Page 42 - NZ Hereford Magazine 2023

We are

what we
eat

If regenerative farming can improve meat
quality, particularly intramuscular fat and flavour, Impact of regenerative farming on meat quality
this could open up more markets for premium
meat products, including from dairy cross cattle. Participants: Nine regenerative and nine conventional
farms in the upper North Island.
Article courtesy of Our Land and Water
Project team: Steve Howarth (AgFirst), Dr Katherine Tozer,
‘You are what you eat’, the saying goes – and just as it is for Mustafa Farouk, and Rose Greenfield (AgResearch), and
people, the same it seems goes for stock. Tracey Bayliss (Grandad’s Beef).
Increased pasture botanical diversity, longer grazing rounds
and higher residuals, along with reduced synthetic fertiliser use, Report: Impact of regenerative farming on quality
are some of the key practices of regenerative farming. (ourlandandwater.nz/RPF2020).
Regenerative farming can be hard to define as it is outcomes-
focused and more about principles than practices. It can also
mean different things to different farmers in New Zealand and
overseas. Our pasture-based farm management systems already Technical information
have more in common with these values than in countries Project aim: Compare the quality of meat from cattle of
where feedlot farming is common. comparable age, sex and breed raised on regenerative farms
Because of this, Beef + Lamb New Zealand is interested in and on conventional farms and see if any differences could
regenerative farming as a potential selling point for our meat be related to increased pasture diversity.
overseas and says there is a need to act quickly to take full • Cattle finished on nine self-classified regenerative and
advantage of it. But they also emphasise any claims must not be nine conventional farms in the upper North Island were
‘greenwashing’ and need to be able to be backed up by science. paired by breed, sex and age.
Studies from overseas have shown cattle finished on diverse • Raw muscle pH, moisture, total iron (heme plus non-
mountain pastures, with nearly 40 different species, have heme), intramuscular fat (IMF) fatty acid composition,
improved meat quality and taste compared with pastures on microelements and colour were evaluated from meat
the flats with few species, says Steve Howarth, agricultural samples.
consultant with AgFirst.
Originally off a Hawke’s Bay sheep and beef farm, Steve has • Most tests showed no significant difference between
a strong interest in farm system management that includes farm types in the concentration of fatty acids considered
sustainable nutrient management and environmental to be beneficial to human health.
management. This drew him to look more closely at regenerative • Pasture testing included pasture mass, botanical diversity
agriculture. “Regen is gaining a lot of traction but there has and herbage mineral analysis.
been little research done in New Zealand. We need to be able to • Legume content was higher in regenerative than
show farmers what regen looks like, its pros and cons,” he says. conventional pastures. Overall, botanical diversity
This saw him join forces with Tracey Bayliss, owner of in pastures on both farm types was low (averaging
regenerative meat supplier Grandad’s Beef, and scientists fewer than nine species). It is unlikely that differences
from AgResearch for a study on meat quality, with funding between pasture types in the number of species
from Our Land and Water’s Rural Professionals Fund. Could influenced meat quality.
the difference in pasture on regenerative farms be behind the

40 HEREFORD MAGAZINE Year 2023