Black sheep in the Mangione family
MARILYN Mangione’s grandparents on both sides were farmers working the land in the Clyde and Cranbourne region. Marilyn’s mother as a child always had to…
Hay while the sun keeps on shining
MANSFIELD farmers have been spared the feed crisis crippling Australia, with well-timed rain resulting in one of the best hay seasons seen in decades. Hay…
These little piggies are going to market
Taggart’s Paddock Pork was initially a chat over a couple of drinks, sitting on the deck of Angelo Greco’s Taggerty-based property. “I knew this guy…
Camels pioneer dairy industry
The Camel Milk Company Australia is busy. On a single day in early November, Channel Nine was there conducting an interview as news had just…
Green light to Gillieston
FOLLOWING on from the Environment Protection Authority approval, the City of Greater Shepparton has given the green light to Meatworks Australia to construct an abattoir…
The donkeys of Hee Haw Farm
THE first donkey was a pet. “John said ‘one, just make sure you get only one’,” Deb Hanton remembered. “Alright,” Deb said. And within six…
Capeweed indicative of a larger problem
PASTURES covered in the striking yellow of capeweed are a reminder of a year of lower rainfall, and drought conditions that allowed this monoculture to…
Investing in dairy
IN an industry that has had standardised milk for so long, with limited offerings from small independently owned pop-up dairies, Inglenook Dairy was initially a…
Embracing cannabis
PREVIOUSLY known for its fruit growing, dairy and cropping, Shepparton and the surrounding area is looking to diversify and take advantage of gaps in the…
Eggs from the embers
ON the day of Black Saturday, Diego Tuyol chose to stay and defend, a decision he feels he should not have made in retrospect. Old…
Regenerative farming
DANIEL Kelton of Alexandra’s Holistic Pastoral wants to see the land he is farming transformed to “waist high grass, wet all year round despite ever-increasing…
Everybody loves a winner, or two
DON Hamley of Port Phillip Bay Scallops has been entering the Australian Food Awards for a few years now. And for a company that has…
Guano – a tale of two birds
IT was the best of times. It was the worst of times. This might have been the thoughts of the guano miners shovelling and bagging…
Sher Wagyu is a boutique operation
“HOW often do I eat Wagyu?” “Oh, not more than five times a week,” Nick Sher said with a laugh. And so Nick sums up…
Marketing the future
For small scale farmers who have employed more labour intensive models of farming focusing on best practice, it is often difficult to demand the prices…
Discovering Wrenwood
FOUR years ago, Lizabeth and Jayson Souness bought Wrenwood, a small acreage farm in Bungowannah, with the intention of opening a farm shop, gallery and…