Experience in establishing nurseries on a dairy farm in Clifton

The initiative began with an attempt to improve the farm's landscape. In the process, the Campbells started collecting seed from wild plants and growing nursery plants from them. Due to financial constraints that arose during the COVID pandemic, instead of purchasing expensive planting material, the farmers organized their own production. Over time, the scale of work increased: areas near the farm buildings and the tractor park were allocated for nurseries.

Handy materials are used for setting up the nurseries: pallets, old water supply systems, windbreaks, and simple sprinkler systems with timers. Hand-collected seed of southern rātā, akeake (Dodonaea viscosa), and mānuka are stored in a converted refrigerator, as well as in paper bags and pillowcases. The seed collection process spans from December to April and is very time-consuming.

To restore vegetation on the farm, manual planting is used, as well as an innovative method of sowing via drones. The latter approach has proven to be cost-effective, even though plants take longer to reach emergence with this method. According to Sandra Campbell’s observations, trees grown from seed sown by drones often outpace manually planted nursery plants in development, as their root systems are not damaged during transplanting.

Currently, six hectares of gullies have been planted on the farm. Some of the grown nursery plants are used for the farm's own needs, while some are given to other farmers for greening their plots. The implementation of the project contributes to slope stabilization, improvement of water quality and bird habitats, and also helps in offsetting the farm’s carbon footprint.