Thirty-three local landholders now have the taste for designing productive food growing systems after participating in the Old Mill BioFarm Field Day, held recently at Turlinjah.
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The workshop was organised by South East Local Land Services and Sustainable Agriculture and Gardening Eurobodalla (SAGE) Education with funding from Catchment Action NSW.
Land Services officer Peter Gow said the event focussed on how to design a practical food production system integrating the production of organic vegetables, fruit, worms, chickens and fish.
“Participants gained an understanding of the basic production integration process and discovered that worm farms produce castings and leachate which is a valuable fertiliser in an organic vegetable production system,” Mr Gow said. “The program included short walks around the commercial vegetable beds to better understand how to plan a succession of vegetable crops and the suitable species to plant.
“The field day also provided property owners with information about the value of sound management practices, not only in terms of having a sustainable agricultural enterprise, but just as importantly, the environmental benefits that come from the protection of native vegetation and water catchments.”
Local organic vegetable farmers Fraser Bayley and Kirsti Wilkinson presented at the event. They have 10 years’ experience and sell via a vegetable box delivery system in summer to local homes and businesses and through the Moruya Farmers Market.
Fraser and Kirsti have a passion for promoting and encouraging the growing of good, sustainable food with a particular emphasis on caring for the soil and other natural resources on their property. They aim to further diversify their farm to produce beef, pork and eggs.
“Skills learned about property design can be applied to backyard gardens or larger rural properties,” Mr Gow said. Following the success of the BioFarm Field Day, SAGE Education have organised a series of Productive Vegetable Growing workshops presented by Fraser Bayley commencing Saturday, July 30.
For more information please contact Peter Gow on 4475 1001. For information on the gardening workshop series please contact Sandra Makdessi on 0439 032 038 or education@sageproject.org.au
