Hosted by Quorum Sense & ODPG
Cost (excl. GST & booking fees)
Early Bird (till 10 May):
General $250
ODPG Members $230
Full price (from 11 May):
General $270
ODPG Members $250
Extras:
Evening Meal - Monday 8th $85
Optional farm visit to Gavin Fisher’s property (Wed 10th) - includes lunch but not travel $65
Click this link to book tickets and extras.
Further information
At a time of multiple challenges to farming including changing weather patterns, fertiliser shortages and fluctuating input costs, farmers embracing low input / regenerative / organic systems have built-in resilience to these challenges.
This conference is an opportunity for farmers, researchers and educators from New Zealand and Australia to connect, share insights, and discuss the latest research and on-farm innovations shaping regenerative / low impact / organic dairying.
Conference topics include:
trees on farms
farm finances
enhancing soil fertility through biologicals, effluent and compost
increasing drought resilience
update on latest research findings on diverse pastures
animal health
update on NZ’s GME / GE campaign
The conference will be a mix of discussions and presentations with farm visits. There will be an additional small session first thing Tuesday morning for ODPG members and another for farmers and others who are considering transitioning to low input / regenerative / organic systems.
Catering (from local producers) is provided on both days with an optional evening meal on Monday 8 June.
An additional day of farm visits is planned for Wednesday 10 June including to Gavin Fisher's beautiful property, renown for its trees.
SPECIAL GUESTS
The conference will be attended by dairy farmers, educators and others from Victoria, Australia. Their presence at the first conference (Dairy's Regenerative Transition) in 2025 added a very special dimension with presentations, case studies and some great discussions.
Confirmed speakers (more details to follow)
Farm Finances
Conan Moynihan - co-founder of Groundshift, an agriculture advisory business partnering with farmers to build profitable and resilient farm systems. Conan bridges the gap between ecological thinking and real farm economics.
he will be joined by a farmer panel
Maximising Summer Performance
Siobhan Griffin - has twenty years’ experience in regenerative farming and forty years’ experience growing organic food in the US. She formed Next Level Grazing, Ltd. in New Zealand in 2018 to share expertise around regenerative dairy and sheep and beef farming.
Enhancing Soil Fertility Without Synthetics
Tony Evans - former dairy farmer. He was been a founding director of Camperdown Compost, Victoria, Australia which has mostly used the compost in assisting farmers to be more regenerative over the last 27 years.
Steve Erikson - on-farm fermentation and composting - details to come
third speaker - details to come
Animal Health
Phyllis Tichinin - trained as a soil scientist and environmental policy specialist, she specialises in coaching farmers to grow foods that heal both people and the planet and in educating consumers to demand healthy food from truly healthy soils. Her presentation will focus on the impact of antibiotic use on dairying
second speaker - details coming
Diverse Pastures Research Update
Whenua Haumanu
two other speakers - details to come
Trees on Farms
Gavin Fisher - a 3rd generation dairy farmer member to be farming on the family farm certified organic for 26+ years. Gavin has been extensively planting trees on the property for 46 years including lots of fruit nut and citrus trees and creating as much diversity in the pastures and with the tree plantings as possible.
Sam Lang - a hill country farmer, educator and advisor who was heavily involved in the early growth of Quorum Sense. He has a particular passion for farm planning and agroforestry systems, and their potential to deliver multiple layers of value back to farmers, landscapes and communities.
third speaker - details to come