DoomsdaysCW#NewZealand - Country Life: Lowering costs and enriching the soil - one farmer's regenerative journey
by Sally Round, 9 August 2025
"Imagine soil like a sponge, crawling with worms, beetles dragging dung down from the surface and a riot of vegetation on top.
"It's not everyone's idea of paradise, but it's like heaven for #Kaukapakapa farmer Stephen Newman.
"Newman, a founder of the Kaipara Regenerative Farming Group and a member of farmer-led network Quorum Sense, told Country Life he used to farm very conventionally, until 'the penny dropped' a few years ago, when he watched a programme about regenerative farming.
"Since then, he has experimented with different regenerative methods on his 10-hectare block north of #Auckland city.
"Trials included sowing #CoverCrops, introducing stock for a short period of time to feed on long cover, rearing dung beetles to help transfer the nutrients in animal faeces further down the layers of soil and #composting.
"He started the #Kaipara Regenerative Farming Group about three years ago to help farmers improve soil health, enrich #biodiversity, increase water retention, and reduce reliance on fertilisers and pesticides.
" 'Everything we do with the regenerative approach is all about soil biology, creating that life in the ground.' "
#SolarPunkSunday #RegenerativeFarming #RegenerativeAgriculture #SoilHealth #FoodSecurity
