Willith Farm

“We thought artificial fertiliser would fix the soil,” explains dairy farmer Miah Smith of Atiamuri, “not knowing anything about the biology and no-one had taught us from 20 years of dairy farming, we were pretty much at a loss for about three or four years.”

Wilith Farm is a forestry conversion that had been farmed for three years with conventional methods when Miah and Jenny Smith moved in, but after trial and error and escalating costs, weeds and animal health issues, they were willing to do the unthinkable.

They listened to an Australian woman soil scientist about soil biology, and trialled regenerative agriculture methods that allowed them to cut back on synthetic inputs and sew diverse pasture species that built the biology of the soil.

That Australian woman was Dr Christine Jones. Eleven seasons on, Miah, Jenny and the couple’s two sons hosted Dr Jones along with 100 farmers and agri consultants to showcase the thriving soil and pasture on Wilith Farm, and their happy, docile cows that are in optimal health.

Read more in the NZ Herald article: How these Atiamuri farmers spent less on fertiliser to make more money.