Forest Lodge Orchard Media Features

Electric Cherries was featured on A New Zealand Food Story with Ben Bayly—shining a national spotlight on our export grade cherries, sustainable farming, and why Central Otago is such a special place to grow food the clean way.

It’s not every day you see a tractor at a racetrack—but then again, this isn’t your average orchard. When we first rolled the Monarch MK-V electric tractor onto the orchard, we never imagined it would end up setting a lap time at Highlands Motorsport Park.

We’ve had our fair share of cameras on the orchard over the past few years, but there was something pretty special about hosting Rachel Parkin and the Seven Sharp team earlier this year.

The team are extremely honoured to be featured on the latest season of A New Zealand Food Story with well-known Kiwi chef Ben Bayly. The episode airs 12 July on TVNZ 1, and it’s a real honour to have Forest Lodge Orchard highlighted alongside some of Aotearoa’s most innovative food producers.

We were very excited to be featured in a new video by EECA, all about how farms across New Zealand are switching on to solar power and seeing real benefits. The video highlights both Kawaiwai Dairies and us here at Forest Lodge, showing how solar and battery systems are helping us cut costs, boost energy independence, and move toward a lower-carbon future.

As featured in the Otago Daily Times, we’ve officially given one of New Zealand’s most iconic farm vehicles, the trusty Toyota Hilux, a fully electric second life.

It’s always great to see the conversation around electric farming gaining momentum, and we were especially proud to be featured in the Otago Daily Times in a piece focused on the energy transition happening across New Zealand.

Check out our feature with Ecotricity NZ to see how Forest Lodge Orchard runs 100% electric—powered entirely by sunshine, batteries, and smart tech.

What if your cherry orchard could power itself—and make money doing it? Our latest ODT feature explores how we’re using solar and batteries to run Forest Lodge Orchard 100% electric, save on energy costs, and generate new income by exporting power to the grid.

Paddy Gower's The F#$%ing News paid a visit to Forest Lodge Orchard to see what an all-electric cherry farm really looks like

October 2024 issue of Food + Beverage Technology, where we share how our fully electric orchard is helping reshape the future of sustainable food production. Read the full story on pages 28–29.

Forest Lodge Orchard made headlines on 1News with the introduction of New Zealand’s first all-electric, self-driving tractor. Discover the full story and see the future of cherry farming in action here.

Mike and Rebecca Casey, along with the Forest Lodge Orchard team, featured on Hyundai Country Calendar, showcasing their fully electric, fossil-fuel-free cherry orchard in Central Otago.

Mike Casey introduces electric frost-fighting fans and modified electric golf carts at his cherry orchard in Cromwell, aiming for a carbon-neutral operation and showcasing renewable energy benefits.

Mike Casey operates a zero-fossil-fuel cherry orchard, using advanced engineering and computer code to achieve full electrification, featured in the Southern Lens series for its sustainable impact.

Mike Casey's zero-fossil-fuel cherry orchard near Lake Dunstan uses advanced engineering and computer code for full electrification, showcased in the Southern Lens series for its sustainable practices.

Mike Casey introduces electric frost-fighting fans and modified electric golf carts at his cherry orchard in Cromwell, aiming for a carbon-neutral operation and showcasing renewable energy benefits.

Mike Casey introduces electric frost-fighting fans and other electric machinery at his cherry orchard in Cromwell, aiming for a carbon-neutral operation and demonstrating renewable energy benefits.

Forest Lodge Orchard, led by Mike and Rebecca Casey, aims for a fully electric operation using solar power and electric machinery, targeting zero fossil fuels and net zero energy bills.

Forest Lodge Orchard, led by Mike and Rebecca Casey, aims for a fully electric operation using solar power and electric machinery, targeting zero fossil fuels and net zero energy bills.

The Caseys have converted their cherry orchard to an all-electric operation, significantly reducing costs and emissions. They use solar and battery systems combined with grid power, leading to near-zero energy bills.

The Caseys and their partners converted Forest Lodge Orchard to an all-electric operation, significantly reducing costs and emissions. They use solar and battery systems combined with grid power, leading to near-zero energy bills.

Forest Lodge Orchard won a national award for its renewable electric system, highlighting their innovative use of solar power and efforts to reduce fossil fuel use.

The article announces the finalists for the 2021 Sustainable Business Awards, highlighting Forest Lodge Orchard for its sustainable practices.