CarbonCrop Testimonials
Every farm is different, and so is every carbon journey. These stories share real experiences from local farmers who have used CarbonCrop to better understand their trees, identify opportunities, and turn existing and future plantings into measurable value.
From mapping historic plantings to planning new ones, CarbonCrop is helping landowners take the next step with confidence. We will continue adding more testimonials as more farmers share their stories and results, so this page will grow alongside the CarbonCrop journey.
Here are a few stories from farmers who have already used CarbonCrop on their land:
DAVE AND REBECCA BUICK
PONGAROA
Using CarbonCrop made identifying and providing evidence of vegetation on Dave and Rebecca Buick’s Pongaroa farm simple.
As members of the Puketoi to the Pacific Catchment Collective, the Buick’s jumped at the opportunity to try CarbonCrop’s mapping software, which is offered to all members at no cost.
Dave says that while the total area of trees on their farm might seem small, it all adds up and it was a worthwhile exercise that added value to their bottom line.
The Buicks were already registered in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) but have since added new plantings, with the help of CarbonCrop.
“We haven’t got a huge amount, about 20 hectares, and we’re adding about 3ha a year as we fence off and plant new areas. We wanted something to help add the new bits in, and this was perfect. It was great to have CarbonCrop come along, and June and Alexander were awesome,” he says.
“It’s great value for money, especially the technology with the mapping software and use of the drone, which was able to fly exactly to the boundaries and prove what we had.”
Using the combined drone and mapping software made it simple and easy to identify what vegetation they had, and provide evidence of it.
“We’re really happy. It all adds up and it’s good money. We have followed through and entered the new areas into the ETS.
“I can’t speak highly enough of the team. It takes a bit to get your head around and it’s great to have people with knowledge who can help.”
KATIE AND ALEX
RENNER
PONGAROA
With more than 50 years of historic willow and poplar pole plantings on their Pongaroa sheep and beef farm, Katie and Alex Renner knew they had vast numbers of trees, what they didn’t understand was whether any were eligible for the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).
As members of the Puketoi to the Pacific Catchment Collective, the Renners used CarbonCrop to map the plantings they did have, and identify places for strategic space planting to fill gaps and link smaller groups of trees to create eligible areas.
“I am the fifth generation at Rakaunui. My grandfather started the planting, so we knew we had numbers, we just needed to work out what we had, and what we needed to do to make them worth something,” Katie explains.
As much of the planting was done for erosion purposes either side of creeks, they discovered that while many of the areas were big enough (over one hectare), they were not wide enough.
“We have a lot of long, narrow, skinny areas that we need to plump up.”
Now that they know what they have, they plan to work with their Horizons Regional Council advisor to space plant, fill gaps, and link up smaller plantings. “It was really interesting looking at the maps, it’s given us a good idea of where we could create linked plantings.
“It was definitely a worthwhile exercise using CarbonCrop, it’s given us a starting point. Before, we knew we had trees but we had no idea where to start – now we have something to go off.”
Want to dive deeper?
These testimonials offer a snapshot of what CarbonCrop can do, but every farm has its own story, challenges, and opportunities. If you would like to explore the full journey, from initial mapping through to planning, planting, and outcomes, you can read our detailed CarbonCrop case studies below.
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