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Daily Milk
Featured | Homesteading | Regenerative Farming

Daily Milk

Every morning at 8am, after she’s dropped the kids off at their bus stop, Lis Martinac drives along the meandering driveway through her 77-acre farm to collect the morning milk….

Create and Gather
Community | Featured | Permaculture

Create and Gather

The rickety wooden gate on the roadside looks like it leads to nowhere. If you didn’t know what you were looking for, you’d miss it entirely. But once you’re beyond…

How to improve pastural soil health
Featured | Regenerative Farming

How to improve pastural soil health

Nick Collins knows how to talk about soil health. The former organic dairy farmer from Piopio has made it his business to share his hard-earned knowledge about how to improve…

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We've been a bit quiet on social media the last fe We've been a bit quiet on social media the last few weeks, as On the Land editor @mikeydescribes took some time off to welcome the arrival of his baby boy. In a stroke of chaotic serendipity, the birth coincided with the week our May/June issue needed to be finished and sent off to the printers! It was a messy end to what started as a very organised production, but the team pulled it off in style, creating what could be our favourite cover ever! Thanks to the amazing family from @threesistersfarm_ for providing the adorable models. You can get your hands on a copy in stores from next Monday, or, if you're wanting to connect with the land while supporting an old-fashioned, family-owned, grassroots, solutions-based print publication at the same time, buying a subscription is a helluva good thing to do! It also makes a great gift for Mama's Day! 😉 Link to subscribe in bio. 🌿
Whether you're a grower, a farmer, or a toddler, O Whether you're a grower, a farmer, or a toddler, On the Land has something special for you!
Last year, On the Land editor @mikeydescribes and Last year, On the Land editor @mikeydescribes and @shazandrew.naturopath completed their off-grid house build in the Waikato. In line with their health values, they were determined to use as many natural, low-toxin materials as possible. The amazing paint from @naturalpaintco was the perfect option to complete the interior! Look out for the full story later this year about Natural Paint Company and why it's the best range for those looking to make their spaces as healthy as possible! 📸 @gionabridler 📸 @emilyedwards_photography #homestead #naturalhealing #naturalhealth #naturalpaint #naturalpainting #lowtoxliving #lowvoc #lowvocpaint
Every morning at 8am, after she’s dropped the ki Every morning at 8am, after she’s dropped the kids off at their bus stop, Lis Martinac drives along the meandering driveway through her 77-acre farm to collect the morning milk. She parks near a paddock and gently leads Mabel, a Jersey-Friesian cross, into the shed, placing beside her a bucket, a milking stool, and a jar of coconut oil. Lis then rubs coconut oil over her hands and begins massaging Mabel’s teats. In a gentle, mellifluous voice, Lis starts to sing. It’s a basic mantra, yet instantly Mabel relaxes, her huge frame softening as Lis rests her head against the cow’s belly and releases fresh milk into the steel bucket. The touch, the singing, the rhythmic pulse of the milk hitting the pail – all of it makes for a deeply intimate process between human and animal. According to Lis, that’s how hand-milking must be. “Cows love affection and attention,” she says. "It literally is such a beautiful start to my day and I’m so grateful for it.” .................. An extract from our March 2024 issue, featuring the amazing duo from @risetoshinefarm and their business breeding and selling house cows. With the interest in homegrown raw milk booming in NZ's homesteading community, Lis tells On the Land why keeping a house cow is such a special way to practise self-sufficiency and form close bonds with your animals and your food. Read the full story on ontheland.nz! Link in bio. 🖊 @mikeydescribes 📸 @hamishmelville #homesteading #housecow #rawmilk #regenerativefarming #selfsufficiency #foodrevolution #localfoods #nzfarming #cheesemaking #milkingcows
The hills are brown, the tanks and troughs are run The hills are brown, the tanks and troughs are running empty, and huge swathes of New Zealand are dry and desperate for rain. To prepare for times like these, it pays to find easy and efficient ways to keep on top of your water levels on your farm or lifestyle block. In our Jan/Feb 25 issue, On the Land editor @mikeydescribes – who has only one tank on his property! – tested and reviewed a Liquid Level Monitoring system from @gallagher_nz. As he writes, the device has allowed him to check the volume of his tank on his phone, moderating his household water consumption and prepare for any shortages ahead of time. Read the full story and review at ontheland.nz! 🖊 @mikeydescribes 📸 @ruthgilmourphotographer #lifestyleblock #drought #water #watertank #homestead #farmingnz #dryseason
In 2020, Greg and Dansy Coppell were confronting a In 2020, Greg and Dansy Coppell were confronting a considerable financial dilemma on their 500-hectare farm in St Arnaud. Like many farmers, they needed to purchase materials to fence off vast swathes of pasture and keep their stock contained, yet the price of new posts went well above their budget. So they did what any young farmers should do – they sought the wisdom of an elder. “Greg’s Dad – who we call Pop – had been farming for years and using old viticulture posts for fencing with great success,” says Dansy. “On his advice, Greg went to a Marlborough vineyard and loaded up an eight-wheeler with these posts.” Although made of perfectly usable timber, the posts were filled with nails and trellis clips which made it difficult to install flush wire. So Greg and Pop designed and built a “rough-and-ready” hydraulic nail puller powered by an old tractor engine to clean up the posts and prepare them for fencing. After picking up a few more truck loads of posts from vineyards and selling them to neighbouring farms and friends, the couple quickly realised they’d stumbled onto a viable business opportunity. ......... An extract from our July/August issue, featuring the awesome innovative family from @repostnz who rescue old vineyard posts from landfill and turn them into quality, affordable fence posts. Full story at ontheland.nz! #farming #agriculture #fencing #fencepost #ruralbusiness #zerowaste #viticulture #wineyard
Not everyone can look at the skeletal remains of a Not everyone can look at the skeletal remains of a roast lamb dinner and see something useful. But Carrie Andrews of @whollycowbutchery has a knack of turning waste into wonder. It was 2024, and Carrie and her family had just finished eating the lamb in question. As she was cleaning up, she looked at the lamb leg bone and thought: “I could make something with this.” “I pulled out the bone and I washed it – it was so beautiful,” says Carrie, who has a background in fine arts, craft and design. “I thought: ‘if I cut it up I could make beautiful earrings.’” She contacted Taranaki-based jeweller @rachellambert_jewellery and asked if she’d like to make earrings out of the bones for Carrie to sell at her Cambridge butcher shop. Rachel loved the idea, and suddenly a side hustle had been created out of nothing. Creating a second life with animal waste is second nature to Carrie, who together with her husband, Tom, runs Wholly Cow – a regenerative meat operation that integrates a 186-hectare sheep and beef farm, an on-site micro-abattoir, and a family-owned butchery in the heart of Cambridge. Started in 2009, Wholly Cow embodies the couple’s deep commitment to ethical, “paddock-to-plate” farming, holistic land management and local food distribution. The biodiverse farm is run on closed-loop regenerative principles, with soil health at the centre of it all. Along with jewellery, Carrie turns sheep skins into leather products and animal fats into tallow products. As Carrie says, a major part of her and Tom’s journey has involved letting go and assisting nature – ”the amazing engineer” – do her work. “Nature is the key here,” says Carrie. “Sometimes we all think we’re so clever, but all you need to do is step back and look at the structure and the engineering that goes into the whole environment. It makes you want to take care of her more." ...... An extract from our March/April issue, featuring the amazing Carrie and Tom from @whollycowbutchery Subscribe to get the mag and read the full story! ontheland.nz 🖊 @mikeydescribes 📸 @jamie.wright.photography
Opening that first box of mags after it leaves the Opening that first box of mags after it leaves the printer! ☺️ #print #printmagazine #magazine #photography #oldschool #frontcover #printmedia #paper #storytelling
I am so very excited to introduce the new issue of I am so very excited to introduce the new issue of On the Land – on sale next Monday! Although it’s taken a huge, frenzied effort and many 4am starts, this issue has been one of my favourite issues to work on, featuring some very special people doing amazing work with soil, animals, crops and produce across the country. On the cover we have the great privilege to feature @regina.bernbeck of @nics_mt_nicholas_honey, who’s created a beautiful life for her and her kids on @mt_nicholas_merino – one of New Zealand’s largest and most stunning high country stations. Image shot by the exceptional @francinephotomachine. We also feature the cool story of Alissa and Tim from @kingroveolives – a couple who have purchased a North Canterbury olive grove and are on a journey to learn everything there is to know about olive oil production. Then we have the innovative and creative regenerative farmers Carrie and Tom Andrews from @whollycowbutchery, who recently spoke at @undergroundfestivalnz. With their own abattoir, butchery, tallow and leather business, the couple have perfected the closed-loop system, supplying high-quality local meat, reusing animal waste and creating work for local artisans. As always, we have our beloved family of talented regular columnists: @whenua_mama @mydarlinglemonthyme @vitalharvestpermaculture @altar.of.earth @homegrownbotanica all sharing their beautiful wisdom to help you connect with your food, your land and your communities. We sold out of the last issue quickly so get in quick to get this one. Either pick up a copy at your local paper plus or supermarket or, better yet, subscribe to the mag (link in bio) and help me continue to tell great stories about inspirational people on the land! Arohanui, Michael 🌿 P.s. Two-year subscriptions come with free homesteading books! #regenerativeagriculture #closedloop #beekeeping #localfood #homesteading #regen #organic #localmeat #regenerativemeat #rurallife #ruralliving #oliveoil #honey #syntropicfarming
As a solutions-focused media publication, On the L As a solutions-focused media publication, On the Land celebrates the beautiful movement of people in Aotearoa breaking free of corporate, profit-driven systems and reclaiming control of their food and resources. Based on the egregious outcomes of liberalised GE in overseas markets, we emphatically reject the Gene Technology Bill and recognise it as another insidious attempt for billion-dollar interests to stymie this movement, monopolise food production and disempower organic and regenerative farmers and growers. The solutions to our climate and food-production woes aren’t going to come from a lab, a boardroom or from parliament. They are going to come from the burgeoning community of people revering and supporting the miraculous engineering that takes place, naturally, in every seed, plant and patch of soil. Let’s allow this movement to flourish. Submit against the Gene Technology Bill! Head to @organicsaotearoa for more info about the bill and how to lodge a submission before 17th Feb. 🥦🌾🌱
Sonia Barrish walks out the door of her Kaiapoi ho Sonia Barrish walks out the door of her Kaiapoi house and steps into her backyard jungle, a nine-month-old baby strapped to her back. With her two older children meandering closely behind her, she points out delicate sprouts peeking through the soil, lush fruit trees spilling over the garden paths, teeming perennials jostling for space in the sun, and her chickens, happily foraging amid the foliage. This backyard is Sonia’s workshop – the manifestation of her motherly ambition to provide for her family and put food on the table. For her home-schooled kids, gobbling berries as they follow their mum, it’s their classroom. The Kaiapoi property might be only 698m2, but more food and plant life grows here than on most two-hectare lifestyle blocks. With pantries full of homegrown preserves and the garden producing more food than the family can get through, the property stands out as an oasis of self-sufficiency in an otherwise urban setting – working proof that you don’t need lots of land to grow food to sustain your family. ............ An extract from our January/February 2025 issue (currently on sale) featuring the amazing Sonia Barrish from @urbanselfsufficiencynz and her bountiful backyard. To read the full story, subscribe at ontheland.nz or pick up a copy at your local bookstore. 🖊 @ashlynoswalt 📸 @liv.vanleeuwen #selfsufficiency #homestead #homesteading #organicgardening #growing #growingfood #preserving #homeschool #homeschoollife
It can be difficult to separate work life from you It can be difficult to separate work life from your personal life when you operate a business from your farm. For Fionna and Gordon Appleton – the owners of Appletons Lifestyle Poultry and Pet Housing – there’s no need to. “For me, it’s not work, it’s life,” Fionna says. “I love what I do, working with animals and birds. I love getting up in the mornings and going to ‘work’.” In Fionna and Gordon’s case, that involves stepping outside their family home and walking a few metres to their shop, workshop and storage sheds, all conveniently located on their property in Brightwater, southwest of Nelson. With shipping containers full of stock, couriers and customers coming and going, and vibrant coops on display next to paddocks full of animals, the property has every hallmark of a thriving small business in perpetual motion. All this, however, is the product of a 20-year journey. When Fionna recalls those early days and the origins of the business, it was a very different picture. In fact, she says, it all started with an egg. .................................. An extract from our Jan/Feb 25 issue (currently on sale) featuring Gordon and Fionna Appleton and their iconic home-based business catering to Aotearoa's booming poultry and homesteading movements. Subscribe at ontheland.nz or pick up a copy of the mag at your local bookstore to read the full story! 🖊 @mikeydescribes 📸 @carriedobbsphotography #poultry #poultryfarming #chickens #chickenkeeping #chickeneggs #homestead #homesteading
The rickety wooden gate on the roadside looks like The rickety wooden gate on the roadside looks like it leads to nowhere. If you didn’t know what you were looking for, you’d miss it entirely. But once you’re beyond the threshold and winding down through the oasis of native bush, it becomes clear this is a very different kind of property. Artwork appears – vibrant, hand-painted signs with mystical designs placed alongside the driveway, as though you’re heading through an entrance to a secret music festival. The road continues past a recycling centre, a farm shed and a tiny house community. After about 500 metres, the driveway ends in a beautiful north-facing glade filled with a ramshackle assortment of bach-like cabins and gardens. The last sign of all reads: “Welcome to paradise.” This is Dan Whittington and Merve Yeşilkır’s Hakea – a secluded, off-grid bush retreat and permaculture farm among the native forest of Pakoka Scenic Reserve, 25 minutes south of Raglan. Overlooking Aotea Harbour, the 40-acre property is a hub of eclectic activity, boasting gardens, food forests, a campground, cabin accommodation, beehives, goats, chickens, wetlands and a regenerating forest. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it also features a homemade outdoor music venue complete with a stage and DJ booth – the perfect set-up for Hakea's regular gatherings and festivals. ................. An extract from our January 23 issue, featuring the inspiring couple behind @hakeapermaculture – an amazing property designed to bring people together for learning, creativity and connection. Head to ontheland.nz to read the full story. 🖊 @mikeydescribes 📸 @awtransform #permaculture #foodforest #festival #dance #music #connection #retreat #creativity
These days, many rural properties are cherished fo These days, many rural properties are cherished for their scenic values just as much as their production output, and a new type of business is making good use of that appeal. Off-grid eco-cabin providers such as @unyoked and @repose.nz have been gradually gaining a foothold in the New Zealand accommodation market by providing rural property owners with ready-made dwellings to host paying guests on their land. In these models, the business takes care of almost everything: the construction and delivery of the cabin, the administration and booking of guests, even the supply of the coffee, tea, soap and cleaning products that guests use. It’s the nearest thing possible to a passive income – the landowners get a share of the accommodation revenue, and all they do is provide a suitable site on their land, and prepare the cabin in between guests. So what does it involve and how much can a property owner earn? Head to ontheland.nz to read the full story about the rise of the off-grid cabin model in NZ. #offgrid #offgridliving #cabin #cabinlife #airbnb #airbnbhost #farmstay #escape
Everyone has their favourite vegetable. For Emma G Everyone has their favourite vegetable. For Emma Galloway, it's the tomato! In our Jan/Feb issue, currently on sale, Emma shares some of her stellar recipes to make use of the glorious tomato glut at this time of year. Pick up a copy of the mag at your nearest bookstore or subscribe at ontheland.nz to read Emma's words on delicious homegrown produce every issue. 🖊+📸 @mydarlinglemonthyme 📸 @lottiehedleyphoto
On a rainy weekend in November 2024, passionate gr On a rainy weekend in November 2024, passionate growers, farmers, students and thinkers from across Aotearoa came together for the National Permaculture Hui – the first in five years. A family-friendly weekend, the 2024 hui was held at the @greenschoolnz and allowed the permaculture community to reunite with creativity, connection, hope, and inspiration after a long break. Along with hosting talks and workshops from some of New Zealand's most prominent permaculture and regeneration advocates, the event brought together several of NZ's "elders" – iconic permaculture practitioners who have been involved in the movement since the 80s and 90s. On the Land was grateful to have supported the event and captured the weekend through stunning images by @kowhaiandthistle Head to ontheland.nz to see all the people captured at the event, including @trishallen2017, Leo Gedye from @learningenvironmentnz, Bob Corker from @koangainstitute, Yotam Kay from @pakaraka_permaculture and many more. #permaculture #regenerativeagriculture #climatesolutions #community #communitysufficiency
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