Kete | Resources
Our resource library is growing. Right now, you’ll find tools and guides focused on soil testing — supporting farmers to better understand and manage soil health. Over time, we’ll be adding more resources across key areas of the project, including pasture management, biodiversity, and farm system insights.
Visual Soil Assessment
Visual Soil Assessments (VSAs) are an important tool in your kete for identifying the current state of your soil and tracking how you are enhancing the mana and mauri of soil over time. Manaaki Whenua has some excellent resources available on how to conduct Visual Soil Assessments.
The VSA Field Guide contains all the information necessary to carry out VSA on your land. The Field Guide is self-explanatory and its use does not require special training or technical skills.
Image by Shepherdess
Visual Soil Assessment
Through our research, we hope to empower kaimahi pāmu (farmers) to farm in ways that continue to grow the mana and mauri of soil. As we learn more through our research, we will share the research findings and practical tools that you can use on your farm.
Practical insights from the field
Our blog articles are designed to be more than updates. They are practical resources grounded in farmer experience, science, and Mātauranga Māori. Each piece offers ideas, observations, and tools that can be applied on farm to support soil health, resilience, and long term system thinking. Whether you are looking for quick checks, deeper case studies, or inspiration for change, these blogs are here to support learning and action.
Summer resilience on farm
Key priorities to protect stock, pasture, and infrastructure
This blog brings together practical considerations for building resilience through summer and extreme weather periods. It focuses on preparation, observation, and system thinking to help protect animals, soils, and farm infrastructure when conditions become challenging. A useful resource for planning ahead and stress testing your system before the pressure hits.
Vertical grazing
Growing resilience from the soil up
This resource explores vertical grazing as a way to add diversity, shelter, and resilience into farming systems. It outlines how integrating trees and shrubs into grazing landscapes can support animal health, soil stability, and long term productivity. A useful introduction for farmers curious about layered forage systems and landscape planning.
Jenny and Miah’s carbon story
Unlocking hidden value on the farm
A farmer led case study that looks at how understanding farm systems, data, and carbon can reveal new value. This blog shares insights from Jenny and Miah’s journey, highlighting the importance of measurement, mindset shifts, and seeing the whole system when making decisions about the future of the farm.
Introducing the Rere ki uta rere ki tai toolkit
This blog introduces the Rere ki uta rere ki tai toolkit and how it supports farmers and land managers to make informed, practical changes. It explains the purpose of the toolkit and how it brings together research, farmer experience, and Mātauranga Māori into a usable framework for learning and action.
Three quick checks for soil health
DIY observations you can do on your farm
A simple, hands on guide to understanding soil health using observations you can do yourself. This blog encourages farmers to reconnect with their soils through sight, smell, and structure, offering a practical starting point for better conversations about soil condition and function without needing lab tests.
Why financial budgeting on dairy farms is underrated
This resource reframes budgeting as a strategic tool rather than an administrative task. It explores how strong financial understanding supports better decision making, reduces risk, and enables more confident transitions in farm systems. A valuable read for anyone wanting to align financial health with environmental and system outcomes.
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