The Curious Farmer

Dr Tomas Remenyi - Climate Research Fellow at the University of TasmaniaTIA -Tasmanian Institute of AgricultureProfessor David Bowman - Professor of Pyrogeography and Fire Science at the University of Tasmania.Farmers for Climate Action - reach out for more information about how you can join your local groupTo contact Kate, email thecuriousfarmer@gmail.com or follow @Leap Farm on Instagram or Facebook.

More information about the Regenerative Agriculture Network of Tasmania (RANT) can be found on their website or Facebook page. The AGM is being held on 18th September 2021, and a farm tour demonstrating what one farmer has achieved through the practice he has learnt with RANT on September 26th.The Tasmanian Landcare Action Grants Program can be found through  the TFGA website.Kate would love it if you could rate or review this podcast, and if you like it, share with your curious colleagues, farmers and friends. If you want to see some pictures of Leap Farm, head to Instagram or Facebook, or even jump online to the website at leapfarm.com.au 

Iain has a background in ecology, being award his PhD in 2005. He successfully completed 2 post-docs, and was most recently a lecturer ay Macquarie University, where he gave a birds eye view and whole of systems approach to landscape function, including agriculture to the students. He has taken this view and applied it to Leap Farm.After talking to A/Prof Matt Harrison in the last episode, he was inspired to complete a carbon audit of our farm, discovering that we sequester at least as much as 3 times more carbon than we emit.  He did this through utilising the University of Melbourne GHG calculator. He developed a spreadsheet to be able to determine our Carbon Sequestration rate (direct link not yet available, head to our Website where we will post it). While none of the data you receive is robust enough to earn you ACCUs, it will certainly give you enough information about your farm or enterprise to determine where you sit in relation to carbon footprint, and will give you some guidance as to what levers you can pull to improve your carbon sequestration or decrease your emissions. And you certainly don't need a PhD to be able to complete it!For more assistance with the calculator, you can contact Iain at farmers@gmail.com or A/Prof Matt Harrision at matthew.harrison@utas.edu.au. Kate can be contacted at thecuriousfarmer@gmail.com or on FB and IG @LeapFarm.

This episode is really about carbon accounting in farming – listening will help you gain a better holistic overview and understanding of emissions from livestock, carbon sequestration in soil, and the dilemma that this presents to farmers.  Matt, Kate and Iain discuss the need to develop strategies to assist farmers to manage their farm and livestocks  with economics, sustainability and socially acceptable solutions in mind.Farmers who are interested in becoming involved in Matt's research can contact him via email: Matthew.Harrison@utas.edu.au - his incredibly impressive bio at UTas can be found here.A bit more about Matthew: his research aims to improve the profitability, sustainability, competitive advantage and social acceptability of agricultural systems. He leads a team that focusses on adaptation to climate change, extreme climatic events and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions through environmental, social and economic innovations. Their work also includes disruptive technologies, irrigation, seasonal climate forecasting, and whole farm systems approaches for profitable, sustainable intensification.Contact Kate with questions or feedback at thecuriousfarmer@gmail.com or on Facebook, Instagram, or via their webpage 

Angus Stewart is a Horticulturalist with vision, experience and generosity. He shares his wisdom and knowledge freely with us on this episode, and discusses methods such as deep planting and how to create the right environment for tree planting and ongoing maintenance.You can discover more of Angus's knowledge, tips and tricks at his website Gardening With Angus, and follow him on Instagram where he provides regular nuggets of juicy info on worm farming, composting, Kangaroo Paw management and more.You can contact Kate with any questions or feedback on email at thecuriousfarmer@gmail.com or on FB or Instagram @leapfarm, or head to the Leap Farm website.

In a mere 20 minutes, Lauren gives her perspective on where Felds Farm is today, and many of the lessons that they have learnt, along the way. She gives an update on their progress, and how their thinking about the business has matured considerably in such a short period of time.Find Lauren through social media on Instagram and Facebook, or head to the Harvest Market at Launceston, held every Saturday, to grab some organic veg and have a chat with her while you're there. If you have questions for Kate, contact her via email thecuriousfarmer@gmail.com, or on Instagram or Facebook.

Here's a recap on Episode 1 - The Humble Onion, in anticipation of Episode 4 where I catch up with Lauren Byrne of Felds Farm. In this episode, which may have slightly improved audio quality than the original, we hear from Mike and Lauren about their foray into Market Gardening. This episode was recorded at the time they moved from some land just out of Hobart to a share-farming arrangement in Lilydale, Tasmania, some 200km away, and restarted their market garden enterprise, Felds Farm. You can find them on Instagram and Facebook.

Our Mates Farm is just down the road. Coreen Ung and Mathew Tack have turned an old, run down apple orchard into a thriving small farm, producing over 50 different varieties of apples, as well as lamb and pork. They believe in being radically transparent, and encourage their customers to come to the farm to understand where their food comes from, and while they're there, become mates.Coreen takes us through the set up of the farm currently, how they use regenerative practices to manage their orchard organically. She also shares their story of how they chose to become farmers. It's inspirational and brave, and will motivate many of you who are thinking about doing something similar. Its an incredibly heart warming conversation that covers a variety of topics, including how growing food brings you and the community together.And for great piglet pics, check out their social media: Instagram and FacebookWWOOF (Willing Workers on Organic Farms)

Leap Farm dairy system:Once a day milking (in the mornings)All kids kept with their mothers throughout the season (during the day)The mothers and kids are drafted apart in the evening, with all of them shedded at night on a composting hay floor (deep litter system) that provides heat (like an electric blanket)Kids are given a small amount of milk every morning (with a cuddle) for the first 6 weeks of lifeKids naturally wean from their mothers over the course of the seasonThe males and the females who lines aren't desirable for the milking herd are turned off the paddock when they reach a reasonable size and are sold for meatMilking (and cheese making) is seasonal - in late autumn/early winter, milking ceases for the season, and both the farmers and the girls get a 3 month breakAnd so the cycle begins.Questions and comments can be sent to Kate at thecuriousfarmer@gmail.com, or contact her through Instagram or Facebook @leapfarm

As small producers, we rarely get "a voice" at the table when it comes to discussions about agriculture in Tasmania or even at a federal level. Sprout has become that voice, and has been advocating for small producers in this space increasingly. But they need to know more about us - like where we are, what we farm, our economic worth and how we add value to our community.Sprout has received funding to administer a survey to get more information about small producers in Tasmania - and they need out help to respond and also pass the survey details on to other small producers, to try and get as clear a snapshot as possible about our businesses. You can find the link here: Sprout SurveyFor more info about Sprout Tasmania, head to their website. If you have the ability, please join as a member  to help keep the organisation able to advocate for us. You can also find Sprout on Facebook and Instagram. Season 2 of the Curious Farmer is going to look a little different from last Season - there will still be great interviews with interesting farmers, gardeners, scientists, chefs and more, but there will be more opportunity for you to ask questions - whether they be about how we farm and what we do to build carbon in our soils, or specific questions about goats (we get a lot of questions about goats...). So forward you questions to me via email at thecuriousfarmer@gmail.com or through our social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook.

Brian Horsley is the Director, recipe maker and all-round probiotic King of MacroBoost. You can buy directly at the MacroBoost website.For more easy-to access and read  information about humic and fulvic acids, check out Ecofarming Daily, Soil Biotics and Earthgreen.

Fat Carrot Farm is best found on Instagram here.Information about CSA models of selling produce can be found at the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance here.Contact me at thecuriousfarmer@gmail.com or follow Leap Farm via Facebook or Instagram - you can message me that way if you have questions or want to get in touch for a chat - I'd love to hear your ideas and thoughts, and if you have anything you want to share with this community.Sound effects by zapsplat.com

Tony O'Connell sells his blueberries direct to the public at Hobart's Farmgate Market. At this time of year, you can purchase frozen blueberries from him. They're fantastic in porridge and smoothies. His farm brand is Something From The Ground. You can also find him on Facebook and Instagram.Tony uses biologically active sprays on his farm to enhance the health and resilience of the blueberry plants to pests and diseases. In this episode, he explains his whole-farm approach to managing his blueberry grove, and the talks around some of the decisions that he's made about the way he farms differently from his peers.

Green Collar, the environmental consulting firm for whom Dr Jenny Sinclair works.The Emissions Reduction Fund, Cape Bernier Vineyard 

Massimo tells us about how he felt when he returned to Tasmania, and how he had to work hard to carve out a niche. As he settled back into Tasmanian life, he made the effort to step outside of the kitchen and explore the state, its products and got to know the producers. He's had interesting conversations with farmers and ag consultants about regenerative agriculture along the way. He speaks to Kate about how these conversations have informed the way he works with producers, and how these relationships have changed the way he manages his kitchen.Find Massimo at https://massimomele.com/Instagram @chefmassimomele 

Graeme Hand is the Director of Hand for the Land.For those who live on the little island, you can become a member of the Regenerative Agriculture Network of Tasmania (RANT) and get access to free webinars and discounted workshops.Graeme references Doug McKenzie-Mohr, Dr Christine Jones and Colin Seis.More information about Holistic Planned Grazing can be found at the Savory institute.

For a couple of photos of Mark and his garden's produce, head to the Leap Farm website, or Leap Farm Facebook or Instagram page.

Photos of Helen's garden can be seen on the Leap Farm Instagram and Facebook pages, or on the Leap Farm website.Helen refers to Macroboost - probiotics for your soil. 

Gerard Lawry can be found at https://eaglerisefarm.com.au/eaglerise-farm/If you're after more information about his permaculture farming course, you can contact him via his website or at info@eaglerisefarm.com.auHe mentions Allan Savoury https://savory.global/ and Charles Massey, best known for his recent book, The Call of the Reed Warbler.

In this episode we start by exploring the reasons that led Simon and Fiona to move from a conventional dairy operation into regenerative and organic dairy farming.When quizzed on who or what resources Simon has been using, he references David Hardwick, an agroecologist who can be located at Soil Land Food , Dick Richardson of Grazing Naturally as well as Charles Massey, author of Call of the Reed Warbler and well known Regenerative Agriculturist. Simon also reference his local Landcare group. Landcare groups exist around Australia, and are a great resource full of local knowledge that can benefit farmers.As the conversation progresses, its apparent that Simon too has questions about regenerative farming: part of the joy of this conversation is seeing the benefit for all when talking about different ways of doing things and the cross pollination of ideas.

Dave and Zoe Judge from Frog Hollow Nursery show us around their nursery. They demonstrate for us how their philosophy on ecology informs their business and their life. You will get more gardening tips, learn how you can adapt to nature rather than try and tame it, as well as learning more about why biodiversity is useful, and how chemical fertilisers can impact and harm soil.

Christina started as small business, FIMBY (Food In My Back Yard) a decade ago, to help get people started on urban farming. She has a background in Ag Science, and these days works with soil in various projects around Tasmania. She a passionate composter and even uses compost to heat water for showers when she's down on her farm. In this episode, we chat about the the importance of digging holes, what can people do to improve their soil in an urban setting, biochar and compost.

1.25 – What prompted the move from successful careers as chefs in London to farmers in Tasmania7.00 – Mike explains how their farm started8.05 – Mike and Lauren explain the set up of their market garden8.30 – We discuss and delight in the magnificence of endangered species and delight in biodiversity10.05 – Recently moved sites – and explanation why11.03 – How do you farm? What's the set-up of the beds, and why?12.10 – Discussion about turning over beds vs aerating with broad fork12.50 – Why shouldn't you use tilling/digging in your veggie garden, mimicking nature, building topsoil13.45 – How to harvest your crops14.30 – How green manure works14.50 – Do you add anything to soil?15.30 – Other benefits of no dig gardening15.50 – Lauren talks about crop rotation16.45 – Why do you grow you plants so closely together, and what is the reasoning behind bio-intensive farming?17.30 – How to increase yield in the same amount of space 18.00 – Other benefits of biointensive cropping18.50 – How do you plan ahead with regard to crop rotation – how far do you have to plan ahead?19.20 – Tips to planning your crops20.30 –Books and other media that have informed your journey so farm21.25 – Who are the people that have inspired you 22.25 – What's your favourite bit of produce that you grow and eat, and how do you best like to prepare it?25.40 – Where can we access Felds Farm produce?26.15 – Farming is hard work, but rewarding, and Lauren explains why.27.00 – Mike asks us as consumers to better support local farmers27.30 – How to find Felds Farm on social media.