A2 Farm Sustainability Fund awards $440,000 to farms across Southland, Canterbury and Waikato

This is the third round of the a2 Farm Sustainability Fund in New Zealand. Photo / Christine Cornege

The a2 Farm Sustainability Fund in New Zealand has announced awards totalling $440,000 to 18 dairy farms across Southland, Canterbury and Waikato.

Established in 2022, the New Zealand section of the fund is a collaboration between The a2 Milk Company and Lincoln University to support farm projects that demonstrate an integrated approach to a sustainable future and have a meaningful impact across the community and environment.

This is the fund’s third round.

Grants in the current round have been made to projects including diverse riparian planting, alternative fertiliser use, diverse pasture implementation, wetland restoration and planting of trees to enhance biodiversity and provide shelter for animals.

Bevan and Jackie Jones farm in Southland and supply milk to Mataura Valley Milk.

They said the fund would allow them to fast-track initiatives they’d wanted to progress for years.

Their funded project involves planting native species and building a sediment trap to enhance water quality, promote biodiversity, sequester carbon; provide shelter for the animals and create a picturesque landscape.

South Otago farmer Eion Young also received funding.

He said this was the second time he was awarded a grant and was looking forward to extending the project he’d built from the previous funding.

“Our project is a trial using alternatives to nitrogen fertiliser,” he said.

“We’ve engaged contractors to help implement and measure the changes to pasture and their impact on the farm business.

“We’re excited about the positive results from the first year and look forward to continuing the project to understand the long-term trends and how this could benefit our farm.”

Contractor Shane Bocock (left), Eion Young, Ben Davie, and Woody Boakes of Hinemoa Heights in Balclutha.

Jaron McVicar, chief legal and sustainability officer at The a2 Milk Company was pleased with the record number of high-quality applications, which reflected strong interest from farmers across New Zealand.

“It is important to us that we continue to support dairy farmers in New Zealand through this initiative.”

Investment Committee member Dr John Reid said it was an honour to be involved in a fund that impacted New Zealand dairy farming.

Reid is a senior research fellow at the University of Canterbury’s Ngāi Tahu Research Centre.

“The quality of applications and the deep interconnected nature of environmental function across a number of the projects serves as a testament to farmers and their long-term vision for enhancing the sustainability of their farms,” he said.

More about a2 Farm Sustainability Fund

Jackie and Bevan Jones' funding will go towards native species planting and sediment trap building on their farm.

Applications for the a2 Farm Sustainability Fund were open to farmers supplying A1 protein-free milk processing plants part-owned by a2 Milk Company in the three regions.

These were Southland’s Mataura Valley Milk, which is 75 per cent owned by The a2 Milk Company, and Synlait Milk, which is 20 per cent owned by a2 Milk Company and based in Canterbury and the Waikato.

Applications for the current round of funding closed at the end of March and successful applicants were notified in mid-May.

All applications to the fund are evaluated by an independent Investment Committee, with each successful application able to receive funding of up to $35,000.

The independent Investment Committee comprises industry experts in regenerative agriculture, soil health, animal health and wellbeing and farming systems.

Evaluation for the fund was based on criteria aligned to The a2 Milk Company’s sustainability objectives and key priority areas including:

• Lowering greenhouse gas emissions
• Increasing on-farm carbon sequestration
• Improving farm system resilience
• Improving water quality and efficiency
• Enhancing on-farm biodiversity
• Improving animal wellbeing/health
• Managing and improving soil health

The fund also operates in Australia, where it partners with Landcare Australia, a not-for-profit organisation focused on sustainable management of natural and productive landscapes.