Regenerative farming lies at the heart of Atkins Ranch’s philosophy. Their farmers continuously work to improve the land, leaving natural systems stronger and more resilient. As part of their ongoing commitment to leaving nature even better than they found it, Atkins Ranch partnered with CarbonCrop to measure forest cover, understand carbon sequestration across their farms over time, and communicate the positive changes, backed by robust data.
The Challenge
"Atkins Ranch farmers have been adopting sustainable practices long before carbon was in the spotlight. They just don't shout about it," says Jim Goodall, ex-Atkins Ranch CEO-now-advisor. These efforts often went unrecognised, staying on the farm. With agriculture now responsible for nearly half of New Zealand’s gross emissions, it’s more important than ever to highlight the positive impact from behind the farm gate. But telling these stories requires solid evidence and data to demonstrate their true impact.
Communicating their achievements
For Atkins Ranch and their farmers, the project was about more than just carbon - it was about recognising the value of what their farmers have had their heads down doing for years.
CarbonCrop’s platform gives Atkins Ranch an understanding of how their on-farm forest cover and carbon stocks have evolved since 1988. Providing simple data visualisations, they were able to see the data and understand the impact of their on farm forest. The heatmaps and time-lapse imagery made it easy to see changes in carbon sequestration and vegetation cover. These visualisations offer a clear and easy way for Atkins Ranch to share their farmers’ progress with customers, stakeholders, and regulators.
Here’s how we did it using the CarbonCrop platform:
Historical “Wizardry”
A large database of historical aerial imagery allowed us to identify the on-farm forest areas and see how these forests had evolved over time. Applying our purpose-built machine learning models to this historical imagery allowed us to calculate the carbon stocks for these forests through time, sharing the data in the form of heatmaps.
Remote assessment
CarbonCrop software doesn’t require on farm visits. Land and vegetation mapping and monitoring is done remotely, and for forest areas of any size - often down to a single tree. Atkins Ranch were able to access the data they needed for their farms quickly and easily, without having to pull farmers away from farming for a site visit.
Easy Reporting
Using heatmaps and automated reports, Atkins Ranch could easily visualise and share the forest areas and carbon removed, giving both farmers and customers a clear and easy-to-understand picture of what was happening behind the farm gate.
Real Results Using CarbonCrop Platform
By using the CarbonCrop platform, Atkins Ranch now has a complete picture of their forest areas, and can demonstrate their farmers' hard work and commitment.
Te Wairere
The Nelson family have planted over 8,000 native plants and fenced off more than four and a half kilometres of waterways to protect native planting and waterways. Thanks to these efforts, 340 tonnes of carbon have been captured so far. CarbonCrop’s carbon mapping technology is helping the Nelsons demonstrate the fruits of their labour.
Awapai Station
Owned by the Beamish family, this farm has seen a significant increase in tree cover, from 10% to nearly 30%. This has boosted carbon sequestration, reduced erosion, and supported native biodiversity. With the CarbonCrop platform, the Beamish family has been able to see tangible results from their efforts and share their progress with others, backed by data.
Supporting Atkins Ranch’s Sustainability Goals
Atkins Ranch is continuing to integrate CarbonCrop’s platform into their broader Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategy. Collaborating with an external partner on emissions measurement, the platform’s data will help them set targets, figure out how to get there and track progress toward their net-zero emissions goal.
“Atkins Ranch is proud to partner with CarbonCrop, with their innovative technology. By working together, we are aiming to show how our farmers and ranchers implement their goals for leaving their farms in a better state for future generations. This initiative aligns with one of our core values - Leaving nature even better.” - Patrick Maher, Atkins Ranch CEO
In addition to operational benefits, CarbonCrop’s platform is giving Atkins Ranch a new way to communicate with their customers. As more consumers look for transparency in how their food is produced, Atkins Ranch can use the data to demonstrate their core values and showcase the positive impact happening behind the farm gate.
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The CarbonCrop platform is making it easier for Atkins Ranch to understand the carbon removals on their land, share their story, plan for the future, and meet their decarbonisation goals.Through their partnership with CarbonCrop, Atkins Ranch can continue to recognise and celebrate the environmental achievements of their farmers, and leave nature better while strengthening their connection with customers.
Want to learn more about CarbonCrop, check out our website www.carboncrop.com or contact us.
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