Team Gardenfarm To the Rescue

Organic Chicken farm at Dawn. Photo by Dan

Farmer Dan has an Honour's degree in Economics, and produces spectacular, naturally-raised eggs, chosen by top restuarnts such as Jaques Raymond. One day he realised he was heading in a dangerous direction. The more successful the business became, the more bleak the free-roaming farm was growing. Water ran off the soil, once-lush paddocks were bare or weedy, and family time dwindling. His partner Risa was a veterinary assistant with dreams of doing delicious, traditional things with piglets and lambs, yet kept running into commercial barriers. So they called in the troops, and got team Gardenfarm over for a consultation.

Time has passed, recommendations were implemented. and things are looking up. Here is how you change direction.

1. Get a Diverse Team

Bob Tatnell - Natural, integrated-system farmer

Michael Stahl - Former Australian Government Systems

Gerhard Grasser - Soil expert, Foodweb pioneer and pig farmer

Elly Glenton - Whole Food Collective Founder, regulation compliance consultant

Cecilia Macaulay - Permaculture home design, Lean Process design, illustration.

If you add up our years, we are as old as Yoda. The force flows better when we get together.

2. Create a simple, inspiring vision

Get the farmer's wish-list and worry list, and turn it into a do-able vision. After that, we will work out the nuts-and-bolts of how to get there, with all of them achieved. In our case:

Live in a fertile and beautiful farm

Let your vision guide your actions each day

Have enjoyable meaningful work that profits you

Have more time to do the things you like

Enjoy healthy food from your property

4. Identify whats going well. Expand on that

The fairytale is happening. Happy pigs, animals roaming in forests, lovely wooden structures that bring a timeless atmosphere, and the inventiveness and care, as seen in the treehouse, that attracts volunteer workers and keeps the family motivated and dreamy.

5. Identify whats missing. Work out how to put it in.

Before: The Downward Spiral

No food for worms, so, No tunnels for air and water, so, No happy plants, so No food for anyone

Proposed Treatment: Creating upward spirals

Sun feeds Plants. Plants feed 'sugar' to soil life. Soil life takes care of plants

Before

Chicken-ravaged land. They ate all the food and made dustbaths. Rain washed topsoil down the hill

1st 'After'

Remediation begins. Chickens, soil and baby plants can all be happy together.

Second 'after'photo is on its way. Subscribe to stay tuned.

Get us to your farm

If your farm is doing it tough, or you simply want to make paradise for all creatures, hire us. The Department of Agriculture and even Centerlink want farmers to succeed. They have all sorts of grants and allowances that will cover our consulting costs, and sometimes help with the cost of drought-proofing, landcare, and sustainable infrastructure that we will reccommend.

Contact Gardenfarm, get the right team of experts over, and feel the love.

Gerhard Grasser, your enthusiam spills over!

Gardenfarm has partnered with Landcare's natural farming mentoring program. Here we are on the 9 News, showing new farmers how to create an ecosystem of support for all creatures, on their farms.