The Co-op has joined forces with local catchment group Waipā Rere Noa in a new project to eradicate weeds from our farms.
Privet, Japanese Walnut, Pampas grass, Woolly Nightshade, Honey Suckle, Ivy, Convolvulus. These are weeds Co-op farmers in the Waikato and King Country know all too well. Give them an inch and they’ll take over retired areas on-farm, including new native plantings.
The Co-op’s Waikato West team, is joining in the fight. It is supporting Waipā Rere Noa Catchment Group in its audacious weed control initiative targeting invasive tree weeds that pose a threat to native forest ecosystems.
Incorporated in 2020, Waipā Rere Noa comprises 130 farmers who are working together to restore the Upper Waipā River by revegetating critical source areas in the catchment. The group has already succeeded in enhancing water quality and improving biodiversity outcomes via a coordinated catchment scale native planting program in the Upper Waipā Catchment.
“We’re bringing back the native forest,” says founding member Gabrielle Morgan from Te Keeti marae.
"More than 80ha of new native forests have been established and 20ha of remnant kahikatea protected to date, all planted and maintained by our farmer members. We’re now at the phase of the restoration journey where there is a need to start a weed control programme," says Gabrielle.
In the first phase of the weed control project, Waipā Rere Noa, in conjunction with Farm Source will train farmers in how to identify tree weeds within the landscape, and demonstrate expert weed control techniques. Next, farmers will be supplied with a funded, weed-specific chemical to target problem weed trees on their farms. Rounding out the programme, follow-up site visits will be undertaken by Fonterra Sustainable Dairy Advisors and Technical Sales Representatives, gauging the success of the project.
Co-op Sustainable Dairying Advisor Matthew Holwill says it is an excellent opportunity for farmers to “protect, enrich and enhance the native biodiversity on retired land.
“Of course, when you take stock away from an area, the areas don’t stay dormant. As the pastures die back, weeds are taking over. We have an abundance of invasive weeds here in the Waikato – the population of Privet, Japanese Walnut and Pampas has just exploded,” he says.
“These weeds devalue land and can pose a health risk. Privet is especially harmful to asthmatics – November through to February is particularly tough as they’re flowering and spreading seeds. The catchment group is eager to get on top of the weed burden before it becomes uncontrollable. It’s a case of reducing the population of weeds to start with, by stopping them from seeding.”
Waipā Rere Noa Catchment Group is training Farm Source Technical Sales Representatives, Sustainable Dairy Advisors and Area Managers, and local farmers on how to identify weeds, the control techniques, chemicals available, and best approaches. Farmers will be able to pick up weed spray from Farm Source stores in the Western Waikato, and Farm Source field staff will also have a supply with them.
"Our natives need a helping hand. By removing the tree weeds on our farms, native biodiversity will be given the helping hand it needs. If native plants dominate and form canopies, they’ll keep the weeds at bay."
“It’s a group effort and long-term. Identification is crucial in controlling weeds over time. Once you know what you’re looking for, you can spot a weed on-farm and get rid of it straight away. We’ve got 130 farmers involved in the catchment group’s native planting programme, but this weed control program should touch just about every farm in the catchment. It’s been a great learning curve for some farmers – realising that a lot of the plants they have on-farm are not in fact natives, but are weeds.”
Ultimately, laying the foundations for a scalable and replicable nationwide weed control program across all Fonterra supplier farms is the goal. Farmers in the Otorohanga and Te Awamutu districts interested in joining the project are encouraged to contact Matthew directly: matthew.holwill@fonterra.co.nz.