The Curious Farmer

Brian Horsley is the owner of MacroBoost - a local Tasmanian small business that provides probiotic liquids for gardens, waste water treatments and agricultural operations. Kate chatted with Brian after purchasing some products to try and got to the bottom of why and how probiotics for plants make a difference.

Stan and Briony Robert of Fat Carrot Farm have been producing high quality veggies for local subscribers and the food service industry for several years. They farm using regenerative and organic principles. This episode tackles the business side of farming: Stan and Briony share their experiences in selling their produce and how they transitioned from full-time professional careers to full-time farmers.

But there is so much more to this episode - we discuss the importance of community, particularly during the recent lockdown of the food service industry, philosophies that help you be successful in farming, soil health (of course!) and we take an audio tour through their market garden.

Tony O'Connell grows blueberries in southern Tasmania. In this episode, Tony and I discuss his holistic approach to managing a monocrop, how he introduces diveristy above and below the ground, and I get to ask a bunch of questions about the effect of spraying microbes on the soil.

Dr Jenny Sinclair and her husband own and manage Cape Bernier Vineyard on the lower East Coast of Tasmania. In addition, she is the Chief Scientist at Green Collar, an environmental consulting firm that provides advice and project management in carbon farming strategies.

In this episode, I ask Jen about the importance of carbon in soil…. And then she drops a bombshell… I wonder if you’ll be as surprised as I was?

As restaurants and cafes around Australia and the world open up again, how do you choose which one to go to? What are the qualities in the producers and the chefs who prepare the food that make you want to support them? And how do you know if they're telling the truth? Join Kate and Massimo Mele as they explore these questions, discuss regenerative agriculture vs conventional agriculture and some of the barriers that face primary producers making the switch. And laugh out loud at a few of Massimo's stories.

Graeme Hand is a certified Holistic Management Educator and cattle farmer. He has over 25 years of experience working with farmers in designing and educating about holistic planned grazing. He has worked internationally and all over Australia, across multiple different landscapes, advising landowners and managers, Industry and Government. In this episode of The Curious Farmer, Kate asks questions of Graeme about holistic planned grazing and how it fixes carbon in the soil.

In this bonus episode, we chat to Mark Scanlon, who has just finished up his first summer season in his veggie patch. Its' a fun bonus, with a few laughs, and a few pearls about growing food for your family.

The Coronavirus global pandemic has changed the way we interact with and think about food. We are more aware now of our local food systems and for many of us, we've suddenly been forced to think about food security. This has prompted many people to start a veggie patch. In this weeks episode, I chat with Helen Whitaker about her veggie patch, she hands down some tips and tricks, and gives us a reality check about how we can manage to fit veggie garden into our already busy lives. This is regenerative farming on a tiny scale.

Gerard Lawry has lived on Eaglerise Farm for 20 years. He applies organic permaculture action to his land, that he views through an ecological lens. He gives us some insights into how he uses the big picture thinking to manage his farm. We also discuss the difference between organic vs regenerative, and think about why regenerative farming is gaining momentum, where organic never did. An interesting discussion that could have become quite fraught!

Simon and Fiona Mitchell are converting their conventional cow dairy into an organic and regenerative enterprise. On this week's episode, we explore some of the reasons behind their decision, as well as the ways in which they have and continue to change their operation.