to develop 80% of the farm in the first five years.
“We’ve done that and into the sixth year we’re aiming for 90% diverse pasture crops.
“The next part of the journey is how do we grow more crops without having to keep re-sowing?”
Converting to regenerative agriculture is a long journey that requires perseverance.
“We are transforming the farm with simple techniques, simple changes and grazing techniques.”
All the stock now run in two mobs on the farm, strategically grazed to use optimum plant growth to get optimum animal performance.
Lamb growth is targeted at 320g a day until weaning and 250g post weaning with 80% of the lambs gone by the end of February with one drench and at an average carcase weight of 17.8kg.
Bielski said the key to holistic planned grazing and high animal performance is the pasture being fully recovered before seed-head emergence.
“A holistic grazing plan is crucial to adjust for growing conditions, that is a range from a 20-day round in spring to a 50-day round in summer or a 100-day round in winter.
The total time in the paddock should be sufficiently short for a grass grazed once not to be grazed again.
“This requires non-selective grazing and can only be achieved through high-density stocking.
“If half the pasture plants are grazed twice and the other half not at all then we are only utilising half our farm area.
“The absolute key to this operation is density of animals in the mob – the number of livestock per hectare per day.
“Shifting twice a day, sometimes four times a day, it does get exhausting sometimes.
“You have to get your head around it but once you get into it it’s plain sailing.
“It is mind-blowing, so exciting pumping fertility back into our system for nothing.
“It’s building capacity to grow more, laying down plant litter and spreading dung and urine evenly over the whole farm.
“The improvements are based on process, management and system changes.”
It has come at a cost.
To turn 300ha of old browntop into new mixed species pasture cost $250,000 in the first five years.
“We did do it quite quickly and I can do it way cheaper now with what I know.”
The next focus is a shift to fine wool.
“Sheep tick all the boxes for a lot of our plant problems so keep buying wool and let us keep growing wool. Fine wool is our focus now.”
