Mark Anderson
Mark Anderson is a co-owner in the family business Westridge Farm ltd.
Grown up on this land once a sheep and beef farm and then spent 23 years conventional dairy farming. He has travelled extensively and spent time farming in Canada and the United Kingdom, the observations of human interactions and landscape function have helped shape my perspectives and world views
Mark, his wife Madeline and their three children have been adopting regenerative agriculture principals since 2017* with the vision of becoming a more diverse farming model like his grandparent’s once ran, one that returns to harmony with nature, people. One that is self-regulating and self-sustaining.
Mark has a strong interest in growing food for health derived from healthy soils which have positive environmental and ecological outcomes on the future of the blue green planet.
The farm is now 580ha and Mark currently milks 500 dairy cows milked once a day and grazed in a manner to mimic ancient herd movements of mobbed moving herbivores across taller diverse pastures to enhance carbon drawdown, landscape function, biodiversity and natural cycling systems.
Farm projects include scaling agroforestry and silvopasture systems, large scale composting and the regeneration of native vegetation creating corridors for biodiversity to thrive.
Other than researching soil health and devoted to continuous learning, In his spare time he enjoys spending time with family, exploring mountains and coastlines, Mtbiking, surfing and skiing, pottery, reading.