Saltgrass

Recent episodes have been looking at the farmers out at the Harcourt Organic Farming Cooperative. We've been out there to explore how farming and agriculture might be done in a way that is earth, biodiversity and humanity friendly.

Each and every one of the farmers talked about how important the support of the local community has been, and how much enthusiasm they have received from people who get what they are trying to do, even if it costs a bit more and is not as convenient as shopping at the supermarkets.

But it isn’t just individuals buying for their families that support these farmers and so this week we're looking at small businesses who prioritise locally produced food, these are people who go to the extra effort and often spend extra time working with the farmers through the ups and downs, wins and losses of seasons and years and changing weather.

This episode features:

Mel from Gung Hoe Growers

Alex Perry from Bar Midland

Paul and Patricia from Sprout Bakery

Sas Allardice - co-founder of Gung Hoe Growers

Links:

Gung Hoe Growers

HOFC – Harcourt Organic Farming Cooperative

Sprout Bakery and their Instagram

Bar Midland

Other Related Episodes:

S4 E17 Djakitj Larr – Eating Country Healthy part 1

S4 E17 Djakitj Larr – Eating Country Healthy part 2

S5 E11 An Incredible Octopus – with Katie Finlay

S5 E12 The Orchard Keepers

S5 E13 Micro Dairy

S5 E14 Love and Garlic

S1 E06 Gung Hoe Growers with Sas and Mel

S1 E05 Mount Alexander Fruit Garden

S2 E13 Food Security and Farmers Markets

S5 E07 Root to Tip with Duang

It has been almost a decade of effort and love and garlic from Gung Hoe Growers – supplying our local community through the local farmers market, selling to cafes and restaurants and providing boxes of veg to seasonal and annual subscribers.

Many have felt sadness on hearing that Gung Hoe will not be renewing their lease out at the Harcourt Organic Farming Cooperative.

This episode is a big chat with Mel about how and why this has happened and how this reflects on our farming and food production systems.

Listen back to the start of the Gung Hoe story:

Saltgrass Season 1 Gung Hoe Growers with Sas and Mel

Links:

Gung Hoe Growers

HOFC – Harcourt Organic Farming Cooperative

We are heading back out to the Harcourt Farming Cooperative – this time to talk to Tess Sellar who runs a herd of 10 or so dairy cows and supplies organic milk and yoghurt to our local community.

Tess uses regenerative farming practices, re-usable glass containers and does countless other things to make her micro-dairy as low impact as possible.

Trigger Warning:

Please note that this episode contains conversation about suicide. If you feel vulnerable or at risk please reach out for help.

If you are in Australia you can go to Lifeline or call 13 11 14

Resources and Links:

Sellar Dairy

Harcourt Organic Farming Co-operative

Food Not Bombs

Holy Goat Cheese

Following on from the last episode about the Harcourt Farming Cooperative, today we are looking at The Orchard Keepers.  They are part of the  grand experiment of this farming cooperative, having taken over the orchard management a couple of years ago. 

They are using organic and regenerative practices and they are not just farmers, but they are visionaries and committed activists through the work they do on and in the soil. 

Listen as we discuss the challenges and joys of taking on a mature orchard and trying to make a go of farming with young kids and extreme weather.

The Orchard Keepers are:

Resources and Links

The Orchard Keepers

Harcourt Organic Farming Cooperative

World Wildlife Fund – Innovate to Regenerate fund

Related Episodes:

S5 E11 An Incredible Octopus - with Katie Finlay

S1 E05 Mount Alexander Fruit Garden

S1 E06 Gung Hoe Growers

S2 E13 Food Security and Farmers Markets

This is the first of four episodes that will be released about the Harcourt Organic Farming Cooperative.

Long term listeners may remember two episodes from season one that captured conversations with farmers from the cooperative as it was just beginning back in 2018. 

I’ve been following the process of this cooperative with interest since it began because it is a fascinating case study of alternative farming... that is, an alternative to large scale, monocultural farming which contributes to climate change rather than helping mitigate it.

Listen to Katie talking about what it has been like to open her family farm up to young farmers and the co-op - what she affectionately describes as an incredible octopus!

Links:

Project Drawdown on climate and farming

HOFC

Grow Great Fruit

Fruit Tree Nursery

Gung Hoe Growers

Sellar Dairy

Indigenous native food – Murrnong Mummas 

The Orchard Keepers

World Wildlife Fund – Innovate to Regenerate fund

AFSA – Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance

Farming on other people’s land  - FOOPL

Grounded – community land trust 

Farmer Incubator

This Farm Needs a Farmer (Facebook link)

Growing Farmers

Related episodes:

Saltgrass Season 1 Katie and Ant

Saltgrass Season 1 Gung Hoe Growers with Sas and Mel

Saltgrass Season 2 Regenerative Farming

Plastic Free July had humble beginnings in back in 2011 when Rebecca Prince-Ruiz had the idea of refusing to buy or accept single use plastics for the month of July, just to see if she could.  She asked people around her if they wanted to do it too and now it is a global movement with an estimated 140 million people from 195 countries participating in 2022.

I wanted to Talk to Rebecca, not only because she is amazing, but also, Plastic Free July is truly a grassroots movement that has made a global impact. And I was so curious to hear how it started and how it grew. Rebecca is also overflowing with stories of people making change at all levels of society and business and she happily delves into discussions about balancing personal responsibility with demanding action from corporations and governments and we also had some great questions from the audience as well. 

Links:

Plastic Free July

Book: Plastic Free

By Rebecca Prince-Ruiz and Joanna Atherford Finn

(Published 2020)

Global plastics treaty

Zero Waste Victoria

BYO Containers

Some other plastic education media pieces:

Climate Town: Plastic Recycling is a scam

DW Planet A: Recycling Myth

The Story of Plastic

How can local councils and Traditional Owners work collaboratively towards climate and environmental goals?

Today's episode explores one way to get things going.

Back in November 2022 Djaara – the Traditional Owners in Central Victoria where Saltgrass is made – invited representatives from local councils to gather on Country and workshop how Djaara and councils can co-design climate strategies and manage environmental issues together.

Along with the audio from the workshop there is an extended interview with the organisers of that event that includes Oli Moraes from Djaara, Melanie Marshall, Climate Change Coordinator at Mount Alexander Shire Council – my local council and Dr Alexander Saeri – or Zan – from Monash University and Behaviour Works Australia.

Resources and Links

About Djaara:

Djaara

Djaara’s settlement agreement

Djaara’s Healing Country Plan

Waa

Guests:

Oli Moraes from Djaara

Dr Alexander Saeri from Behaviour Works Australia

Melanie Marshall from Mount Alexander Shire

Mount Alexander Shire Climate Change Strategy

Tim Hollo is many things, musician, politician, anarchist and the author of Living Democracy – An ecological manifesto for the end of the world as we know it. He was in conversation at the Taproom in Castlemaine with Jim Buckell and introduced by Alex Kelly with an extended Q&A with the audience.

Links:

Living Democracy Book

There is no time left not to do everything – an article and now a chapter in the book

The Green Institute                                                                   

Green Music Australia

Fourplay

Jim Buckell

Democracy for Dinner

Democracy for Dinner Substack

Tim Low’s book ‘Where Song Began’

Half of our body is not human 

Nobel Prize winning economist Eleanor Ostrum ‘Defender of the commons’

Philosopher Hannah Arendt who escaped Nazi Germany and dedicated her academic life to exploring totalitarianism and the nature of power

Fearless Cities as exampled by Barcelona

Murray Bookchin

Democratic confederalism as seen in Kurdish communities

Related Episodes:

Democracy for Dinner

Futures

Duang moved to Castlemaine just a few years ago, but is already an integral part of the fabric of our community.

She sells delicious Thai cooking at the weekly farmers market and came here, as you will hear, in part because she knew about the Harcourt Farming Cooperative and the community supported agriculture (CSA) method that they employ.

Duang was so keen to support the farmers that she offered a free zero waste cooking class to CSA members at her own home – a way to offer more value to those who subscribed. It was a fun class with Duang peppering the cooking advice with stories of her life. We made pesto out of carrot tops and talked about what makes a good life. Allie then went back later to have a longer chat with Duang. 

Links:

SBS episode about Duang's life

Duang’s cooking school

Harcourt Organic Farming Cooperative

Related Episodes:

Gung Hoe Growers

Mount Alexander Fruit Garden

Food Security and Farmers Markets

Following on from the last episode about the Castlemaine Currency Project, this episode shares audio from a panel discussion that was part of the original exhibition and social experiment. 

Featuring:

Warwick Smith, Castlemaine Institute

Karl Fitzgerald, Prosper Australia

Merryn Tinkler, Mount Alexander Shire - Manager of Economy and Culture

Anitra Nelson, University of Melbourne