I used to spend my working days on, and under, the water as a marine biologist, then we bought a farm...
... it had one rosemary bush, nothing edible, neglected pasture BUT endless potential.
So we started raising crops and livestock to feed our own family.
At some point, we had surplus (including enough sauces and relish for the coming of the zombie apocalypse), so I started selling it. People liked what they bought and everything took off from there.
This required a 'seasonal education'.
At 1000m, we had to learn (and never stop learning) about our land and how it is affected by the seasons. This involved, letting things seed and waiting until they sprout to discover when to sow and harvest. Same for livestock: where they do well, when and for how long.
And, of course, you can't take the science out of the scientist so experiments are always happening and data is always being gathered :)
Today, we have a productive vegetable garden, fruit orchard, chickens and Australian White sheep run on native and improved pastures.
We’re really proud of what we've built over the last few years. It’s great to see the kids eating healthy, understanding how to grow their own food, how to look after livestock … and welcoming others to enjoy our place. Hope to see you soon!
So we started raising crops and livestock to feed our own family.
At some point, we had surplus (including enough sauces and relish for the coming of the zombie apocalypse), so I started selling it. People liked what they bought and everything took off from there.
This required a 'seasonal education'.
At 1000m, we had to learn (and never stop learning) about our land and how it is affected by the seasons. This involved, letting things seed and waiting until they sprout to discover when to sow and harvest. Same for livestock: where they do well, when and for how long.
And, of course, you can't take the science out of the scientist so experiments are always happening and data is always being gathered :)
Today, we have a productive vegetable garden, fruit orchard, chickens and Australian White sheep run on native and improved pastures.
We’re really proud of what we've built over the last few years. It’s great to see the kids eating healthy, understanding how to grow their own food, how to look after livestock … and welcoming others to enjoy our place. Hope to see you soon!
Here's what I've learned
Nothing else matters if the soil isn’t healthy. And, I’m not just talking about top soil,. You also have to look after all the layers supporting it. The ones that generate more top soil.
Healthy soil means less chemicals, more resilience against pests, weeds and extreme weather and, ultimately, good quality meat, vegetables and fruit.
So I've landed on a primarily regenerative-agriculture approach, but I also use some principles of natural sequence farming, holistic farming and even aquaponics thrown in for good measure.
Healthy soil means less chemicals, more resilience against pests, weeds and extreme weather and, ultimately, good quality meat, vegetables and fruit.
So I've landed on a primarily regenerative-agriculture approach, but I also use some principles of natural sequence farming, holistic farming and even aquaponics thrown in for good measure.
Looking after our soil is the No.1 principle! After that, it's animal welfare.
We make sure we do everything we can to provide a healthy, happy life for all our livestock.
A bit more about our lamb
Australian Whites are a newer, boutique breed of sheep that was established in the local area for the local conditions and bred to finish on native pastures.
The lambs come off the property and are taken to the abattoir using low-stress livestock handling methods from the paddock to their destination.
The carcasses are then hung for the meat to become tender.
After which, the butcher processes and cryovacs the meat.
A bit more about our lamb
Australian Whites are a newer, boutique breed of sheep that was established in the local area for the local conditions and bred to finish on native pastures.
The lambs come off the property and are taken to the abattoir using low-stress livestock handling methods from the paddock to their destination.
The carcasses are then hung for the meat to become tender.
After which, the butcher processes and cryovacs the meat.