- Approximately 60 farmers have been visited & interviewed so far in the 3 catchments + 2 forestry companies
- Identify their issues, the options they are taking to be more resilient & some good ideas
- Identify alternative options that are already working on farms
- Initiate trials on farms, to find out what is the best local solution & raise awareness in the catchments
- 14 Erosion control Plans
- 5 Comprehensive Farms Plan have been prepared, one updated
- 14 ha of AGS Forestry on earth flow country
- 2560 poles have been delivered to farms in the 3 catchments for erosion control works, last winter, protecting over 50 ha of class VIe land. 3385 have been promoted this winter 2010 in the same catchments.
- 3 Newsletters, several articles, 1 Field Day
Catchment issues identified - represents farmer issues identified (mainly Nuhaka and Whakaki catchments ) during interviews.
Tree issues identified - raised by farmers in the Whakaki and Nuhaka catchments focusing around trees only, identifies only two main problem areas that need attention - managing big trees and choosing, planting and managing new trees. At this stage – trees are getting too big, we need a more compact tree, windblow of poles, and very steep papa slopes possibly unsuitable for trees—are the issues I have been made aware of.
Note that Ruakaturi catchment results may differ once completed.
Photo Gallery | As the pole planting season ended late this year (end of September in some places), it is time to acknowledge the effort and the time spent by the farmers who look after their soil and their environment. Even if most farmers have been struggling with a lack of cash flow, it is amazing how they have managed to make the effort to protect their soil. Well done. |
A few figures:
- 560 ha of eroded land protected and sustained for the future (if poles planted 25m apart)
- 9000 soil conservation trees planted in the Wairoa District (5500 poplars and 3500 willows):
- Whakaki catchment 400 trees
- Ruakituri catchment 1300 trees
- Nuhaka catchment 1500 trees
- Most popular clones are Kawas for the moist sites, Veronese (very versatile tree) and Crows Nest (smaller tree for the windy and dry spots). Matsudana is the most popular willow.
- The Regional Council’s contribution for this season was up to $86,000 .
Management of soil conservation trees
| In February 2010, we looked at different techniques for killing off 25 large poplars as an alternative to clear felling. The assessment made early this spring seems to show that most trees are dying, the best technique is ring barking and painting the scar with Glyphosate. (We haven’t assessed yet the safety side of the trial!) Young trees, growing too fast, are another common issue that we are tackling. Some options are: | 
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- The idea of using a Tree Growth Regulator looks unsuitable due to costs and environmental factors.
- Using an orchardist’s technique called girdling. Girdling or cutting through the bark deeply enough to completely sever the cambium layer around part of the tree’s circumference. Severing the cambium restricts the flow of sap and slows down the growth of the tree. This is best done in the late winter early spring. 10 young Poplars (Argile) have been treated in August with a chainsaw, we will be monitoring their progress.
Invasion of Kikuyu
The Kikuyu discussion group in an active gathering of farmers interested in the management and or the eradication of the African Weed. There is no silver bullet so the group is searching for options. Chemical wise, the general idea is that timing is crucial for an optimal success of the different sprays. The best time seems to be at the end of summer when most of the active ingredient is stored in the roots. Other farmers are looking for techniques to manage this weed rather than eradicating it. A seminar held at Massey University by students in Ag degree proposed several options regarding management on the Crawshaw’s block. | 
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To raise awareness to local farmers, the group is currently working on a sensitization project including a sign that could be displayed somewhere along the coast on SH2.
Totaras for soil conservation works in Whakaki Late September 2010, 170 Totaras were planted on a hill side at Waituku Station in the Whakaki catchment. This trial has been set up in partnership with Nic Broad (Farmer) and Harold Ngarimu (Manager of the Whakaki Lake Trust ) as an alternative option to poplars and willows for those wanting longer term trees. We will keep you posted. | 
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Photo Gallery | Alternative tree species
A trial was set up on Dave Read’s farm in September 2009 (Rangiahua Road) based on a fodder crop of tree Lucerne. The idea was to develop a hardy crop, very rich in protein to fatten lambs on a dry north face. The crop is quite promising with some trees up to 2.5 m after just 10 months. We will keep you informed on the management of this crop in the next Newsletter. |
Improvement of soil health, soil moisture etc. (sponsored by Tim Lewis AgriPlus and QRS)
Most farms have willows in gullies and riparian areas that need to be maintained (especially in the Whakaki and Nuhaka catchments). The prunings could be chipped (a technique called Ramial Chipped Wood) to enhance soil health on adjacent land. Trials suggest: better soil water holding capacity (between 10 to 30 %); increase in worm population by 50 to 300 %; pH increase from 0.4 to 1.2 within 2 years; yield increase ranging from 30% to 300 %; a noticeable increase in frost and drought resistance; fewer & less diversified weeds (from 10 to 47 %). A trial is under way in the Waiatai Valley where we have chipped willow branches and added to different pasture mixes on 2 sites (on the flats and on a slump site to see the healing process).
The chip wood trial has been going on for 7 months in the Waiatai Valley with some interesting results.
Photo Gallery | - The chip wood keeps the soil temperature cooler by 0.5 to 0.8 C . The worm population is increased by 3 times which obviously play a major role in the improvement of the structure and porosity of the soil. Less weeds are observed on the chip wood trials ( 40 % less).
- On the other hand, we didn’t observe any yield increase as we would expect. Actually, the response of this silty soil is reasonably slow as well as the degradation process of the chips. This is probably due to the waterlogged conditions that this soil handles over winter and part of spring.
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On the hill side, the chips protect the soil and reduce erosion significantly. They create rough edges on the steep slopes that hold the seeds and help the establishment of new seeds.
We need to reassess this trial at the end of summer to evaluate the impact of the chip wood technique on the soil moisture and pasture production.
| Drought resilient pasture species for the Hill country (sponsored by Tim Lewis AgriPlus) Hilton Alexander (Nuahaka Catchment) developed a paddock last year and was interested in finding out options for drought tolerant pasture. That’s the reason why we have decided to set up a demonstration in partnership with Tim Lewis (Agriplus). | 
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The goal was to try to show how different grasses and legumes could be (or not !) incorporated into Hill Country pastures. Several dryland pastures mixes have been sown on a steep north facing slope where ratstail was the dominant grass. We have used mixtures of Cocksfoot, Tall fescue, Phalaris, Plantain, sub clover and a lot of legumes. Once again, we are keen to see what persists, where & focus on the management of these pastures. 9 month later, we have observed that Cocksfoot appeared more palatable to stock than rye grass in the spring. Higher post grazing residuals were observed in the ryegrass mixes. Phalaris is not showing any promising results at this stage. The species that stood out were Rye Grass, Cocksfoot, Plantain, Subclover and RedClover (Sensation). What will be there in the autumn? Ratstail?
The local Discussion group visited this demo site on the 4th of November 2010 with the suggestion that an over sowing trial on a paddock scale would be a very useful way to gauge how these mixes will persist and perform.
Stream bank restoration
A stream bank restoration has been achieved using live trees to protect the stream bank.
Kikuyu Group: a group of 5 farmers is already engaged in the Nuhaka Kikuyu Group (5 extra farmers could be interested). Each of them is trialling different techniques and is quite happy to share their information.
Ruakituri Community Group: a community meeting has been held mid September to introduce the Hill Country Erosion Project and discuss the issues that have been raised.
Whakaki Catchment Group: an ICM (Integrated Catchment Management) approach has been set up in September 2010 and is likely to be the best way to involve all the stakeholders and to address the issues for this catchment.