For a journalist who has been following the journey of Forest Lodge Orchard and its owners for some time now, the dilemma is which of the newsworthy aspects of the business is the most notable.

Is it the story of the young couple, Mike and Rebecca Casey, who returned home to New Zealand from Sydney and set up a cherry orchard with no previous horticultural knowledge, but also no preconceptions of what was and wasn’t possible?

Or their decision to plant using the upright fruiting offshoots system, a trellised system that allows more trees per hectare and also simplifies training, pruning, crop load management and harvesting? 

Or perhaps the conversion of a sprayer from being powered by the power take-off (PTO) stub shaft on a diesel tractor to become fully electric, and the conversion of a tractor to electric to pull the sprayer, making it the first fully commercial electric foliar sprayer?

All these stories and more were shared at an open day at Forest Lodge on Saturday (May 20) attended by about 50 people, many of whom already use solar power in their homes or workplaces, others who were growers or vineyard owners curious about how the Forest Lodge lessons could translate to their operation.

The most significant part of establishing the operation was Mike and Rebecca’s decision to go fossil-fuel free, electrifying their orchard, home, vehicles, and orchard equipment. 

That decision brought them in contact with other like-minded people, and the hive of innovative minds shared their ideas and solved challenges with ideas that combined technical expertise and ingenuity with the Kiwi No. 8 fencing wire mentality.

Loxley Innovations founder Duncan Aitken with Blue.E2, a tractor he converted from diesel to electric

Orchard manager and business partner Euan White converted the sprayer, Loxley Innovations founder Duncan Aitken converted the tractor, Mike wrote a computer programme that buys and sells electricity to the grid at the most profitable times, and Fruitminder chief executive Seb Chapman is developing software that will give invaluable data for managing the orchard.

“Seb is essentially building software that allows us to track every tree in this orchard,” Mike said.

Electric frost-fighting fans were imported from South Africa, although they are used there with a diesel generator powering the electric motor, whereas Forest Lodge runs them solely on electricity.

In another first for New Zealand, currently on route from California is the orchard’s Monarch Tractor - the first to be sold outside of the United States. Fully electric, driver-optional, data-driven, modular, low maintenance, fast charging, and weather-resistant, the Monarch may answer those farmers who think electric vehicles are fine for city slickers, but pointless on a farm.

Mike sees the label New Zealand Zero (which the Forest Lodge cherries are marketed under) as the cornerstone for NZ's climate-conscious agriculture movement, and holds frequent open days for interested parties at which he is happy to answer all and any questions.

Read also: Growing cherries without a jerry can in sight

All the technology they are using is available, Mike said, but using it the way Forest Lodge Orchard and NZ0 does requires radical changes in business behaviours.

Mike Casey with the Toyota Hilux pickup he is converting to electric

Euan agrees, indicating the converted tractor and sprayer, and electric golf carts that are the workhorses of the orchard.

“That tractor is one of one,” he said. “That sprayer is one of one. But the golf carts have been around for years. Electric water pumps have been around for years.

“Bringing it all together at the same time in the same place is the radical part.”

Another project Mike is working on is the electrification of a Toyota Hilux - the quintessential country pickup. 

He is streaming the conversion on Tik Tok and has a massive following among the Australian four-wheel-drive community, he said. Check out his progress as electricorchardist on the platform.

PHOTOS: The Central App