Blog
The benefits of planting on farm
Taking action on farm: Carbon sequestration with trees, shrubs, and natives
31 Jul 2025
2 min
In our 'Taking action on farm' series, we explore what our farmers are doing at an individual level to reduce emissions intensity.
Recently, we spoke with one of our Fonterra farmer shareholders, Pete Morgan, who has been taking a number of actions on his farm to help improve efficiencies including optimising nutrient use, managing of herd health, managing pasture and planting on farm.
Over the past 12 years, Pete has been planting various trees, shrubs, and native plants on his farm. Vegetation on farm can provide ecosystem benefits, shade and shelter for animals, habitat for other wildlife, soil stabilisation, and filtration of nutrients to help protect waterways. Planting unproductive farmland can also allow for carbon sequestration to help remove some of the emissions generated by farming.
Hear why Pete is planting on his farm and why it is important in the video below:
Fonterra’s Climate Roadmap outlines our near-term targets including our action plan for how the Co-operative will deliver a reduction in on-farm GHG emissions from dairy by 30% per tonne of Fat and Protein Corrected Milk (FPCM) between FY18 and FY30. When Fonterra farmers plant areas of their farms with trees, shrubs and natives, this is one of the many actions on-farm that will help us reach our target.
Fonterra is supporting farmers to achieve good farming practices to contribute to soil health, water quality, biodiversity, and animal wellbeing. And we’re continuing to work toward emissions reductions across our value chain to meet our near-term targets and bring our sustainability progress through to every NZMP™ product you purchase.
