The Quorum Sense Podcast

Infatuated by seeds turning into food as a young boy in his Poppa’s veggie garden, Brad Rudd has always had a desire to grow things. Despite growing up in the outskirts of Auckland. At first a senior shepherd on a ‘conventional’ farm in Hawke’s Bay, Brad then threw his hat over the wall and took on the role of manager of Motatapu Station – working for Nadia Lim’s Royalburn Station – in Central Ota...

Australian farmer, podcaster and all-round regenerative advocate Charlie Arnott talks landscape healing, nutritionally dense food and the complexity and stresses of farm management. Whilst Charlie is grateful for the reference point his science background provided, it wasn’t helping integrate his personal values into farming. Not just bringing biodiversity and resilience to a sometimes challenging...

Cherryle Prew’s journey progressed from city office worker, to organic horticulture, to BioGro auditing. But her “aha!” moment and passion for soil biology was born at a talk by Elaine Ingham, founder of Soil Food Web worldwide. Boots and all, Cherryle set up NZ’s only Soil Food Web lab 20 years ago. From discussing compost teas, to the need for auditing and regulation being more educational and l...

It was an interest in body building, personal training and nutrition that sparked Peter Legg’s journey into farming. You’ll now find him on the family’s 45ha dry land arable, winter sheep grazing and dairy support block in Southbridge, Canterbury. Peter talks about ‘right place, right time’ cultivation and success in raising soil organic matter levels. And he shares his experience with lime and bi...

Father and daughter duo Shane Birchall and Meghan Schutt have changed their whole dairy and beef system, just south of Rotorua. Shane’s ‘tried it all’ throughout his lifetime on the farm, with nudges from Meghan in recent years steering them to focus on creating self-sufficient and low waste operations. The two share their experiences implementing herd homes, multi-species crops, combining mobs, h...

A year into running a mixed farming operation in Canterbury, Sam Lang is committed to merging the best of science with farmer observation, enquiry, experience and innovation. And within his role at Quorum Sense, he’s always pushing for questions to be asked from a farmer’s perspective. Throughout his travels as a Nuffield Scholar, Sam was inspired by farmers defying what he thought was possible in...

Jake Herron’s life has completely transformed since we last spoke with him two years ago. And his dream is coming true. Jake and his partner Emma recently shifted from Central Otago to Matakana. From scratch, they’re creating and managing a 300ha ‘gate to plate’ farm. When it comes to taking on farming regeneratively, Jake emphasises the essential balance of managing your expectations whilst holdi...

Previously a school principle, Adam Rivett shares how he had to look outside the square to make his 64ha sheep and beef farm in Canterbury economic. Among other farming enterprises, a family-run on-farm butchery was opened five months ago. And in 2022 received the New Zealand Sausage Award for Best Traditional Beef Sausage. Adam is someone who’s created a farming schedule to fit his lifestyle and...

South Otago farmer Hamish Bielski sheds light on how and why his marriage sits at the heart of their resilient sheep and beef system. Managing expectations has been key in Hamish’s journey so far. He is unattached to doing the same thing year-on-year, authentically sharing what hasn’t worked, and highlighting the innovation and opportunity that arises from failing. Hamish is adapting all the time,...

2022 Arable Farmer of the Year David (Dave) Birkett is a pioneer in New Zealand regenerative arable systems. Rising input costs and the power of soil-building cover crops steered Dave’s transition. Through acquiring and understanding knowledge, he’s gained the confidence to try new things, and emphasises that it’s okay to take ‘a step back’ in order to move forward. Dave reckons you can’t beat sta...

Young farmer Marran (Maz) Tuckwell shares his passion for food independence, natural health and their connection to farming. He talks about closing the loops in our farming systems, frugality as a core value and land area not being the limitation when growing your own food. Also touched on is the importance of boots on the ground connecting people with nature, and the benefits of community sharing...

Australian wine grower Richard Leaske joins Nick Paulin, national viticulturist for Aotearoa New Zealand Fine Wine Estates. They discuss the shift in customer attention from product to process and the importance of transparent story-telling. Richard and Nick also share about their low-cost easy wins, being clear on your intention, and measuring outcomes. Plus optimizing the free power of photosynt...

Lake Hawea Station's Geoff Ross brings his entrepreneurial perspective to the table in this wide-ranging chat about regenerative farming and the opportunities opening up to Kiwi farmers. With consumers demanding closer ties to the food and fibres the buy, and the spotlight on environmental issues growing ever brighter, he discusses some of the possibilities that lie ahead. The conversation covers...

From Sydney suburbia to Hawkes Bay farm owner, Michael Reilly shares a journey into regenerative agriculture driven by a desire to live on the land and to produce great food. Initially learning traditional production systems, his disappointment with both the physical and financial results soon had him seeking alternatives, and with great success. Michael openly talks about his early experiences, a...

Mother and daughter dairy farming team Janette and Carla Perrett share how the shift to organic production has shaped their farming over the past 16 years. The drive for alternative solutions to support animal health and soil fertility has resulted in a regenerative approach that’s cut costs, improved well-being and created deep connection with their cattle and land. They also touch into the chall...

Tim and Camilla Rutherford explore what it takes to bring regenerative practices to high country Merino production, and how it's benefited business, personal and family life. A wonderful conversation, it covers the introduction of mob grazing, the challenges of high country water supply, and the move away from cultivation, monocropping and chemical use. Camilla also talks about her continuing prof...

Market gardener and regenerative land use advocate Jodi Roebuck explains how he generates a $250k turnover on one tenth of a hectare, and the huge value gained from improving soil, fine tuning systems and building relationships. He also talks about the resilience and adaptability built into his approach to farming and business. Jodi openly shares many of the financial details of his system, includ...

Canterbury pedigree beef and sheep breeders, the McKerchar family discuss multi-generational farming, succession, and not being afraid to shift direction. It’s clear that being open to different perspectives lies at the heart of family relationships, and their evolving relationship with their soils and livestock. They talk about building business resilience, the growing interest consumers have in...

Join dairy farmer and filmmaker Deane Parker as he deep-dives into his journey from rafting guide to regenerative farming advocate. Deane's connection to the outdoors and water, along with the hurdles he's faced along the way, have profoundly affected how he views the industry he works in and the opportunities available for those willing to change. The openness with which Deane explores his concer...

Jules Matthews shares her experiences applying regenerative principles to beef and sheep farming, coaching and a startup market garden venture supplying direct to consumer. The observations and learnings she’s gathered within all this complexity are thought-provoking and inspiring. From questioning what we’ve always accepted to asking where each situation is asking us to grow, it’s a conversation...

Quorum Sense board member Duncan Humm talks about his fascination with deer, and the part they've played in teaching him the value of observation and diversity. Both are traits that have proven extremely useful as he learns to apply regenerative farming practices to the family farm. From the early years as a teenager growing up on-farm in South Canterbury, to his more recent experiences with the Q...

From initial experiments with regenerative practices to rolling out across larger areas of the farm, the Smiths and Lows share their experiences with building topsoil, reducing fertiliser use and embracing diverse crops and pastures. The benefits they discuss are wide-ranging, from improved fertility, animal health and profitability to bringing the joy and balance back into farming, as well as fam...

Three arable farmers come together to talk about their experiences with regenerative crop production systems. From changes in tillage regimes to techniques to better support crop establishment, nutrition and health, it's a fascinating conversation between farmers who are 'walking the talk'. From high level discussion around the benefits of regenerative farming practices, the guests deep-dive into...

Pastoral farmer and grazing coach Siobhan Griffin was initially drawn to regenerative farming practices by a desire to produce better tasting meat and cheese. She has a deep passion for holistic grazing, plant and animal diversity, and increasing the soil carbon sponge. Siobhan talks about the benefits for both farmers and consumers, and the pivotal role these practices can play in countering clim...

Greystone Wine's Nick Gill and Mike Saunders continue to challenge traditional approaches to viticulture as they bring regenerative systems into their wine growing business. The integration of sheep into the vineyard, adopting natural fermentation processes and minimising machinery passes are just a few examples of the many changes they've introduced. They talk about the personal challenges of inn...