Planting natives for the future
Te Awamutu dairy farmers Doug, Penny, Josh and Bayley Storey have planted more than 25,000 native trees on the family farm, adding to a generations-old native forest.
All dairy farms must have stock excluded from waterways by May 31, 2017 and a planting plan for stream banks by 2020.
DairyNZ water quality scientist Tom Stephens says the field day is to help farmers get value for money from their planting and make the most of the environmental benefits.
“It’s important to choose plants suited to the farm’s climate and soil, and plant them at the right time of the year,” says Stephens.
“We’ll be looking at plant options and which are most suitable for Waikato soils and climates, as well as the best time of the year to plant and different techniques.”
At the field day, farmers will see what has worked well on the Tatua farm, as well as problems they may encounter and how to fix them.
The council will speak about funding options and how to keep costs down.
DairyNZ and Waikato Regional Council recently released a guide to successfully planting waterways in the Waikato region – ‘Getting riparian planting right in Waikato’. It will be available at the field day and can be downloaded or ordered from dairynz.co.nz/waterways.
The guide helps farmers get started with the top five species to plant beside Waikato waterways, as well as a planting calendar and a table of plants to suit Waikato conditions, outlining the benefits and tolerances of each plant.
Event details
Friday February 13
3321 State Highway 26, Tatuanui
Tatua supply no. 14
10am to 1pm
Lunch provided
