Show Notes
Is New Zealand farming really as environmentally friendly as we think?
Rich Planet presents Breaking Ground, in association with Groundshift.
Anton Babkov (CEO, Climatalist) talks with Nicole Masters, a New Zealand-born agroecologist and author of "For the Love of Soil" who has spent 27 years working with farmers across the world. Nicole explains why regenerative agriculture is really about your relationship with the landscape, what happens in the moment a farmer sees their soil differently and can't unsee it, and why New Zealand's clean, green image is harder to defend than we'd like to believe.
We get into fertiliser use, compacted soils and the nutrients washing out to sea, and why yield is the wrong measure of a good farm once you count input costs, pest pressure and debt. Nicole also connects soil biology to the nutrition in our food and our own health, talks about the pressure on farmers' mental health and why community matters so much, and makes the case that big companies' emissions targets could be New Zealand's biggest market opportunity, or its biggest risk. The Groundshift team (Chanelle O'Sullivan, Conan Moynihan, and Sam Lang) discuss farmer stress, why farmers so often change only in a crisis, and how curiosity, showing rather than telling, and dropping the judgment can make change easier. They also cover why a good support network matters, and why more farmers are choosing joy over chasing production.
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Rich Planet has big plans for 2027! If you are interested in joining us to promote regeneration, in any form, in New Zealand please get in touch.
Groundshift: Website: https://www.groundshift.ag/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/groundshift.ag/
Groundshift partners with farmers and businesses to implement high-performing, biology-led farm systems that deliver consistent profitability, greater health, and long-term resilience. Check out their website to find out more and book a call with one of the team.
More from Rich Planet
What is Regenerative Agriculture? Rich Planet presents Breaking Ground, in association with Groundshift. In this Prologue episode, host Anton Babkov sits down with farm advisors Conan Moynihan, Chanelle O'Sullivan, and Sam Lang to unpack what regenerative agriculture actually means, and why it matters for New Zealand's farmers, land, and economy. We get into the numbers behind NZ farming, the principles behind regenerative farming, and why soil health runs in a direct line to animal health, human nutrition, and even mental wellbeing. The conversation digs into the economics farmers face - rising costs, being price-takers on both ends, and why profitability should be the focus, not yield. We also tackle why "regenerative" is such a contested word among the farming community, and what's really at stake for New Zealand's reputation and market access if the sector gets this wrong. It's the conversation that sets up everything Breaking Ground explores from here. Also available on YouTube. Find Rich Planet where you are: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@richplanetearth?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richplanet.earth/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@richplanet.earth Website: https://www.richplanet.earth/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5XfhA9CKd2ZZjmtOk336Bf?si=53b98fd2bf5f4ad7 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rich-planet/id6817251193 Rich Planet has big plans for 2027! If you are interested in joining us to promote regeneration, in any form, in New Zealand please get in touch.
The ground beneath us is changing. So are the people who work it. Rich Planet presents Breaking Ground, in association with Groundshift. There is huge pressure on individual farmers, on the sector as a whole, and on the land. Breaking Ground explores the opportunities of regenerative agriculture, a way of farming that works with nature to cut input costs and emissions, draw carbon back into the ground, build resilience, lighten the workload, and, crucially, increase profits. So the question is, can you get rich saving the planet? Find out 5th October 2026.