CLIFF & TRACEY BAYLISS

LAND AREA: 270 hectares

SOIL TYPE: Karioi ash

WHERE: Raglan, Waikato

PRODUCE: Fattening 80 to 100 beef cattle annually

MARKET: Direct to customers through daughter Tracey Bayliss’ online brand, Grandad’s Beef, which provides meat boxes to order and through conventional processors

MAIN REGENERATIVE PRACTICE: Four decades of minimal inputs using a little lime from time to time mixed with humates, including specific trace elements if soil testing shows there’s an adjustment needed.

KEY INSIGHT: The roots of the grasses are as important as the tops. Keeping a good length of herbage on top of the soil indicates how long the roots are below. Deep roots help keep the soil aerated and allows them to absorb every drop of water, which is essential in a drought-vulnerable region.