''We are looking closely at how we farm our land and deciding what parts of our farm we want to go hard on and what parts we want to leave alone.''
She said some farmers were exploring setting up an action group with Red Meat Profit Partnership funding, which has been made available for quake recovery projects, to focus on regenerative farming options.
Quake-affected farmers could also apply for $5000 to assist with getting expert advice and farmers could pool their funding.
''It's down to each farmer and each regional group, because we all have different landscapes, but hopefully we can get Christine back and get a bit deeper into it [soil regeneration].''
In the meantime, Ms Kelly said there were local farm consultants who had expertise in regenerative farming who could be called on for advice, such as Christchurch-based consultant John King, who attended the May 9 workshop and appeared in the feature film Seven Rivers Walking last year.
Group member and Beef and Lamb New Zealand northern South Island board director Phil Smith said discussions were ongoing with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) on how tree planting and carbon farming could benefit farmers seeking to make use of land that could no longer be farmed.
''We are looking at afforestation and the Emissions Trading Scheme with the possibility we can broker a deal with MPI for tree planting around the earthquake-affected area.
''We don't know where the project is going to lead to and there could be a number of things for land use in the future which we haven't even discussed yet, but the big thing is individual farm plans and we want to get those started.
''But the main thing is to get farmers involved and, if you know of farmers who have earthquake-damaged land, to talk to them and get them involved in this project.''
-By David Hill
Central Rural Life
