Think about any areas on your farm that are prone to erosion, areas where there’s unproductive land, whether your farm has adequate shade and shelter, and if there are opportunities to improve on-farm biodiversity. Ensure you’re clear on the overall aim of planting and how it will support your local ecosystem to increase the chance of successful establishment and meeting your goals.

Include native plants and trees in your planting projects as much as possible, especially when it comes to riparian planting or restoring native forest fragments on your farm. Location-appropriate native planting on farm can help establish or restore habitats for native plants and animals. For example, forest fragments act as natural ‘corridors’ for birds facilitating the dispersal of native plant seeds.

Put together a planting plan that lists what you’ll be planting, where and why. Investigate funding to help reduce project costs (e.g., regional council funding). Your planting efforts on farm can have a wide range of benefits, from improving water quality to boosting biodiversity by creating and restoring habitats for plants and animals. Shade and shelter planting can keep cows comfortable, more productive and profitable.

Make good decisions about the right species of plant for your farm – speak with your Sustainable Dairying Advisor for recommendations. Consider both exotic and native plant/trees species and plant them where they’ll thrive and provide the most benefit.

Try to choose plants, seedlings and seeds produced from plants and trees already growing successfully in your region – they’ll have a better chance of thriving.

Buying plants and trees in bulk often results in lower per plant costs. Balance this with timing and labour availability, to ensure a high survival rate for your plants.

Consider factors such as planting density, spacing, orientation, and wind flow, as different types of planting have varying requirements (e.g., slope planting vs. shelter-belt establishment).

If you have little or no experience with planting, talk with a planting project management provider – they will often manage the entire project for you. Contact your regional council or search online for one – there’ll be plenty of providers available in most regions.

Protect your plants as they mature to prevent weeds and other competing vegetation overtaking their space. 

Get a pest management strategy in place. Your regional council can help you with locally-focused information, guidelines, factsheets, tips and tools for dealing with plant and animal pests. Think about what you’ll need to do to stop animal pests from eating and/or damaging your new plants and trees.