The 20 people at the February 16 field day viewed that work first-hand and heard the Hansens discuss their land use experiences and choices.
Everyone had their say, pondering the merits and costs of farming marginal land or fencing it for reversion or forestry; and discussing poplars and what assistance council could provide.
Agricultural consultant John Stantiall had prepared a cost-benefit analysis for those attending and concluded, as had Niels, that the cost of farming the most marginal hillcountry land is greater than the returns.
The subject resonated with Kupe farmer Murray Jackson, who's seen excellent gains from land he's retired for forestry.
In one area alone, he'd lost five cattle over three years before fencing it and planting pines.
"The regional council contributed towards the funding, and the income from the trees - I think it just makes so much sense. I've made more money on my waste areas than the good areas I fenced off. The compensation for waiting for the trees to reach maturity is that you can sell carbon credits."
Niels, too, has lost animals to steep land and used council funding to fence marginal areas.
"If you lose 10 cattle a year, that's $12,000 before you've even started to make a profit," he said.
"We think it's a good risk to have a block of pine trees, and there might be a really good windfall out of it. It's still potentially more profitable than dagging sheep for 25 years."
Having fenced off their least productive land, Niels and Peter also found it was a shorter run to subdivide more paddocks, keeping out goats and providing a powerful tool for stock rotation.
Then there's the environmental value. Niels wants to conserve erosion-prone hills that can't cope with high numbers of heavy stock, and thinks there will be increased government regulation.
"You can see the [past] damage that we're finding now," he said, showing their guests an exposed gouge on a previously grassy hill-face.
"We're not comfortable with that anymore. I want to find ways to mitigate it now."
Council land services manager Don Shearman said with the recent national conversation about intensive farming and water quality, the question has also been asked about what's being done about hillcountry sediment.
"The National Policy Statement for freshwater management ... sets the bottom line for water quality, and sediment levels are likely to be addressed [by the government] in the next couple of years."
He said money from the Ministry for Primary Industries' Hill Country Erosion Fund is delivered through STRESS, which contributes to fencing, poplar and willow poles, forestry, and land retirement or reversion.
These measures help with sediment reduction into waterways and often enable a farm to be managed more effectively.
"We want everybody implementing, and taking advantage of STRESS. Eight dollars a metre for conventional fences is no small contribution," said Mr Shearman.
