We kicked the Autumn off by taking the team to a Jim Elizondo Total Grazing course in Wolvi. Hamish has done the online course and has started implementing his strategy at Forage Farms. We were fortunate to have Jim visiting from America, and it was an excellent opportunity for the Forage Farms team to upskill. Jim's Total Grazing Program is a regenerative farming system. It is designed to enhance soil health, increase forage production, and boost livestock profitability by aligning grazing practices with natural ecological processes.
We strive to empower people to restore and build landscapes that are resilient, productive, and healthy. We are deeply committed to ongoing education and continual learning. We love sharing it with others. In May, we held a Tarwyn Park Training course in Glastonbury. There was a great turnout of enthusiastic farmers eager to learn how to manage their landscapes better and restore water cycles.
Autumn also saw the re-release of PA's two books, 'Back from the Brink' and 'Beyond the Brink.' Anyone keen to read them can purchase them from Tarwyn Park Training
The annual GourMay Food Festival was also a highlight, and we welcomed 90 people to a special tour of the farm. Foodies and farmers alike enjoyed seeing how the food on their plates is grown and getting some inside knowledge on how we're farming to benefit the animals, the land, and consumers.
Daily life on the farm has been busy as usual! We have two new flocks of chickens and are trying to keep up with egg demand, which is a challenge. It takes time for the birds to adapt to their new environment. Combined with the seasonal drop in temperature, laying is impacted for a period, but experience tells us it won't last long.
Lachie also planted approximately 600 kg of cover crop seed across 30 hectares on the farm. With the right conditions, our cattle should have a good body of feed by late Winter or early Spring. Some little Autumn calves were born, so they will be happy, too.
And finally, we took our first family holiday in 8 years! None of us are good at resting, so we kept ourselves busy with a bit of remote work. However, the good news is that the farm and the team survived without us. We know they are capable, and they did a great job. We only went down the road to Mooloolaba. Perhaps on our next holiday, we will be a little more adventurous!
