Regenerative management effects on pasture production: initial data from a dryland farmlet experiment

Regenerative agriculture (RA) is becoming more widely recognised in New Zealand (NZ) agriculture. It is claimed to increase productivity and improve landscape function. However, in an NZ context, there is a lack of quantifiable data in terms of productivity. To determine the feasibility of RA in terms of DM production, the total yield and botanical composition of two 4x4 Latin squares were measured. The four treatments were high and low fertility conventional (HC and LC) and high and low fertility regenerative (HR and LR). The R pastures were sown in a 12-species pasture mix and the C pastures were sown in Medicago sativa (lucerne). This paper focuses on the first 18 months of this experiment on Latin squares one and two. In the first season (June 2022 – June 2023), total yield was lower for regenerative (R) than conventional (C) treatments at an average of 8,660 and 10,380 kg DM/ha, respectively. This trend was reflected by growth rates where C had a higher mean growth rate of 34 compared to 30 kg DM/ha/day in the R treatment. Over the entire 18-month period weeds comprised 7% of yield for L compared with 14% for H. The average legume yield of both systems of the L pasture was 11 t DM/ha compared to the H treatments at only 9 t DM/ha. The results of this experiment will provide quantifiable data for farmers to make informed decisions about the implementation of RA.