The Farmlander - October 2021 South

Page 23

SHAREHOLDER STORY

Restoring the magic on marginal land When Henry Whyte looks back at some of the practices he encountered growing up on a Bay of Plenty sheep and beef farm in the 1980s, he cringes. Things like lighting fires with an old tyre full of diesel, dumping rubbish into a hole in the ground and unapproved disposal of industrial chemicals. Now he wants to help farmers improve their farm environment by turning marginal agricultural land into sustainable natural assets. To that end, the ecologist and Farmlands shareholder has founded EcoResto, a business that works with landowners and stakeholders to revert any pockets of land that are degraded, unproductive or unprofitable to native ecosystems. “Our mission is to make things better today than they were yesterday and better tomorrow than they are today. It’s that simple,” Henry says.

Where did the idea for EcoResto come from? When it comes to New Zealand, Fred Dagg said it best: “We don’t know how lucky we are!” My appreciation and respect for the environment stems from growing up on a farm and being an avid outdoorsman. After studying ecology, for me, restoration was the next logical step. With the push for increased sustainability, it’s like an idea whose time has come? It’s a no-brainer. If we want the future generations to enjoy the lifestyle we currently have, we must reach our financial, environmental and social/ cultural sustainability goals. There really isn’t any other option. Our model hits all of those key targets. What are some projects you have been particularly proud of?

To find out more, we asked Henry some questions about EcoResto and its work.

In Te Puke we excluded stock from old-growth bush, worked with our local

| EcoResto intern Taj clears a patch of ivy from riparian vegetation.

A steep, hard to access, gorse-infested gully with a watercourse at the bottom would be perfect.”

WWW.FARMLANDS.CO.NZ

| Henry Whyte sees a win-win in his work, for farmers and the environment.

iwi to register a pa site with Heritage NZ and, with help from the One Billion Trees Fund, replanted low-productivity erosion-prone slopes, the maintenance of which previously caused all sorts of issues for our friendly horticulture neighbours. It’s a win all round. The views were pretty good too. What should landowners look for when choosing land for restoration? Really, it’s the low-yield parts of your farm that cause the headaches. A steep, hard to access, gorse-infested gully with a watercourse at the bottom would be perfect. If you restore those areas then you’ll have more time to focus on your highly productive land for better yield. Do you have a vision for the difference your work can make? Our vision is to restore the environment and increase on-farm productivity while tapping into various programmes that reduce the expenses and even generate income for the landowner. We’re ecologists now but we were farmers first so we understand the big picture. www.ecoresto.co.nz

Farmlands Co-operative Society Limited | © October 2021. All rights reserved.

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Articles inside

Clean water storage reaches new heights

4min
pages 61-64

Century Farms – Five generations call farm home

2min
page 65

Technology helps take strain out of fencing

2min
pages 59-60

From field tiles to smooth-wall pipes

2min
pages 57-58

Wise product choices do two jobs at once

4min
pages 51-54

‘Blanket’ keeps lid on open-stored water

3min
pages 55-56

Angus breeders embrace tissue sampling advances

4min
pages 46-48

Lifestyle blocks offer path to biodiversity

4min
pages 42-44

Mating’s trifecta: bulls, heat and AI

2min
page 45

New research proves deferred grazing works

2min
pages 49-50

Variety the spice in pig genetics recipe

2min
page 41

Smooth weaning puts calves on good path

2min
pages 39-40

Head start for NZ in sustainability drive

5min
pages 16-17

Restoring the magic on marginal land

2min
page 23

NZ dairying leads in lowering emissions

4min
pages 28-30

Growers in good heart over hazelnuts

5min
pages 20-22

Connections central to innovation park's vision

6min
pages 18-19

Flexibility needed in feeding broodmares

2min
pages 37-38

5 minutes with Tanya

4min
pages 6-7

When biodiversity thrives the environment thrives

7min
pages 24-27
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