Town & Country Farmer November/December 2017

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017 Vol 34 No 6

$7.95 inc. GST

Yoga farmers Stretching life on the land

The hobbit house

Taking the leap from city job to organic farming

PLUS LOTS MORE...

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Contents

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YOGA FARMERS Uniting farming communities through yoga Stretching life on the land.

Suvi Mahonen

HOBBIT HOUSE

12 12

16 22

32

Machinery Feature

20

Alpacas

25

32

Regulars FROM THE EDITOR

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CUTTINGS What’s making news

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36

Market garden guru The learning curve from city desk job to living off the land.

Carrol Baker

BATS

SPECIAL FEATURES

Shearing tips from the Australian Alpaca Association.

Magical minis No kidding — these guys are friendly, loving and oh-so-cute!

Carrol Baker

ORGANIC FARMING

44

40

Tiny bats are farm friends Forget their horror-movie reputation, insect-eating bats deserve credit for their work on the farm.

Greg Siepen

COVER PHOTO

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DHURRINGILE’S JOHN BASILE IS AMONG VICTORIAN FARMERS PRACTISING YOGA, BOOSTING THEIR HEALTH AND FITNESS FOR THE RIGOURS OF LIFE ON THE LAND.

subscribe www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

48

COMPOST

The new KRONOS 6000.

Rare gentle giant of the horse world The magnificent Shire horse.

Wendy Morriss

AUSTRALIAN MINIATURE GOATS

Fields of gold Food fossicking in central Victoria.

Cynthia Lim

Compost matters How to get started, speed up the process and what to avoid.

Damien Edwards

MINI-MARKET FOR ORGANIC VEGIES 16 The Little Green Shed A new take on farm-gate sales.

Ann Cliff

44

UNEARTHING REGIONAL FOOD

A home fit for a hobbit Earth-covered house a childhood dream.

Frank Smith

YOUR HORSE

serving the farming community for 34 YEARS

at www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au – or use the form on page 29

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

TOWN & COUNTRY FARMER

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Vol 34 No 6

www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au magazine@townandcountryfarmer.com.au ISSN 0814-4540 PUBLISHER, ADVERTISING & ENQUIRIES McPherson Media Group PO Box 204 Shepparton VIC 3632 1300 011 958

From the editor Limbering into a healthier life

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PRINTING EdgePrint www.edgeprint.com.au DISTRIBUTION Gordon & Gotch Limited EDITOR Corinna Boldiston EDITORIAL DESIGN Sean Cox EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS We welcome all contributions to be emailed to the Editor at magazine@townandcountryfarmer.com.au COPYRIGHT No material published in Town & Country Farmer may be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher.

DISCLAIMER While reasonable care is taken in the preperation of Town & Country Farmer, the Publisher does not guarantee or warrant the accuracy, reliability, completeness or currency of the information published or its usefulness in achieving any purpose. Readers are responsible for assesssing the relevance and accuracy of its content and for obtaining professional advice where required. The Publisher will not be liable for any loss, damage, cost or expense incurred or arising by reason of any person using or relying on the information in this magazine. Articles reflect the personal opinions of he authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher.

discovered yoga about five years ago; and I love it.

It makes me feel fitter, stronger, more supple — even taller as I unravel my “shrinking” spine, which spends too many hours hunched behind a computer screen.

So, after a life mainly focused on aerobic fitness — the strength, flexibility and sense of calm provided by yoga was a profound health discovery.

Our feature on the growing band of farmers in rural northern Victoria becoming yoga converts (page 8) is an inspirational reminder of the physical and mental health benefits of the practice.

A group of teachers show yoga does not require fancy gym clothes — nor even an exercise studio: one instructor loads her car with yoga mats and bolsters, and drives along dirt roads to run sessions at remote farmhouses. Other teachers encourage farmers to regularly participate in group classes tailored for them in rural townships.

One yoga instructor likens the physical and mental health benefits for these most unlikely of yoga candidates to an “income protection” for farmers.

I hope similar health initiatives are happening elsewhere in Australia.

In other stories we meet a former mining industry executive who has built an underground home — a hobbit house (page 12). Covered in 1000 tonnes of

Follow

A typical drive to work for yoga teach er Kylie Penny, who is taking the pract ice to every corner of her rural shire.

earth, Nigel Kirkwood’s hobbit house in Quindalup, Western Australia, is well insulated and intriguing.

We also meet a city administration worker who took a leap of faith to grow organic vegetables, despite limited horticultural experience (page 36).

Brendan Taylor now happily makes a living from his diverse seasonal crops on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

Whatever your dream, I hope you find inspiration in these pages for a happy, healthy outdoor life: whether you call town or country home-sweet-home.

— Corinna Boldiston

on...

https://twitter.com/TACFarmer https://www.facebook.com/tacfarmer We welcome letters for publication. Please keep them to 250 words or fewer and email them to magazine@townandcountryfarmer.com.au or post them to the Editor, Town & Country Farmer PO Box 204, Shepparton VIC 3632. You must include your residential address (not for publication) and a contact phone number. Letters may be edited for clarity or space reasons.

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www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

Cuttings WHAT’S MAKING NEWS

MyCrop diagnostic tool

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rain growers monitoring crops for signs of pests, diseases, frost and other production constraints have been encouraged to use the updated MyCrop crop diagnostic tool.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development has enhanced its popular MyCrop suite of apps and webpages with several new high-quality photographs of frost damage, and incorporated the latest data from the 2018 wheat and barley variety guides.

Development officer Andrew Blake said the additional frost photographs were added to the MyCrop wheat, barley, canola and pulses apps to assist growers to identify frost damage.

Mr Blake said the apps did not require the internet to operate, once downloaded, so farmers could compare crop damage in the paddock with the photographs on their smartphone or mobile device, or later from the farm office computer.

“Frost damage can easily be confused with similar symptoms resulting from disease or crop nutrition deficiencies, such as take-all and copper deficiency,” Mr Blake said.

“The new, extreme close-up pictures clearly show the different ways frost can impact on a plant, which includes a detailed description of the damage and what to look for.

“There have been isolated reports of frost damage across the central and southern agricultural regions this year, with the frost window expected to last until late-September to early-October, due to the delayed start to the growing season.

“This tool will enable growers who are not familiar with frost symptoms to clarify whether the damage is caused by frost or not, especially when used in conjunction with our Extreme Weather Event online tool to identify the likelihood that frost conditions have occurred.”

The updated MyCrop app includes the latest profiles of current wheat and barley varieties, as well as pest and disease ratings for each variety.

The functionality of the MyCrop apps for wheat, barley, canola, oats and pulses, which includes field peas and lupins, has also been improved, making several areas easier to navigate.

There have been more than 4000 downloads www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

of the suite of apps since it was developed by the department, with the support of the Grains Research and Development Corporation, in 2013.

Mr Blake said MyCrop was an essential tool for all grain growers and agronomists, providing a virtual library of valuable crop-management information.

“MyCrop harnesses hundreds of valuable fact sheets on a huge range of crop constraints, including pests and diseases, crop nutrition, herbicide damage, heat stress and more,” he said.

“The information links directly to other useful tools, such as PestFax reporting app, to overcome constraints, and information on how to monitor crops for various diseases.”

Growers who have already downloaded MyCrop app will receive a prompt to update the app, automatically.

To access MyCrop online or to download one of the suite of apps, visit agric.wa.gov.au and search for ‘mycrop’, or download the apps directly from iTunes and Google Play.

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One of the new photographs on the updated MyCrop wheat app, showing the bleached and distorted heads of frost-damaged wheat plants at booting (left) versus a healthy head (right).

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Cuttings WHAT’S MAKING NEWS

Australia is a red meat nation

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ustralia is the leading supplier of red meat to the world and Australians eat more red meat than anyone else, according to a report released recently.

The Red Meat Advisery Council released State of the Industry 2017 in mid-October, the first-ever snapshot of the value of red meat industry to the Australian economy and community In 2016 Australia was the largest exporter of beef and the second largest exporter of sheepmeat; and the world’s third largest livestock exporter.

Not only does Australia lead the world in selling meat, Australians are some of the highest consumers of red meat in the world, eating four times the average amount of beef and six times the amount of sheepmeat compared to the global average.

RMAC independent chair Don Mackay said the report demonstrated for the first time the key part red meat played in the Australian economic success story, from our plates, to our jobs and our businesses.

“No industry has a more important place in society than an industry that feeds its people and sustains and improves their way of life,” Mr Mackay said.

“We have achieved turnover growth of 11 per cent,

contributed $18 billion to Australian GDP, sustain 405 000 direct and indirect jobs and feed 24 million Australians day in and day out.

“Our industry continues to work for our rural and regional jobs, accounting for almost a quarter of agrifood jobs in Australia.”

The report shows the value of Australian red meat and livestock exports increased by almost $6 billion over the past five years from $9.2 billion in 2011–12 to $15.1 billion in 2015–16.

It also showed a once-niche industry in goat meat has experienced a significant boom with Australia now a leading supplier of global goat meat, enjoying a recent price increase of 177 per cent and exporting more than 27 000 tonnes of goat in 2016 alone.

Mr Mackay said State of the Nation 2017 demonstrated the need for government to show leadership in food and farming policy.

“We must tactically reduce our $3 billion technical trade barrier bill, optimise our supply chains which will add $750 million and up to 4000 jobs to our bottom line, and make all agricultural policy with a commercial and agribusiness focus,” he said.

Expansion sought for blueberrry and cherry export markets

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SW Department of Primary Industries officers have gone global to explore export market opportunities for the state’s blueberry and cherry industries.

DPI international engagement director Ian Sanders said DPI staff joined local growers on the visit to Indonesia, China and Hong Kong to better understand opportunities in both sectors.

“Australia’s clean, green, quality food production means we are in the prime position to promote our safe products and to drive increased export market access into Asia,” Mr Sanders said.

“International demand for NSW blueberries and NSW cherries is growing in the Asian markets. Trips of this nature allow industry representatives to understand market expectations and evaluate the potential opportunity for their product.”

DPI blueberry development officer Melinda Simpson said a key step would be increasing consumer demand in Indonesia by highlighting the health and nutritional benefits of blueberries.

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“Currently the United States and Chile are sending bulk blueberries to Hong Kong, but there is potential to increase the export of Australian blueberries in the future,” Ms Simpson said.

DPI development officer temperate fruits Adam Coleman said NSW cherry producers could also take advantage of the Indonesian market with an increased demand for premium fruit at peak times, such as Christmas and Chinese New Year.

“In 2015–16 NSW exported a total of 1043 tonnes of cherries valued at $8.7 million, which is 11 per cent share of the Australian cherry export value. The top three destinations of NSW’s high-quality cherries were Hong Kong, Singapore and mainland China,” Mr Coleman said.

“The DPI is working collaboratively with the cherry and blueberry industries to identify and expand export markets and to achieve market access protocols to benefit our local growers.”

The NSW north coast accounts for more than 90 per cent of Australia’s blueberry production, valued at around $200 million. www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

Cuttings WHAT’S MAKING NEWS

Investing in nature vital to solving climate change

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n international study has found natural solutions to mitigate climate change, such as reforestation, could have the same effect globally as taking 1.5 billion cars off the road.

CSIRO collaborated with The Nature Conservancy and 14 other institutions on the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, which forms the most comprehensive assessment to date of how greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by and stored in forests, farmland, grasslands and wetlands.

The top three land management solutions identified — reforestation, avoiding further forest losses and improved forestry practices — could cost-effectively remove seven billion tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere annually.

CSIRO agriculture and food chief research scientist Mario Herrero said natural climate solutions were vital to ensuring a stable climate, food security and biodiversity.

The study found all of the identified natural climate

solutions could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 11.3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide per year by 2030, which is the equivalent of taking 1.5 billion cars off the road or halting the burning of oil across the world. This would also meet 37 per cent of the total greenhouse gas emissions needed required to hold global warming below 2°C. “Being able to achieve the equivalent of taking all the cars off the road today, without disrupting industry or the economy, makes this an attractive proposition not to be ignored,” Dr Herrero said. CSIRO provided analysis for two of the 20 land-management options investigated in the report, finding possible reductions in methane emissions in grazing systems through improved feed and animal management and associated land-use savings.

Improvements in agricultural practices including cropland nutrient management, conservation agriculture and trees in croplands, could deliver 22 per cent of the emissions reductions identified in the study.

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Uniting farming communities through yoga

By SUVI MAHONEN

Dhurringile’s John Basile is among Victorian farmers learning the benefits of yoga to their health and working life on the land.

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he vast open tracts of grasslands in north-central Victoria’s Strathbogie Shire have always provided ideal conditions for grazing. Bordered by the volcanic Strathbogie Ranges and the Nagambie Lakes, it is a region rich with fertile flood plains and forested hills thick with eucalypts.

Nestled within the shire’s 3300 sq km are five shire villages — Avenel, Euroa, Nagambie, Strathbogie Village and Violet Town — whose warmth and hospitality evokes an earlier time stretching back even before Ned Kelly’s reputation as a local folk hero took hold.

“It’s such a welcoming community,” says farmer Kelly Whitten, 46, who raises steers with her husband Phil on 120 ha of land near Euroa. “I just love the people and I love the land.

Obviously, it’s not always easy, but it’s such a privilege to be able to work in the country.”

Nearly 10 000 people now live in the shire, however, the economy continues to be heavily

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dependent on agriculture. Like many rural communities in Australia, remoteness and a lack of services remains an ongoing challenge.

“Mental health issues are a big concern for the older farmers because often their children have moved away and they are very isolated,” general practitioner Abdul Atif told me via phone from his practice in Nagambie. “I also see a lot of farmers with ongoing chronic medical problems that affect mobility, such as osteoarthritis.”

Yoga teacher Kylie Penny, 43, is aware of the many difficulties affecting her community. Her mission is to bring the benefits of yoga to every corner of the shire, even if it means driving with her car loaded with yoga mats and bolsters to reach remote farmhouses.

“It’s a huge expanse to cover, but at the same time we’ve got so many different ways of sharing with the community,” Kylie said. “It’s about breaking down those barriers where people might be thinking, ‘Oh Gosh, I couldn’t possibly www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

YOGA FARMERS

“I had a farmer write to me recently who said, ‘I’m so glad I’ve found yoga. I’d never tried it before. I’ve really stepped out of my comfort zone. It’s just the best thing I could have done.’ ” — Kylie Penny

step into a yoga studio because I might not be wearing the right clothes.’ ” Yoga classes can help strengthen community networks. Kylie’s class in the town of Ruffy (population 337) is made up almost entirely of farmers who otherwise rarely see each other because they’re out working on the land all day.

One of these farmers is Kelly Whitten who, together with her husband, sold their Melbourne home earlier this year and relocated to their farm, just north of Ruffy.

“Age is no barrier to friendships in a rural community,” she said. “It’s been amazing to connect with people who have similar values.

They love their farming, they love their animals, they love nature, and they love exercise.”

Kelly says the benefits of yoga classes do not end with acquiring a wider circle of friends. She believes that it has also been invaluable to help her body adjust to life on the land. “Yesterday I had a sore back and I went to yoga and we really focused on a lot of lower back work, and this morning my back is fine,” she said.

Another farmer, Barb, 59, who has been living in the area for more than 20 years, is grateful for the renewed sense of connectedness she feels with her neighbours. “Through these classes I’m spending more time with those on nearby farms, and I’ve met some lovely new people and reconnected with others.”

Fourth-generation farmer, Naomi McLennan, 42, who raises sheep for wool production on her farm in Terip Terip, south of Ruffy, would like to see more farmers turning to yoga. Before joining Kylie’s class in January this year, she says she was needing twice-weekly remedial shoulder massages and also suffered from insomnia.

Now, her shoulder pain has improved and she is better able to manage her stress.

“The thing about being a farmer is that it is very hard to switch off. You live, breathe, sleep, eat farming,” she said. “There were nights I would wake two or three times with my mind buzzing about finances and the weather. At first, I couldn’t even switch off during the yoga classes, but now I have learned to shut down during yoga and take some time out that is entirely for me, www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

which has given me mechanisms to do the same at home.”

Witnessing her students using yoga as a tool to get through the challenges of life on the farm gives Kylie an impetus to do more. “As a region, I think we’re only just working out how yoga can influence so many different lives out here,” she said. “I had a farmer write to me recently who said, ‘I’m so glad I’ve found yoga. I’d never tried it before. I’ve really stepped out of my comfort zone. It’s just the best thing I could have done.’ ” Other yoga teachers feel the same.

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Limbering up is part of a healthy day’s work on the farm for John Basile.

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Yoga on the go for Victorian farmer John Basile helps his muscles cope with the physical stresses of farm work.

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Heidi van Maanenberg, 38, is a yoga teacher who takes a “men’s group” class for farmers in Murchison, north of Nagambie. She believes the practice is vital, going so far as to call it “income protection” for her farmer students.

“Farming is repetitious and physically demanding work,” she said. “This can impact the lower lumbar region of the spine and create tightness in the calves and hamstrings.”

Fruit producer and general practitioner David Corey, 68, has experienced first-hand yoga’s power to heal the body.

He began attending Heidi’s classes 18 months ago to help combat muscle soreness and stiffness from his work tending fruit trees, and also to relieve mental stress from his work as a doctor. Initially hesitant, David quickly became a convert.

“It was more strenuous than I expected and I found some of the poses very difficult at first,” he said. “But the pain and stiffness definitely got better. I became more relaxed, more flexible, and my balance has improved to the point where I can put on my shoes more easily again.”

Another member of Heidi’s class, builder Steve Goldsack, 57, has found yoga extremely valuable.

“For me it’s been all about waking up the body and using muscles that you don’t normally use in your day-to-day activities,” he said. “I used to experience back pain if I had to do something out of the ordinary, but yoga has conditioned my

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muscles to better cope with those unexpected physical stresses at work.”

Margaret Johnston, a yoga teacher who trained with founder Margrit Segesman at Australia’s first full-time yoga school, the Gita School of Yoga in Melbourne, has spent more than 30 years helping farmers through her yoga therapy classes in Euroa.

“We’ve had quite a lot of male farmers who have found self-worth through the group,” Margaret said. “They need other people to talk with. But they don’t need to be talking about themselves as though they were victims, but rather realistically about what their needs may be.”

Margaret is careful to point out, however, that the psychological health improvements her students experience are not simply due to them gathering socially. The benefits also come about because students learn to direct their attention inwards and find out who they really are.

“Yoga teaches you to be more self-aware so you can be mindful of whether you are being super-critical of yourself, or whether you’re being accepting of yourself,” she said. “Self-awareness allows you to decide whether you want to be positive or negative in your view of yourself and of the world.”

According to the International Journal of Yoga, studies of rural populations have uncovered high utilisation of yoga in rural communities, www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

YOGA FARMERS

Yoga teacher Heidi van Maanenberg runs a men's group class for farmers in the riverside town of Murchison, northern Victoria.

Yoga has helped new farmer Kelly Whitten's body adjust to life on the land, and make friends in her rural community.

with more than half the population expressing interest in using yoga to improve health outcomes.

This is not news to Margaret. “We’ve had people who have had bowel cancer who have incorporated yoga into their health plan,” she said. “We’ve had people with all sorts of identity problems like sadness, and lack of self-worth, and stress, feeling better. We’ve had people who know they have to make changes to their life finding the courage to do it. And we’ve had people who are introverted becoming friends.”

Margaret, whose group holds a regular food swap where students exchange excess farm produce, believes that if we see ourselves as united, then we are more loving and accepting of others. “Everyone has some relationship with someone else. Even if it’s very slight, it has a positive effect on the other people in the relationship and therefore it begins to affect the whole community,” she said.

Kylie and Heidi echo this sentiment. They have both observed that yoga’s popularity is rising in the shire, and believe it is because people are exhausted with constantly being on the go. “We need to learn to stop and just be,” Heidi said.

“Yoga allows for imperfection, encourages our imagination and is enhanced through struggle.

Most importantly, it allows us to connect and grow, both as a community and with our practice.” www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

Yoga teacher Kylie Penny often drives to remote farmhouses with her car loaded with yoga mats and bolsters to teach the practice.

Heidi van Maanenberg's aerial yoga class helps farmers stay fit, healthy and socially connected. She likens the benefits of the practice to an income protection for farmers.

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A home fit for a hobbit

By FRANK SMITH

View of the house from the road.

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he hobbits, creations of the extraordinary imagination of J R R Tolkein, lived in underground houses and for good reason. A thick layer of earth and vegetation provides unexcelled insulation, maintaining a near-constant temperature inside.

The Vikings knew this, too. Older houses in the Faroe Islands and Iceland were made of driftwood, as there are no indigenous trees, covered with turf. While maintenance is high, insulation is excellent.

Now Nigel Kirkwood, a former mining industry executive, has built an earth-covered house at Quindalup, near Busselton in Western Australia, using steel supports originally designed for underground mines.

“I’ve been interested in a hobbit house since I was at primary school,” he said. “I had a cubby house and I was brought up on a nursery, so I was into plants.”

He is also a fan of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.

At present the 1000 tonnes of earth that cover

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his three-bedroom one-bathroom house grows mainly African lovegrass, but he has planted creepers and intends to add perennial flowering plants.

“The insulation of the house performs better with age as the soil settles and plants grow on the roof,” Nigel said.

The house is completely off grid using solar power, propane and wood for energy and heating.

He has lived in the house for nearly a year.

“There is good environmental control. The coldest I’ve measured is 16°C when it was 6°C outside. In summer, the maximum inside temperature was 23.5°C while it was 40°C outside.”

It also has high-level protection from bushfires and cyclones, and limits noise from outside sources.

“Ecologically we are storing, and will store more and more carbon in the earth covering, using mass planting, that is drip irrigated and fertilised.” www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

HOBBIT HOUSE

Nigel Kirkwood on his back patio.

The 114 sq m house is not dark and dingy as you might expect. It has large north- and south-facing windows, with views over forest and farmland and wood panelling over the walls and floor.

The southern vista features wildflowers and mobs of Western grey and red kangaroos grazing in the paddocks.

The house is a steel tunnel structure, which has been used in the mining sector for about 75 years. The roof is supported by heavy curved I-beams spanning between exterior concrete walls. The massive corrugated steel panels are bolted together with 2000 high-tensile 22 mm bolts and nuts. The total weight of steel incorporated in the structure is 19 tonnes.

The whole structure is set on two large concrete footings, containing 12.5 cubic metres of concrete each.

Nine millimetre-thick corrugated iron sheets were laid on the I-beams and spot welded into position. On top of this, 15 cm of reinforced concrete was laid with wooden boards at the www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

The living area in Nigel’s earth-sheltered home.

Nigel Kirkwood at home in his hobbit kitchen.

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HOBBIT HOUSE

Nigel Kirkwood in front of his hobbit house.

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edges to prevent it flowing over the sides.

The only hole through the roof is a chimney pipe for the wood-burning stove. A stone mason built a chimney around the pipe prior to sealing the cement and adding soil. Later he returned to make the chimney watertight and complete the front-facing wall of the house.

Nigel and a friend laid Bituthene sheeting over the whole roof and chimney sides, overlapping the edges of the cement deck to prevent water wicking into it. They then beaded the edges of the sheeting with Bituthene mastic ready for two layers of rigid foam insulation followed by plastic sheeting.

Nigel layered the plastic sheeting and taped it down to keep it from blowing in the wind and ran waterproof duct tape along the overlapping seams of the sheeting.

The hobbit house was originally designed

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to allow a second above-ground storey to be added, hence the top of the concrete roof was built flat, making waterproofing problems more difficult, and was one of the few mistakes he made.

Nigel put 50 mm of gravel over the sheet for drainage, covering this with cloth to prevent soil getting into and blocking the drainage layer.

He also placed gravel in a box frame around the chimney to allow rain to drain away, and to prevent wet soil from contacting the side of the chimney.

Once fully waterproofed and the top end walls completed, Nigel buried the structure with 996 tonnes of locally sourced loamy sand topsoil. He used topsoil to cover the roof, rather than the sandy, fine gravel dirt used as back fill against the walls and on the driveway.

The sandy gravel soil does not grow grass www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

HOBBIT HOUSE

Turf roofs have been used in the Faroes since Viking times.

“The house costs more than a conventional house of the same size due to the massive steel and big concrete footings needed to support it.” — Nigel Kirkwood nearly as well as the topsoil. Now, nearly a year later, almost nothing has grown on the driveway.

He placed the propane tank near the rear wall and then covered it with more soil, berming it up to blend with the curve of the dirt roof.

“The house costs more than a conventional house of the same size due to the massive steel and big concrete footings needed to support it,” Nigel said.

“I did much of my own building work where possible to contain costs.”

The building’s architect, Sean O’Bryan of Baldwin O’Bryan Architects in Melbourne, said the main advantages of earth-sheltered buildings included being significantly more environmentally sustainable because of lower heating and cooling costs.

For people in bushfire-prone areas these buildings can be more easily made bushfire resistant, and provide better protection against www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

natural elements, such as hail and cyclones.

Sean said maintenance costs were low and these buildings maintained more vegetation as a carbon sink, and provided a better habitat for native flora and fauna.

While kangaroos grazing on your roof might not be a problem, bandicoots digging for worms and insects might not be so desirable.

In urban environments earth-sheltered houses can free up valuable space and top soil for growing food or ornamental plants as well as muffling traffic noise.

More information: Earth-Sheltered Houses by Rob Roy, New Society Publishers 2006 $42.98 is a practical guide for those who want to build their own underground home at moderate cost.

Baldwin O’Bryan’s website also has useful information.

Visit www.baldwinobryan.com NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

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The Little Green Shed

By ANN CLIFF

The Little Green Shed at Thorpdale Organics in Gippsland, Victoria, is a professional minimarket near the gate of the property.

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elling organic produce is a dream for many people, and some manage to realise the dream. There is a growing market for clean and green food and if you do have some land, a small business can be built up gradually. The big challenge is to reach the consumers and to find a clientele.

I’ve been talking to a Gippsland couple who have had to change their approach to meet the challenge, as markets have changed in the last few years. Tony Robins and Wendy Sestokas successfully sold their vegies at farmers’ markets east of Melbourne for about 10 years.

They enjoyed meeting customers, some of whom have become lifelong friends. The clients learned to appreciate the value of seasonal food, grown locally and harvested just before sale. Interaction with the public taught the growers a lot about what people wanted.

As Thorpdale Organics, Tony and Wendy have organic certification through Australian Certified Organic (ACO). They are proud of this and of their high-quality food. But as Wendy says, “We had to reinvent ourselves.” After 10 years they were beginning to tire.

If you’ve tried it, you will know how much hard work goes on behind the scenes for a market stall to operate. There’s the growing of course, and the endless weeding. Tony does a lot of hand hoeing, which is daunting on a field scale.

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It’s the traditional way to kill weeds; chemicals are used on most farms because labour costs are too high to allow for hoeing.

Last-minute harvesting ensures fresh produce and is followed by careful packing — probably starting at 4 am. Load it into a vehicle, add the stall covers and off you go.

Sales will vary, because outdoor markets depend on the weather; if it’s too hot, too cold, or too wet people stay at home. The fixed costs include the stall and fuel.

Towards the end of their 10 years, Wendy and Tony began to notice competition from a new quarter. Vegie boxes of seasonal produce, picked up or delivered every week, meant that people didn’t need the markets so much.

One useful marketing tool for Wendy is Facebook. Customers post their appreciation and Wendy provides information and images of life on the farm. This has helped to maintain the customer base when Thorpdale Organics changed its marketing methods. They tried farmgate sales, with customers calling in, but like many others they found that visitors disrupted the work routine.

A MINI-MARKET A fresh approach was called for, hence the Little Green Shed near the gate of the property, www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

MINI-MARKET FOR ORGANIC VEGIES

Tony Robins harvests potatoes.

which has been operating for more than a year.

This is a professional mini-market, with trays of wrapped vegetables and an honesty box for the money. The light switches on as you walk through the door. Prices are clearly displayed on the walls and there are recipe leaflets about.

It’s an attractive little shed, easy to spot from the Thorpdale-Mirboo North Rd and with plenty of room for parking. People love it — they take selfies at the shed. Tony and Wendy stock the shelves every day and are then free to get on with their work.

I wondered how well the honesty box system worked, but Tony said 99 per cent of people were honest. The shed door is left open all day and locked at night. A security camera has picked up a couple of offenders who left without paying, and they were later shamed into honesty!

It does seem the sort of people who appreciate fresh produce and sometimes travel to buy it, are not likely to steal. They’re aware of the hard work that goes into this venture; evidence of this is the protective attitude of many customers to the Little Green Shed.

Tony said they tried to maintain 15 lines of seasonal produce throughout the year, which could be difficult. They don’t grow some crops, such as cauliflowers and celery, which are not suited to their conditions. Thorpdale has beautiful rich soil, but the picturesque hillsides are best suited to cool-climate vegies. Potatoes are the main crop on surrounding farms.

Early spring is probably the most difficult time, before the summer crops are ready. I called in September, when there was a good variety of vegetables including carrots, lettuce, broccoli, pumpkin, red and green cabbage, potatoes, leeks, kale and kale raab.

The potatoes include Dutch Cream and the Malin variety, white with pink flushes on the skin like little kisses, perhaps a gift alternative to a bunch of roses? www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

KALE RAAB Kale has been a favourite vegetable for some years now, often described as a wonder food similar to broccoli. All brassicas contain cancerinhibiting agents, as well as plenty of minerals and vitamins. Kale leaves can get quite tough during a long winter, which is when raab comes in.

At the end of winter, brassicas like broccoli and kale put up new stems and produce florets, the next stage in their growing cycle. Yellow flowers open, which will later produce seed. The stems and florets are tender and nutritious, but many home gardeners neglect this useful food.

Vegie enthusiasts eat these stems, which are called kale or broccoli raab, a term originating from the botanical name for the cabbage family.

They can be lightly steamed or sautéed with oil.

Tony and Wendy have restored the decayed house at Thorpdale, a former school which was brought by a bullock team from Toongabbie in 1895.

EGG PRODUCTION The “girls” are a mixed bunch of several breeds: Australorp, Leghorn cross, Barnevelde, Rhode Island Red, Isa Brown and Minorca. Their eggs come in a pleasing variety of colours, but they can’t be classified as organic, the only produce on the farm that does not carry the label.

A notice on every box of eggs explains that part of their feed is conventional non-organic grain. Every day these birds get surplus vegies, some raw and some cooked. They also act as useful recyclers of weeds.

Wendy and Tony describe their chooks as a sideline and they provide a lot of interest.

Chooks and vegie growing do not usually mix, but this system works well. Tony constructed several runs, walled in with high netting, which was dug into the ground at the base. The runs are therefore fox-proof and can be used alternately to provide fresh ground.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

TOWN & COUNTRY FARMER

17

MINI-MARKET FOR ORGANIC VEGIES

Wendy Sestokas organises the display in the Little Green Shed at Thorpdale Organics.

The shed is a professional mini-market, providing a wide range of vegetables grown at the farm.

Trees give the birds shelter and shade.

Domestic hens are descended from jungle fowl and their ancestors lived under the safety of trees. Wendy believes chooks are happier when they’re not out in the open, in danger of being swooped by eagles. These hens last for about eight years, far longer than their commercial sisters. “The eggs are laid by happy chooks who will die of old age,” she says.

ORGANIC CERTIFICATION Thorpdale Organics has had certification since Tony and Wendy took over the property.

To carry the Australian Certified Organic (ACO) label, their current accreditation, farmers must work to the National Standard as well as the ACO Standard.

There is a very thorough annual audit inspection, which costs about $1000. Wendy also has a great deal of paperwork, so sources of any off-farm materials can be proved to be organic.

ACO certification also covers produce for export. This is necessary because some lines may be sold wholesale, ultimate destination unknown.

Weeds are regarded as an asset on this farm.

After hoeing by hand or with a small tractor, the weeds wilt and die, adding nutrients to the soil and protecting the soil and the millions of organisms in it. Deep-rooted weeds bring up nutrients to the surface. Weeds fed to the chooks are recycled as poultry manure, following a year-long composting process. The organic standards include a ban on herbicides, so other methods of weed control are needed.

Also banned for organic production is genetically modified plant material. A farm that becomes contaminated, for example by

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seeds from a neighbouring property, will lose its organic status.

Chemical fertilisers are not allowed because they are like “junk food” for plants, and can harm the delicate balance of soil organisms that make nutrients available to plant roots.

A RECYCLED HOUSE Tony and Wendy’s home has grown organically, in keeping with their philosophy. It has an interesting history, starting in 1875 when it was built as a school near Toongabbie. It had several names; after it was closed in 1895 it was brought by bullock team to Thorpdale, where it became the Thorpdale school.

The Moncur family bought the property and lived there in some style when a new school was built at Thorpdale. William Moncur was a member of the Victorian Parliament for many years.

Eventually the house fell into decay and when Tony and Wendy bought the property, most people thought it was past repair. But this intrepid couple proceeded to restore the flower garden and the house, using recycled materials, mainly sourced from the internet. They did the work themselves wherever possible. It took them about 10 years, during which time they were also growing vegies for a living. It’s a remarkable achievement.

The large house has been restored in period, with furniture to match — hence the extensive recycling. The former schoolroom is imposing, with a cathedral ceiling and a gallery filled with bookshelves. It’s good to think that when these producers can take an hour or two off from the farm, they can enjoy the results of their hard work. www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

MACHINERY Cotton on to better mulching

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Other features include the bulletproof BYPY 328 hp gearbox, heavy-duty drive shafts, and latched covers for easy

The special overlapping comb shredder bars mulch aggressively through the cotton trash, consistently shredding the stalks and leaving the finest mulch. The shorter the mulch, the faster it decays, setting up the ground for a bumper new cotton season.

Longer trash results in clumps and problems with water run-off.

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cleaning and lubricating.

A bolted wear and tear body lining rounds off the fully featured KRONOS cotton mulcher.

Well proven in the industry, FALC is one of the oldest Italian mulcher manufacturers, with a pedigree of more than 30 years. Demand is already high for these machines, so don’t leave it too late to get ready for the 2018 cotton mulching season.

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The KRONUS 6000’s overlapping shredder bar leaves a fine mulch, and sets up the ground for a bumper new cotton season.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

TOWN & COUNTRY FARMER

21

Rare gentle giant of the horse world

By WENDY MORRISS

Shire Mare ‘Southern Cross Stewardess’ and foal ‘Southern Cross Spencer’ with handlers Jane Martindale (left) and Meredith McKeon.

Image: Belinda Zaiter

22

T

he Shire horse is considered to be the strongest, largest and heaviest draught horse in the world with stallions standing up to 19-hands high and weighing more than 1000 kg. This magnificent, rare-breed horse is also known to have one of the most placid temperaments.

The breed was established in England in the 18th century and Shire horses were first used as war horses carrying knights in amour. Then for almost 300 years, they were used in industry and agriculture before again being used as war horses during World War I, to pull heavy artillery.

By the end of the 1950s, the breed had almost become extinct because of the implementation of mechanisation. A small number of dedicated breeders were able to save the breed from disappearing, and today Shire horse numbers are increasing. However, population numbers are still considered to be at critical levels with only about 3000 registered females in the world.

Peter McKeon, who is principle at Southern Cross Shire Horse Stud in Gippsland, has

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until recently been the largest breeder of Shire horses in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere. He is president of the Shire Horse Breeders of Australia, which is an organisation affiliated with the Shire Horse Society in the United Kingdom. He is also an official panel judge, in hand and harness, for the Shire Horse Society, and one of only a few international Shire horse judges approved by the SHS. The Shire Horse Society founded in 1878 was initially called the Old English Cart Horse Society. The name was changed in 1884. Some Shire horses were then brought to Australia and mainly used for cross breeding to put more size and strength into other horses.

Peter said he had always loved and admired heavy horses. “When I first became interested in Shires, I met a chap called Bill Lambert who was the first person in the world to breed a Shire horse from frozen semen. In 1999, we went to England together to see the National Shire Horse Show at Peterborough.” Peter said.

“The night before the show, we attended their annual dinner where Bill’s achievement was www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

SHIRE HORSES

“When I first became interested in Shires, I met a chap called Bill Lambert who was the first person in the world to breed a Shire horse from frozen semen. In 1999, we went to England together to see the National Shire Horse Show at Peterborough.” — Peter McKeon

Super-Premium Shire Stallion ‘Trelow Father Abraham’, a gift horse imported into Australia in 1999 by Bill Lambert and Peter McKeon.

Image: Nicole Emanuel Photography.

acknowledged in a speech. Afterwards, the owners of the champion stallion he used, who were Terry and Vicki Sandling from Cornwall, offered to give him the stallion to take back to Australia to further the breed there. Bill was sort of flabbergasted and didn’t know what to say. He told me he couldn’t afford to bring the stallion out, so we decided to do it together.

“His name was Trelow Father Abraham and he was my first Shire horse. Before he was put on a plane to come to Australia, HRH Princess Anne, a former president of the SHS, presented the horse to the Australian High Commissioner Phillip Flood. It all took place at a ceremony held at Gatcombe Park (home of the Princess Royal).”

Peter and Bill bred from the stallion to increase the genetic base in Australia. Due to his breeding, showing and his progeny results, Trelow Father Abraham was classified as a Super-Premium Shire Stallion and is the only one that has ever been imported into Australia.

Bill then started buying a few mares. “They were very hard to get because at the time, there were only 50-odd registered Shire horses www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

in Australia,” he said. “Today there are around 300 registered, so from 2000 to 2017, we’ve increased the numbers quite a bit.”

From there Peter imported another colt, five mares and a considerable amount of frozen semen to expand his Southern Cross horse stud, which at its peak had 27 registered Shire horses.

He said he had never had any trouble selling the progeny due to their small numbers. “A gelding might be a little bit harder to sell, but a good gelding is a good riding horse and can be a good harness horse. Because there is a little bit of money in breeding Shires, most people buy fillies. They generally take them to shows for a few years, break them in to ride and then get the occasional foal from them.”

Peter’s first love is the Shire horse, but he also breeds a few American-style Percherons, a heavy horse breed that originated in France. “I went to America in 2008,” he said. “While I was there, I went to the World Percheron Congress in Toronto, Canada and bought a mare that was shown there to import to Australia.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

Peter McKeon principle of Southern Cross Horses and Shire horse breeder.

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SHIRE HORSES

Percheron Mare ‘Belle View Joy’ imported from USA being driven by Meredith McKeon.

National Show 2015. Shire stallion ‘Deacons Gate Salazar’ with judge, Nigel Batts (left) Handler, Louise Cooper and Peter McKeon presenting President’s Medal. Image: Colin Lavender.

“We have five Shires and 10 horses all together.

We just want to ease down a little bit. I’ve got a few other commitments and a little bit of a business in the US, and I want to pay a bit of attention to those.” — Peter McKeon “Since then, she’s had about five foals and I’ve kept one of her daughters, who is now a brood mare. This year, I imported some semen from a stallion based in Michigan in the US and bred a colt and filly foal that are both magnificent. I’m very happy with them. I am more involved with Shires than any other horse breed, but I admire the Percheron and decided to keep a few and have a bit of fun.”

He said the North American Percheron was a little bit different to the traditional French Percheron, which was heavier style of horse.

“The Americans have bred them for more activity and more action with a bit more high headiness because they do so much work in four and six-horse hitches there. America has a big farming community and heavy horse community that have been largely preserved by the Amish people.”

In 2015, Peter and his wife Marylou sold their 53 ha farm to downsize to something smaller.

They held a dispersal sale and sold 20 of their 25 Shire horses. “It’s still a handful,” Peter said.

“We have five Shires and 10 horses all together.

We just want to ease down a little bit. I’ve got a few other commitments and a little bit of a 24

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business in the US, and I want to pay a bit of attention to those.”

For many years, Peter has exhibited horses throughout Australia and said he had done reasonably well at shows. “We’ve also had a lot of fun, met a lot of nice people and I really enjoy breeding and showing Shire horses. They are magnificent, particularly in a show ring. They hold their head up well; they are a lovely shape and have nice action. They are quite spectacular.”

He’s not a rider, but has shown the horses in harness and has a collection of horse-drawn vehicles. His daughter Meredith, who is now living in England, has always been the driver.

“She has driven in many shows around Australia, mostly single and occasionally with a pair. We haven’t got to the stage of showing a four-inhand in harness yet.”

Peter’s passion is breeding and said his daughter’s passion had been driving the horses.

“I like trying to play God by matching up the right genetics, and breeding something that’s really nice.”

For more information, visit http://www.sxfarms.com.au/shires/ www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

Alpacas

Alpacas

www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

Alpacas

Alpacas

Alpacas

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

Alpacas

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Alpacas

Alpacas

Alpacas

Alpacas

Alpacas

Alpacas

By Esme Graham & Penny Pittard

Gone are the days when shearing was a necessary chore just to get the fleece off the animal. The end market will pay the best price for the cleanest, best prepared fleeces available with the specifications the end user requires Several years ago our very experienced vet came to do some ultrasounds. She hopped out of her vehicle and dissolved into peals of laughter when she saw a whole paddock of newly shorn alpaca. Apparently she had never seen shorn alpacas en masse and the sight continued to amuse her for her whole visit.

However as Cameron Holt points out in the - “The preparation of the alpaca clip for sale is the culmination of the year’s work”.

Often, shearing is the culmination of many years of careful breeding and while we all smile to see our very bare looking animals, and have trouble recognizing individuals, we know that shearing is a serious business and requires some thought to ensure the best possible outcome.

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Pre-shearing Preferably graze your alpacas on clean grassy paddocks free from burrs and other contaminants in the months/weeks before shearing and if you can find the time, trim tips off animals that have burrs, vegetable matter or the brown tips on black animals – easier while the fleece is on the animal than trying to remove it later.

Remember that your shearer is a professional and deserves to be treated as such. You expect a good shearing job so make sure you are well prepared and organized with sufficient people to help. It is not your shearers job to run around paddocks collecting animals. Communicate with your shearer about his and your requirements before shearing commences.

Is he shearing on a table or on the floor? What equipment are you required to supply? What jobs will the shearer or his helper do and what labour do you have to supply?

www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

Alpacas

Alpacas

Alpacas

Alpacas

Alpacas

Alpacas

Veterinary Maintenance Most shearers will trim toenails and teeth at the time of shearing – check your shearer will do this. Is it included in his price or an extra? If you wish to do it yourself is he happy you will not be holding him up? The same applies to routine vaccinations.

Doing these jobs at shearing time saves valuable time but be aware of the importance of not contaminating fleece with toenail cuttings.

Shearing Tips

Since skirting and testing fleeces for Alpaca Ultimate, I have realised that a number of breeders lose value in their fleeces by poor preparation and not skirting fleeces properly.

I have put together the following procedure to help breeders get better value for their fleece.  Take midside fleece samples at least 3 weeks before shearing to have the results at hand on the day – take the samples midway down the side to make sure you are getting a realistic test. Too high and it can be finer than the bulk of the saddle. By knowing your fleeces midside test results at shearing it makes it very easy to put aside fleeces that may be suitable for special purposes e.g. showing or selling to fleece purchasers requiring certain microns.

Mature male alpaca pre shearing above and after shearing below. Note how the true colour of the fleece is white not the light fawn it appears pre shearing from rolling in dust baths.

 Buy fleece bags ahead of time to make sure you have the right sizes for necks, legs, saddle (only buy biodegradable bags if you intend sending your fleece for processing immediately otherwise they can break down and ruin the fleece).  Bags with holes punched in them press down better than bags without.  Don’t tie the tops of the bags so tightly it is hard to undo them. We have had bags that have been impossible to undo and they have to be cut.  Clean shed of all contaminates - feathers, baling twine, toe nails, etc and vacuum thoroughly.  Have a covering on the floor that can be swept and vacuumed easily- no dirt or rough concrete.  Have plenty of old towels to mop up any accidents, puddles or spitting. Do not bag up wet fleece.  A washing basket on digital scales set on a table makes for easy weighing of fleeces.  Set up equipment for smooth operation, saddle fleece to skirting table, a wool pack for skirtings next to the table so pieces are put straight into it, weighing table with work sheet to write weights, etc  Have storage areas designated for fleeces of certain micron superfine, fine, medium, strong and also into colour groups.

Otherwise write mid side test results on bags so they are easy to identify later. This makes for easy sorting later when bagging up for processing. If a fleece is obviously too short for processing put it straight in the pieces bag. www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

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Alpacas

Alpacas

Alpacas

Alpacas

Alpacas

Alpacas

The night before shearing have all animals that will be shorn the next day under cover. to be available to them during the night – reduces puddles, spitting etc. Ruminates have plenty to carry them through and will “not starve to death” as many think.

On shearing days, skirting, weighing and sorting as you go means when shearing is finished, most of the work is finished – if it is not done at the time, many find it extremely hard to get back to it and consequently fleece gets left in sheds forever.

Organise enough people to help on the day.

People required for shearing – the shearer, an alpaca handler, a person to organise the fleece as it comes off the animal (experienced in separating the hairy leg and belly pieces away from the saddle as I know this is where a huge amount of contamination occurs) to pick up the saddle and put it on the skirting table, an experienced skirter at the table, a person to get bags labelled and to weigh the fleeces and record details.

An efficient team is more productive than heaps of inexperienced friends and relations.

Shear in colour groups, all white together etc and from fine micron to coarse micron if possible.

Sweep mat clean between every animal to avoid guard hair contamination etc and always vacuum between colours groups to eliminate colour contamination.

Skirting immediately before bagging saves so much contamination of the saddle – if stronger micron fibres get into the main saddle it will downgrade the saddle – grid testing shows this and can mean a lot less dollars for your fleece. This cannot be stressed enough as we come across it time and time again.

Hairy fleeces, in other words fleeces with primary fibres longer than the secondary fibres through the main saddle are not suitable for making good quality products – this is something that needs to be watched in breeding alpacas.

Record Keeping Do you note the fleece weights and results from the testing laboratory for each animal? This is important so you can see from year to year which animals are holding their micron and which are blowing out. All part of your breeding decisions!

Smart Shearing Remember that we are shearing to obtain a particular outcome.

Textile manufacturers all have particular requirements and we need to keep this in mind. As we become more sophisticated with our markets so shearers will become more conscious of what they need to do and their techniques will improve and become more strategic.

If there is not quite enough time to skirt properly put a sheet of paper over the whole fleece and roll it with the paper in the middle, this way the edge pieces do not contaminate the saddle.

Careful treatment of your fleece at shearing time can make a huge difference in dollar value.

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www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

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Magical minis

W

hat petite livestock is friendly, loving, and cute to boot? The answer of course is the Australian

By CARROL Miniature Goat. We tracked down BAKER a bevy of these little beauties at Lilliput Farm in Mooloolah Valley in Queensland.

John and Cynthia Andrews are miniature goat farmers, they breed them mostly as pets on their 7.2 ha property, which is home to a dozen or so miniature goats. The farm is also a registered Dexter cattle stud and they’ve developed a complete A2 herd, there’s a trio of Persian sheep, a couple of pigs, some heritage chickens, and a wayward rooster who belts out a tune at any time of day.

Cynthia grew up on a Hereford cattle property at Roma, and John on a property in rural NSW — so choosing to become farmers has taken them back to their roots.

IT ALL STARTED WITH TWO

Cynthia Andrews loves her kids.

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John and Cynthia’s foray into miniature goat breeding began after being given a couple of miniature goats that needed to be rehomed. With the help of Karen Atkinson of Kazoo Stud (and a buck) they began to breed from the two does.

Lilliput Farm goats are of various grades.

Cynthia says they’ve chosen to keep their

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original breeders and sell most of their kids to people for pets.

“Other breeders may focus on reducing the height of the goats (they’re graded from D-grade up to Purebred-grade depending on parentage and height at three years of age),” she explains. “They make wonderful pets as they are very intelligent and loving animals.”

SAY CHEESE These livestock are earning their keep in more ways than one. Cynthia makes cheese from the cow’s and goat’s milk. When a few does had abundant milk, Cynthia learned the art of making fetta, haloumi, soft curd, and crottin.

This enterprising farmer also turned her hand at making goat’s milk soap. The cheese and soap are gifted to neighbours, family and friends.

GROW WITH THE FLOW The business has grown organically. They’ve added fencing, shelters and paddocks over the years — and they aren’t done yet. “We still have plans to add more, it’s very much still evolving,” says Cynthia.

John, who is a high school science teacher, looks after much of the animal husbandry, he’s www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

MINIATURE GOATS

Now the property is completely transformed.

also chief builder and fencer. “He’s very handy,” says Cynthia. “Whenever I say, ‘Hmm I’ve been thinking’, he gets this look on his face,” says Cynthia with a twinkle in her eye.

It’s clear though that John enjoys farm life, just as much as Cynthia. “After a hard day at school, I find it really relaxing to be working on the farm,” he says. Cynthia worked at home as a bookkeeper and financial controller until 18 months ago, now she devotes her time to the farm.

When they initially purchased the land in 2006, it was a far cry from the picturesque pretty-as-a-picture rural property it is today.

There was an old cottage, and it was thick with pine trees, weedy lantana and bracken. They’ve painstakingly levelled much of the pine forest, and planted trees and shrubs.

John says even before the pine plantation, it was a pineapple farm. “The soil was very acidic — we’ve had to treat the soil to raise the pH, and we have to supplement the animals in their evening meal,” he says.

Unfortunately, the soil has also proven to be problematic in another way. John and Cynthia suffered stock losses before discovering the culprit. www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

Cynthia and John Andrews with Bindi the cattle dog, who enjoys her role as “mum” to the goats.

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MINIATURE GOATS

These gorgeous goats come in many colours and patterns.

“It was very traumatic — we lost four young ones — they’d be playing in the morning and by afternoon they were dead,” says Cynthia.

After one goat was autopsied they discovered a bacterium, Clostridium, which works its way to the soil surface during warm rainy periods, and can be fatal for livestock. Immunisation against this should be for life — but they take no chances with annual booster vaccinations.

FEEDING THE KIDS One of the highlights of raising baby goats is undoubtedly tucker time. The kids eagerly nuzzle at the bottle, they’re frisky, affectionate and lots of fun to interact with. “They’re so loving and lovable,” says Cynthia. “When John’s feeding the babies, our Anglo Nubian goat, Izzy, often nibbles his ears.”

Their eldest miniature goat, Koala, is very attached to John and Cynthia. At last kidding, she insisted in sitting in Cynthia’s lap during labour. “It was a bit uncomfortable, but at least when the action started, she focused on the

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birth of her babies and not my lap,” she says. The same doe also began drinking milk from one of her teats. “She’s a bit lopsided with one very full teat, and an empty one,” says Cynthia. “As she is getting older, we figure the milk is good for her.”

Life on the farm is pretty cruisy for these delightful miniature goats.

When Cynthia was doing office work, kids that couldn’t stay with their mothers spent their days in a box under her desk. “One particular little girl made our home her own, and also liked to stretch out on the sofa for a nap,” she says.

Bindi their eight-year-old cattle dog also helps with the kids. “She’s my shadow — she likes to mother the kids, often the simplest way to get them into the pen is to let Bindi lead the way and the kids will all follow her,” says Cynthia.

Cynthia and John have 11 grandchildren aged from one to 16. Three-year-old granddaughter Genevieve, Cynthia calls her “little apprentice.”

Cynthia says Genevieve’s mother took her to a toy store recently to choose a birthday present — and Barbie didn’t even get a look in.

“She chose a milking shed and a barn.” www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

MINIATURE GOATS

WORKING WITH NATURE Like most farms, there’s much work to be done, and Cynthia is no slouch in researching ways to make the farm more efficient, so there’s more time to spend with family (including the fourlegged variety) and less time tending the land.

“We love trees and shrubs, and there’s lots of mowing to be done when it rains — cows eat grass, miniature goats will climb up and eat, so I researched and found Persian sheep, they don’t climb, and only eat as far as they can reach.” So, the livestock work together to reduce labour.

They also have a helping hand on occasion with Workaways — boarders from other countries that help out on the farm.

Snack time for Cinderella nibbling on a Granadilla flower. Image: Cynthia Andrews

LEARNING AS THEY GO So, what have John and Cynthia learned along the way about farming miniature goats?

Developing good-health practices is essential, says Cynthia — this includes a worming program, immunisation, and getting to know your goats so you notice any subtle behaviour changes.

Their favourite diet was also a bit of a surprise.

“Contrary to popular belief, goats can be quite selective in their choice of food,” says John. “For example, they prefer woody growth like Black Wattle to the softer grasses.”

Goats are also known to be great escape artists — but not necessarily, adds Cynthia. “They much prefer their own paddock once they’ve settled in,” she says. “Good fencing is required to protect them against predators.”

For others who might be thinking of getting into goats they have some sound advice. “Good foundation stock to start with is a must, from a well-known breeder — cheap stock can equate to potential problems in the future,” says John.

“And be well prepared with shelters and fencing done before you bring them home — don’t think I’m going to buy them today and do it on the weekend.”

Ongoing care for these farmers is also part of their service. They supply a fact sheet, and offer after-sales service, establishing ongoing relationships with those they sell to.

“We also vet our potential buyers to make sure they’re set up for having a miniature goat at home. Yes, you’ve got to pass the human test,” says John with a smile. www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

Happy helper Genevieve and Bilby Image: Cynthia Andrews.

Juggling bottles, kids and grandkids is all in a day’s work for Cynthia.

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Market garden guru

T

hey say from little things big things grow, and for farmer Brendan Taylor, it all began with a tiny tomato.

By CARROL Brendan had been working in BAKER Brisbane city in an administrative role in a music shop, and thought he’d try his hand at growing tomatoes at home in a pot. Before long he’d happily ditched the nine to five grind in favour of working on the land, and now grows and sells a diverse range of seasonal crops on the Sunshine Coast and in the Hinterland region.

“It’s been such a massive learning experience from sitting behind a desk to living off the land,” says Brendan. Now that he’s made the switch, Brendan couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

BUMPER CROPS

Brendan Taylor is relishing his lifestyle change.

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From plump tomatoes, leafy greens including crisp lettuces, silverbeet, bok choy, kale, snow peas, beans, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, zucchini, squash, corn, and more, Brendan’s 0.2 ha vegetable garden is brimming with homegrown goodness. And it seems buyers just can’t seem to get enough of his tasty fresh produce.

Brendan’s business Eco-Tasty Organics services two farmers’ markets, Hinterland Harvest Market in Woombye and also Currimundi Markets. “I love meeting and talking

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to people at the markets, my partner Jo is studying natural health and she knows all about the nutritional qualities of food, so can answer any questions they have,” he says. On a smaller scale, every fortnight Brendan also makes up vegie boxes from his produce and distributes them on the Sunshine Coast.

THE VALUE OF RESEARCH In starting out in growing produce, Brendan sought guidance from a local nursery, sourcing potting mix and vegie seedlings, and read a lot of books. Brendan favours permaculture growing practices. It’s a journey, he says, that happened quite by accident when he started out researching farming methods.

“I got onto permaculture through doing some online research and found myself going down all these internet rabbit holes,” he says with a grin. After catching the bug, Brendan completed a permaculture design course online through permaculture consultant and teacher Geoff Lawton.

“It made me realise I needed to do something better with my life — did I want to be part of the problem, or part of the solution?” he says. “I saved up as much as I could, chatted to a few people here and there, and they said, ‘Yes I’d use www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

ORGANIC FARMING

your services’, that was enough for me. I quit my job and started building vegetable gardens for others.”

This eco warrior farmer has a laidback attitude that belies the hard work and passion he has for growing things. He loves to learn, so further honed his skills through a market garden course.

Brendan says that was the pivotal moment for him. “I knew then that’s definitely what I wanted to do,” he says.

After the stint of building vegetable gardens for others, he decided to build his own garden, and hasn’t looked back. He isn’t fully certified organic, but uses organic growing practices.

Fields of green seem to stretch on forever.

OVERCOMING THE CHALLENGES One of the biggest hurdles initially for Brendan was the soil on his leased farmland. Like a lot of the local farming district, the land had been a pineapple plantation, and as a result, the top soil was stripped of viable nutrients. That meant carefully building up the soil and establishing a nutrient-dense soil profile. To plough some much-needed goodness in, Brendan decided on camel manure, which he sourced locally. “Camels have four stomachs, their food is well digested, and their milk is rich in probiotics, so their manure is great for the soil,” he says. www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

It’s been a huge journey for Brendan.

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GARDEN GURU

LESSONS LEARNED ON THE LAND Pretty as a picture market garden crops ready for harvest.

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It’s been a pretty joyful learning curve, and along the way Brendan says he’s learned some valuable lessons. Many he acknowledges happily are “accidental discoveries”. One of these, was that there really can be too much of a good thing — in this case the lesson learned was not to give the crops too much worm juice. With four worm baths, the juice was in plentiful supply, so he was treating his crops to a perpetual flow of worm juice. Cutting back to intermittent worm juice with plenty of water made an enormous difference to the quality of the crops.

The other valuable lesson learned says Brendan was using lucerne mulch on crops that are hungry nitrogen feeders. “I don’t use it on root crops or beans, legumes or peas — but I use lucerne on pretty much everything else,” he says.

It’s chock full of active enzymes and growth hormone to promote healthy growth.

Brendan says he discovered the difference, after running out of lucerne. As a result, half the crops were mulched with lucerne and the other

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half with hay. “The colour, height, and the vigour of the plants mulched with lucerne compared to the other was unbelievable — the evidence was right in front of me, and I haven’t used anything else since.”

Brendan’s most recent discovery is using calcium, phosphorus, and microbes to boost crop yield and quality. “Learning about worm juice, lucerne and other nutrients, have been absolute game changers for me,” he says.

But there’s one challenge this eager young farmer is yet to conquer — and that’s the dreaded fruit fly. Given the milder winters Queensland has been experiencing of late, these typically seasonal pests are fast becoming a year-round problem for local farmers. Given his enthusiasm and thirst for knowledge, anyone would wager, that solving this pest dilemma is just a matter of time.

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES It’s hard to believe Brendan has packed all this into just two short years of living life on the land. www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

ORGANIC FARMING

But the best it seems is yet to come. For this Sunshine Coast lad and partner Jo, a naturopath, life just keeps getting better and better. The pair will be taking a year’s sabbatical next February and jetting off to India.

Brendan’s looking for someone with a love of farming and people, to take over the business, while he’s away. “I’ve got two thriving markets, and an established market garden and I’m hoping to keep it going for all my customers,” he says.

While they’re away, Brendan and Jo have planned to attend various growing workshops, they’ll be planting crops at an Ayurveda yoga retreat and then visiting world-renowned seedsaving activist Vandana Shiva. “That’s something I’d also like to get into, seed saving in order to protect our heritage seed varieties,” he says.

On his return, Brendan plans to settle down and to upscale his farming practices on the Sunshine Coast. This includes developing a large-scale 40 ha farm to grow grains, incorporate animals, develop larger vegetable gardens, and establish a health and wellbeing retreat.

“I’d like to develop somewhere people can learn how to grow food, learn about what’s in their food, what good food looks like, and how to use it,” he says. “The idea is that people learn about their own health — and then walk away knowing how to make positive change.”

Leafy lettuces are one of the many crops Brendan grows.

SEASONS IN THE SUN But for now, during the warmer months, Brendan works tirelessly. With faster growth during summer, there’s quicker turnaround in crops, and Brendan chooses to hand water — so it’s quite labour intensive. In winter, however, the workload rolls back a little, so there’s time to contemplate, time to read, and time to learn new ways of doing things.

“I’m really happy,” he says. “When you have your hands in the earth all the time, and you are raising plants, giving life to things and watching them grow into something that tastes delicious, and people love to buy — well …I just love sharing that.” www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

Glimpses of the mountains beyond the property.

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STRAP

Tiny bats are farm friends

By GREG SIEPEN

W

hen we think of tiny bats we usually think about vampire bats or flying, furry animals that will get caught in our hair or have sharp, pointy teeth.

In truth, tiny bats do have sharp teeth to eat insects. And there are vampire bats, which lap blood from large animals, such as cows. But, these tiny creatures do not get caught in our hair. They have sophisticated “radar” to guide them at night and through narrow cave or shelter entrances.

Far from being the frighteningly, dirty animals portrayed in the movies, these creatures deserve our thanks for the work they do in controlling insects.

BAT FAMILY — THE CHIROPTERA Bats are classified scientifically as Chiroptera.

This means “hand-winged” as their wings have the same structure as the human arm and hand, with the fingers greatly elongated and covered by a thin membrane. This membrane is an extension of the body skin and acts like a blanket when the bat is cold, and as a fan when the animal becomes hot. They are the only mammals that can truly fly and not just glide.

Bats that use sight and smell to find their food of blossoms and fruit, and rest during the day by hanging upside down in trees are called Megachiropterans or megabats. They are commonly called fruit bats or flying foxes and are usually large.

The small insect-eating bats that use

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echolocation to navigate and find food, and which shelter in caves, buildings, tree-hollows, rock crevices and under bark during the day are called Microchiropterans or microbats.

They are the most abundant mammal and the most widely distributed land-based mammal (excluding humans and rodents). These microbats range in size from 3 g (about one tenth the size of a mouse) to more than 150 g, with wingspans of about 25 cm. They are only active at night and are wary of humans.

Most of the world’s 1240 species of bats are small and eat insects, according to the Australian Bat Society. They are more commonly heard and seen flying about during the warmer months of the year, although they may be active all year. It is only in very cold areas that these microbats hibernate.

Microbats occur in every continent except Antarctica and have existed for more than 40 million years. In Australia, they reach their greatest diversity in the northern, tropical parts of the continent. They can navigate through dense forests, but tend to prefer open areas containing a scattering of trees and shrubs.

Some may live 30 years or more.

FLIGHT Most insect-eating bats fly at very slow speeds with amazing manoeuvrability. Some fly continuously while catching and eating insects.

The elasticity of the hand membrane allows them to catch very swift insects, execute quick www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

BATS

turns and pursue insects that have extremely erratic flight patterns. The small size of these bats, together with specially shaped wings, allows them to gain a lot of lift while flying slowly.

Some species, such as free-tailed bats, are fast, enduring fliers. Their wings are long and narrow and they forage high above the vegetation, sometimes travelling long distances looking for food.

Horse-shoe bats, on the other hand, forage close to the ground or near vegetation. They fly slowly and delicately and frequently stop and rest. This foraging behaviour is like that of the birds known as flycatchers, which flit close to the ground with their splayed tails twitching back and forth.

BAT RADAR Through evolution microbats have developed a system of echo-location so that they can avoid obstacles and detect food while in flight.

They emit ultra-sonic vocal sounds from their noses and mouths, which bounce off obstacles and return to their elaborate ears and noses.

The frequencies of these sounds range between 30 000 and 50 000 vibrations per second — the higher the frequency emitted, the closer the bat approaches the obstacle.

It’s much like the high-pitched beeps emitted by cars and trucks when reversing, which get louder and faster as the vehicle approaches the obstacle. www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

These pulse rates range from less than 10 per second when cruising or searching for prey, to 200 pulses per second when capturing prey.

In a few species, distance from objects is worked out by the different intensities of sounds reaching their ears and noses. In most microbats the distance is judged from the time taken for the sounds to travel to and from the bats to an object and back again.

The bat noises are too high to be heard by humans, although they are used to detect objects up to 4 m away. To make these “silent” noises, the insect-eating bats have a massive larynx and they avoid deafening themselves by contracting their muscles when they emit the sounds.

Some microbat species, such as the whitestriped free-tailed bat and the yellow-bellied sheathtailed bat, can be heard by people. Their echolocation noises sound like a “tisk, tisk”, or the sound made when flicking a taut fence wire with your finger.

Large ears help with echolocation and avoiding objects.

MIGRATION Some microbats travel hundreds of kilometres between winter and summer areas. The common bent-wing bat, which lives on the coast and highlands from Cape York to the South Australian border, has been recorded migrating up to 320 km. However, many species live in one area, exploiting the various spaces — treed, agricultural, playing fields to live and find food.

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BATS

SHELTERING AND HIBERNATION Microbats are one of the few animals that are cave dwellers. Their powers of echo-location are used to the utmost to find continuous refuges in caves. They also shelter in mines, wells, under house roofs, cellars, tree hollows, beneath tree bark, in stormwater drains, tunnels and under bridges.

This use of caves and caverns may have developed as a means of conserving energy and moisture during the day and to escape predators.

In caves, their only danger is if newborn bat babies lose their grip on their mum’s fur, or young bats lose their grip from the cave ceiling; they can fall to the cave floor and become easy prey for any scavenging carnivores, such as monitor lizards, a dingo or introduced fox or feral cat.

Bats are generally tropical animals, with the microbats having spread the furthest from the tropics. They hibernate during winter to cope with periods of cold. This is very evident in Europe, and North America, but hibernation is avoided by many species in Australia because of our mild climate. However, in alpine and extremely cold areas, hibernation is imperative.

FOOD Different species of microbats eat different types of food. Some seek out and pursue individuals of certain insect species, while others use echo-location to find dense swarms of insects and individuals are seized at random.

Insects are caught on the wing or while they are resting on vegetation, rocks or on the water surface.

For the Ghost bat, a large almost white carnivorous bat, a normal meal consists of frogs, rodents, small birds and even other bats.

One colony of bent-wing bats at Mt Etna, near Rockhampton, Queensland, has been estimated to consume up to one tonne of insects per night.

Other research has shown one microbat caught 1200 tiny fruit flies in one hour at night.

It is highly probable microbats control populations of insects on which they regularly prey. This ability to feast on pest insects means microbats should be encouraged in towns, cities and on rural properties. They are a beneficial asset to a property.

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BREEDING Social organisation and breeding are very varied in microbats, with increasing research focusing on this topic. Very few species are entirely solitary. In some species harems exist year-round, while in other species microbats live in pairs. Most species in Australia follow a temperature cycle whereby groups of adult bats congregate in winter (some hibernate) and the two sexes separate before birth of the young.

In some species of bent-wing bats, vast numbers of adult males and females gather in caves during winter to mate and then disperse.

In other microbats, the male sperm is stored in the female through winter and fertilisation and development takes place as hibernation ends.

These females often form maternity groups in the same cave year after year.

Young bats are born into the upward curve of the mother’s wing membrane. They are cleaned and folded into one wing to keep them warm.

Like all mammals, suckling starts as soon as they are born.

THREATS The major threat to the 25 species of microbat in Australia is tree removal and the destruction of caves by quarrying and mining. A few maternity caves are contained in national parks and other types of reserves, but many which have been used for thousands of years, are still under threat.

Pollutants and pesticides may also contribute to the decline of microbat populations.

HAZARDS Most microbats pose little problem to most people. They seem to have adapted to the open nature of vegetation and trees in urban and rural areas.

There are no vampire bats in Australia and rabies does not occur here either.

Microbats may become a problem if they roost in buildings. Their squealing noises, odours and urine stains can be objectionable. The most reliable remedy is to make the building bat proof by placing boards, insect screens or packing materials over any holes after the bats have left for their evening jaunts. Chemical repellents and ultra-sonic devices have been found to have www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

BATS

Bat facts

little impact and are generally ineffective.

People who explore caves can become sick from inhaling fumes of the bat dung (guano) deposited by thousands of microbats over thousands of years. This can be prevented by the wearing of nose-mouth masks.

BAT DISEASES According to the Australian Bat Society, all Australian bats can carry Lyssavirus, a rabieslike virus that is transmitted by scratches and bites. However, the prevalence in the wild bat population is less than one per cent (www. wildlifehealthaustralia.com.au).

People should not handle bats unless they are vaccinated against Australian bat lyssavirus.

In the event of a scratch or bite, seek medical attention immediately and wash the wound area with soap and copious amounts of water for five minutes. Any bat saliva in the eyes should be washed out immediately and thoroughly with lots of water before seeking medical attention.

More information is available from the health department or primary industries.

If you see an injured bat, report it to your local wildlife service, veterinarian, RSPCA office or bat carer group. www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

• Bats have special modifications to their circulatory system to allow them to hang upside down for hours.

• The modifications to their body mean bats can no longer stand on their hind legs.

• Bats have special tendons in their feet to allow them to hang upside down without any effort.

• Bats can hang up the right way with their thumbs to give birth and go to the toilet.

ATTRACTING BATS TO YOUR BACKYARD Attracting microbats to your backyard is problematical.

In treed suburbs and on rural properties, there may be plenty of bark and crevices to shelter under. However, when trees are absent, bat boxes can be used.

Leaving an outside light on for a few hours after dark will attract light-attracting insects, which in turn will attract hungry microbats.

Increasing electricity prices may limit this activity, but solar powered lights could be the answer.

Planting a few rough-barked trees and shrubs may provide shelter spots, and attaching bat boxes to poles and walls may also attract some microbats.

There are plenty of places for microbats to find safety in farm houses, which don’t affect us.

SUMMARY Although regarded with suspicion in western society, microbats perform a useful service in both urban and rural areas by eating tonnes of insects (including disease-carrying mosquitoes) per night.

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Fields of gold

W

ith nervous excitement I greet one of my local food heroes Sonia Anthony, chef, author and local

By CYNTHIA food advocate. Today Sonia is LIM visiting the Heathcote Primary School to support the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation’s program. It’s a Big Sunday Out Long Lunch fundraiser. I take the opportunity to talk to Sonia about her unwavering passion for local food and ask her about her new book.

Sonia Anthony lives “real” food. Her career as a chef introduced her to some of the world’s best restaurants and most knowledgeable chefs. She’s a mum, a business owner and now an author. As she writes in her book A Sense of Place: Food, wine and recipes in Central Victoria she’s “an enthusiastic advocate for good quality produce, grown and made close to home, and with love”.

Sonia is also president of the Food Fossickers Network. The Food Fossickers believe in a future of sustainable, fresh and above all, delicious local food. In August 2016 Sonia spoke at the Inaugural Australian Community Food Hubs Conference as part of the Local Produce Networks and Food Hubs segment, where she outlined the vision of the network.

Sonia and her husband Nick are owners of central Victoria’s own culinary magnet, Masons of Bendigo. This modern, stylish restaurant showcases an abundance of amazing local produce from the region. The strong relationships the couple has forged with many central Victorian farmers and producers are evident with each burst of flavour and every skilfully conceived dish.

Sonia Anthony Having the chance to chat with Sonia about with her new book her love of real food and what makes her tick celebrating central Victorian producers. was an honour. I began by asking her “What 44

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drives your passion for local food and your advocation for so many regional farmers, particularly through your activities with Food Fossickers and your book?”

Sonia: Oh, big question! It comes down to having children and really wanting them to have the same, if not better food choices that we do now in their generation and future generations.

Motherhood is a powerful driving force.

Particularly now with the internet and access to information; I started reading about things that were not that great, and after having travelled around the world and then settling back into Bendigo and seeing what surrounds me, I think, what we have here is really important and needs to be promoted and supported.

It’s so good here and people need to know about it. Sometimes when you’re caught up within your own space you don’t see it. That’s why I push hard to talk about it every chance I get to spread the message and encourage people to support it. The quality is here.

My husband, Nick was the executive sous chef at the Ritz Carlton in Singapore and I was the retail manager at Jones the Grocer, a high-end cafe food store. We were surrounded by luxury food products, which came from all around the world, and at the time we thought it was so cool and so amazing for a chef.

Then we came back to Bendigo and we met the people who grew our food and got to understand how, why and what they do.

We became really close friends with many of them, and began to change the way we eat. We began to look at local food and appreciate it, rather than admiring food that has flown from thousands of kilometres away in packaging.

Cynthia: Not all businesses are about growth, some businesses wish to remain small, with www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

UNEARTHING REGIONAL FOOD

a specific clientele. If popular restaurants like yours encourage and support them, how do the smaller businesses remain sustainable and manage increasing popularity?

Sonia: It’s up to each business to decide what capacity they wish to meet. It’s absolutely okay if some businesses can’t supply the quantities we require. It’s not necessarily always going to be the right fit.

At Masons we deal directly with our producers and we need to communicate very openly and honestly. The way we have set things up at Masons does deal with the ebbs and flows, if something happens and things don’t quite work out, it’s not the end of the world — it’s okay! We can be flexible, we print our menus in-house, so we can make changes whenever we want. It’s a partnership with our producers; some days are good, others bad, just like any partnership. There could be a natural disaster for example, we can work around that. There could be an excess of product that a producer is finding hard to move, we can put that on our menu.

An important question that chefs need to ask when working closely with the producers is, “What do you have?” Rather than, “This is what I want.” It’s a change in thinking. Usually chefs create a dish then look for ingredients, but it would be far better to adapt a recipe to what is available.

It’s easy to deal with just one large dry goods supplier and have them supply your food, but we’re dealing with 30-plus producers, that’s a lot of phone calls and conversations to order your restaurant ingredients. Traditionally restaurants would only deal with their dry goods, fish, meat, fruit and veg, so that’s only four. There’s convenience there.

Cynthia: Not all farmers and producers we www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

see at farmers’ markets know how to value add or encourage their customers to adopt a nose-to-tail philosophy. Is there a way we can encourage more of this?

Sonia: There are certainly unique farmers around, for example Alan and Lizette Snaith from Warialda Belted Galloway Beef that have learnt the skills of butchery and wear many hats within their process. However, there are also those with a passion for farming, and that’s all they want to do. Perhaps when they move their product on it’s about finding the right butcher who can move the “other” cuts through their supply chain. It’s all about the conversation.

What I’ve learnt from the producers’ perspective is that every business model is different, and with different sets of circumstances. Some producers have kids to consider, some have been attending farmers’ markets for a decade, and others have just started. It’s about finding that balance that fits, and where your product fits in the market.

Hats off to producers. Not only do they have to create this amazing product, but they also have to go out there and sell it, market it, become bookkeepers, carry out maintenance and all the other things that come with producing food — it can be overwhelming at times.

Cynthia: Can you tell me about Bendigo’s Food Fossickers Network?

Sonia: We are an incorporated not-for-profit and we are totally volunteer run, and very hands on. It’s great to be involved, but can be difficult when everyone has full-time jobs.

Our volunteers are very committed. It’s about connecting the producer within our community at a business level or community level. The key motivation is to get the community to support local.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

Sonia chatting at the Bendigo farmers’ market with the Salute Olives stallholder. Image: Amy Doak, Of the World of Books

TOWN & COUNTRY FARMER

45

Sonia at the Heathcote community garden.

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If people come to eat at Masons then that’s a win because of the flow-on effect to our region. There are so many people involved in a restaurant the size of Masons, which is only a 65-seater. The support resonates out to so many areas, and promoting restaurants that support local food is high on our list at Food Fossickers.

We work closely with tourism to ensure we get recognised. It’s been great to have Food Fossickers internationally recognised; when the top-50 world restaurant awards came to Melbourne, we ensured we had some of the chefs visit Bendigo and come on our tour. This got written up about all around the world. It really helped put central Victoria on the map. People are now hearing about this place Bendigo. What is this place we keep hearing about? Let’s go!

However, it’s also about the in between times.

How do we keep sustaining ourselves before that recognition comes? It really comes back to our community. The community has to support you first before people will come. If you don’t have community first, it’s hard.

Cynthia: There are cafes that have started out trying to support local, but find they have to balance their ethics with the realities of economy, often buying lower-quality, cheaper ingredients. As a business owner, how do you hold onto the authenticity?

Sonia: When it comes to cafes, I think you need a point of difference. How does a cafe put itself out there when everyone can make good lattes or poached eggs? It’s a risk, and the margins are very slim in hospitality. It could be the difference between you making money or losing money on a dish.

We’ve been given the misconception that food should always be cheap. How do you find value in something when you can go to a chain

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store and pay $2 for it, instead of going to a cafe that supports local and it costs $6? It’s tough, really tough. There is no simple answer.

It’s about giving a point of difference, but also understanding your demographic and who your customers are.

Cynthia: I’m of the firm belief that every region needs a Sonia Anthony. There could be chefs who are frustrated with their region’s food scene and want someone to get vocal for local.

At what stage did you decide you were going to be that person?

Sonia: I think my motivation is if there is something I want to do, I just go and do it.

Through the things that have happened in my life, I feel like this is my now time and I need to make the most of this opportunity and see what I can give back.

I set myself a goal and just go for it. When I recently spoke with some VET students at the senior secondary school in Bendigo, I explained how I found my “thing” and that thing was food, which has led me on this amazing journey. It excites me, and now I want to excite everybody else. It’s a really good feeling, particularly when you’re in a community like ours.

I’ve seen so much happen in a decade from when we owned our first business in Bendigo to when we returned from overseas, and wow, so many awesome things are happening. New producers, farmers coming back, and even a farmers’ market.

Cynthia: How did you come up with the concept for your book?

Sonia: I had an idea of wanting to take people out to the farm gate because every time I visit a producer’s farm I’m on a euphoric high.

I needed to share this.

I need to thank Amy Doak from Of the World www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

UNEARTHING REGIONAL FOOD

of Books who encouraged me to write this book.

It all started three years ago when Matthew Evans from Gourmet Farmer was in Bendigo for the Writers’ Festival. I asked if it was possible to keep him and others in the area for an extra day and I would tour them around some farms.

Everyone really loved the tour. I realised I was on a winner. Amy Doak and her husband were also on the tour, and after the tour they said, “We need to write a book about this!”

To create the book, Amy and I visited all the farms and producers. Amy would then brilliantly translate the personalities and stories onto the page. Amy also asked for recipes she could cook from home. Amy said, “It terrifies me, you’ve ruined me! I can’t look at the supermarket the same anymore, but I’m not a good cook.

Give me recipes I can cook.” So that’s how we decided to include recipes that were really accessible for people.

At our recent book launch, we kicked off the Good Life program as part of the launch.

We broke a record! The most books sold at the Bendigo Writers’ festival in seven years! That was really exciting.

Cynthia: What’s next on your hit list?

Sonia: I don’t know. Nick and I just keep our eyes and minds open. If there’s an opportunity out there, we’ll take it and see what happens.

It’s just like with this book, we just put it out there and see what the universe brings. It’s just like the journey of what happened with Masons.

We knew we wanted to come back to Bendigo and all the things about finding the site, finding the people, everything just fell into place and yes you hear about these “too-good to be true” stories of how things just fall into place. Well it happened!

My chat with Sonia concludes as she heads off to help with the Big Sunday Out Long Lunch.

Created by several of the Heathcote Wineries with the aim to raise funds for the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation’s program at the Heathcote Primary School. The event raised $7000 with the support of many local businesses.

It’s the passion of the people and the joy of local produce that sparks foodies, communities and producers to come together.

A Sense of Place by Sonia Anthony and Amy Doak is available from Of the World of Books for $18. To order, visit oftheworldbooks. com/product/a-sense-of-place-food-winerecipes-in-central-victoria-pre-order-now/ www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

The Food Fossickers Sonia has been president of The Food Fossickers — Central Victorian Food Trade Network for six terms. She volunteers her time to meet the goals of the network.

The network’s main goal is to get local food on local plates. The more producers the network can promote through the membership the better. Food Fossickers champion venues that support those producers.

The membership-based network offers opportunities for food-related business.

Food Fossickers is a network of people who are passionate about the important role food plays in a healthy functioning society. It is a group that wants to let people know where their food has come from, and to share the stories about those who helped to put it on the table.

Long-term goals • Nurture and support food source sustainability in central Victoria.

• Have one of the most successful and authentic farmers’ market in Victoria.

• Develop market access for producers through an independent supply chain.

• Deliver marketing and public relations initiatives that support member food and beverage producers.

• Create a “food fossicking” culture that encourages spending in central Victoria and supports sustainability.

A Sense of Place cover image.

Image: Amy Doak, Of the World of Books

Food producers wishing to be involved in The Food Fossickers need to be within 160 km of Bendigo and food venues, vendors and professionals need to use or sell at least 10 food items grown, produced or processed within 160 km of Bendigo.

For more information, visit www.foodfossickers.com.au

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

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Compost matters

By DAMIEN EDWARDS

W

hat a pile of garbage! Well, not really, but kind of. With the warmer weather rapidly approaching, now is the ideal time to prep an unused portion of your garden for the addition of a compost heap.

Here, I’ll discuss how to build or select your heap, what should be added or not added to it, how to get the best out of it and what to expect.

Sound easy? It pretty much is, but as always, you can maximise your chances of success by doing the solid groundwork first.

Let’s start with the two types of composting.

Cold and hot.

COLD COMPOSTING Cold composting is nothing more than throwing all of your material in a yard corner, inside a few strategically places star pickets and corrugated iron. or whatever set up you have, and basically leaving it alone. This is a slow method and will take about 10 to 12 months to produce good organic compost.

HOT COMPOSTING

Any organic matter, kitchen vegetable scraps or lawn and yard clippings can be turned into compost.

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The hot method is vastly superior and for the hard-core gardener. With this method, you basically accelerate the decomposition process through the addition of air, water, carbon and nitrogen. It can result in good useable compost

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in as little as two months.

GETTING STARTED How do you start? A compost heap needs to be started with a good amount of organic material.

Dead (or even fresh) leaves, lawn clippings, vegetable-based kitchen scraps, sawdust, and even used coffee grounds and teabags can be used to start. Old newspapers and ash are welcome too.

Find where you’d like your compost to be.

Partial shade is usually best. Old sleepers, or even bricks, can be used to build a three-sided enclosure. Or you can situate it against an existing wall, then just make it as wide as you’d like and build the other two sides then.

Throw all of your organic material in to your composting space. As you add it, give it a quick squirt with the hose before piling more on top and repeating. Just a quick squirt, I said! Too much water and you’ll “drown” it, this will result in a heap that will simply rot rather than actually compost. Now, just leave it. Sure, you can add a bit more using the same method.

SPEEDING UP THE PROCESS After a week or so, give it a dig with a pitchfork.

Stab it in deep and overturn some of the compost. If you place your hand in the hole it should definitely feel warm. This is the heat www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

COMPOST

generated from the organic decomposition.

Giving the pile a good stirring once a week will certainly help speed up the process.

ADDING COMPOST If I have more organic material to add, I’ll normally dig out a hole, tip it in from the wheelbarrow then cover it up, burying the new matter. Digging it around in this fashion will also help stop it from becoming compressed and developing a bad odour.

MANURE Manure from herbivores can be added. Don’t use manure from carnivores. Meat eating animals like cats and dogs can have worms or parasites due to their different digestive systems. These nasties may not be killed during the composting process. For them to die, the heap needs to attain a temperature in excess of more than 70°C for longer than five days. If you live in Townsville, this will be no trouble. If your address is in Tasmania, then even in summer, it would be difficult to achieve temperatures such as this.

I say it’s safer to just avoid it entirely.

Chicken manure on the other hand, is ideal.

I’ve always chopped up leftover dinner scraps or discarded potato peels into smaller pieces and thrown it in my chicken pen for them to peck at.

Eventually, they’ll stop eating it and I’ll rake out www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

their pen once a week, collecting the uneaten vegie scraps, as well as accumulated manure.

All of this goes into a hole dug in the pile and covered over. Being high in Nitrogen, it is essential for good compost “health”. It shouldn’t be applied to plant beds directly as it can burn roots, it must be composted in the method described above first.

Composting on the ground will undoubtedly attract earthworms, the best friend of any gardener.

WHAT TO AVOID What else don’t you put in the compost? Well, meat scraps, bones, fat or grease are out.

Sawdust is fine as long as it’s from untreated wood. No dairy products like old butter or yoghurt, no oils including vegetable oil and no green matter that looks diseased or suspect.

Some will state that any seeds may be detrimental too, including seeds which may have passed through the chickens. That’s never bothered me. Seeds, wind-borne spores and other things will take root in your compost heap.

It’s just about unavoidable.

Anything growing from your heap is a nutrient thief! Just scoop up the offending sprout with the shovel and turn it upside down with more compost placed on top of it. It will die from the lack of light and internal heat and be absorbed into the pile.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

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49

COMPOST

VISUAL APPEAL To ensure continuity of supply when using the hot composting method, start new compost bins at monthly intervals during spring and summer.

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Don’t fancy the sight of a big pile of decomposing matter? I get that. There are alternatives.

Tumbler-style bins can be purchased from hardware stores. The most common one is the large plastic 44 gallon drum style, mounted horizontally on an elevated stand. They will either pivot on an axis, or come supplied with a type of crank handle, for ease of mixing. They are ideal for those with smaller yards who may be shy on space.

Here’s an idea, partition off half of your compost space and begin another pile a month or so later, so you can have one ready and one brewing. This ensures continuity of supply.

I much prefer the ground-based method of composting, and I usually dig my space out to the depth of a foot or so before loading it up.

I even did this a few times, as I was digging out my area: I sank a deeper hole in the centre, an extra foot or so. Once my compost supply was all used up, the empty space was the perfect spot to plant a new fruit tree. After having sat there for a few months, significant leeching will be seen to occur whereby a lot of nutrients will dribble down deep into

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the soil making the earth underneath highly fertile. Why waste it? Place a lemon, orange, mango or whatever else sapling over the top of that extra depth hole we dug at the start of commencement and watch it grow.

USING YOUR COMPOST How do you utilise it? That’s pretty easy!

Dig out your garden bed to a desired depth.

This will be dictated on what you wish to plant.

For herbs, 15 cm should do, tomatoes, make that 30 cm (you get the idea). Fill the bed with just enough compost to almost reach ground level. Plant your seeds or seedlings, top up to ground level with soil and mulch (I prefer to use sugarcane trash here) and you’re basically done.

If you’d like to plant larger permanent trees, simply dig a bigger hole. The compost will provide vital nutrients to kick-start its growth for months and help it take root and grow with vitality. Once you’ve done it, you’ll wonder why it took you so long to get around to it. It’s certainly not a hard task, every household generates clippings or vegetable waste and with really minimal work you can attain organic compost perfection, which will help your plants thrive.

What are you waiting for? www.townandcountryfarmer.com.au

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