Roger Pearce and an area of land he's retired under the South Taranaki and Regional Erosion Support Scheme (STRESS).

Work to retire erosion-prone land in the Taranaki hill country revealed untapped potential for sheep and beef farmer Roger Pearce.

Pearce has fenced off and retired steep slopes and planted poplar poles in other areas of his 2000-hectare Waitōtara Valley property, combating erosion into rivers and streams and creating opportunities for diversification.

About 1600ha of the property was grazed before about 100ha in different blocks was retired under the South Taranaki and Regional Erosion Support Scheme (STRESS) administered by the Taranaki Regional Council.

Supplied A STRESS reversion area on Roger Pearce's Waitōtara property.

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Much of the retired land was already starting to revert because of its unsuitability for pasture, or made up of natural gorges and riverbanks. About 500 popular poles were planted last year in areas where erosion was prevalent but fencing-off was impractical.

Pearce is confident he's hit on a good formula that allows him to make a successful living while ensuring soil from his land does not erode into waterways where it degrades water quality and increases the risk of downstream flooding.

"I liked the idea of having some marginal areas fenced off and retired for several reasons," Pearce said.

"One is to help prevent erosion on steeper faces and near waterways. Allowing natural regeneration, along with some strategic planting, helps prevent slipping by increasing ground cover and root structure. It's also beneficial to have unsafe areas for livestock fenced off and stock excluded, as well as being of ascetic value to the property over time."

He has already diversified into beekeeping for manuka honey production, and sees the possibility of earning carbon credits for his retired areas and poplar plantings.

The benefits don't end there.

"With the STRESS areas retired, we can concentrate on improving fertility and production on the more productive land," said Pearce, who has maintained his stock numbers at 4000 romney ewes and 500 angus breeding cows, with brassica crops and regrassing to finish lambs and bulls.

"Generally, maintenance on STRESS areas is low and we can still use access tracks through them."

He said the retired areas had been beneficial in creating natural buffer areas between blocks and next to waterways.

"In general, I think the retired areas will add value to the property over time, with the benefits of soil conservation and aesthetic value as they grow into substantial native bush areas. They're also great for the native bird life."

TRC land services manager Don Shearman said Pearce's efforts demonstrated that a sustainable land management approach is a winner in the hill country.

"It really does sustain the land – as well as the environment, and as well as the livelihoods of farmers like Roger," he said. "The bottom line is that without soil, you can't grow grass.

"The impact of hill country erosion has already been seen in major flooding events, while the sediment also degrades the health of waterways. Freshwater quality has become an increasingly important priority, regionally and nationally, so doing the right thing, as Roger has, is in the interests of farmers themselves as well as everyone else."

STRESS assistance is sourced from the Ministry of Primary Industries' Hill Country Erosion Fund. As well as administering STRESS, the TRC also works with hill country farmers to produce free, individually tailored farm plans including comprehensive plans covering an entire property, agroforestry plans for establishing exotic or native plantation forestry, or conservation plans for specific areas of concern.