65 presenters. 86 sessions. Two days.
Those are just some of the statistics from GROUNDED, the food and farming festival held at Fat Pig Farm on December 4 and 5.
The onsite conference, timed to coincide with World Soil Day (Dec 5), was all about farming better.
There were speakers from the US, the UK and New Zealand, as well as from all over Australia, covering everything from biodiversity to biochar.
From finance to farmer mental health.
Designed as a ‘build your own learning’ event, with multiple stages running concurrently – much like a music festival – it allowed everyone from novices to hardened old timers to absorb the latest in ag tech, tap into ancient wisdom, and learn how to do things better on the land.
With nearly 400 delegates over the two days, most of which came from interstate, the aim was to empower people to make change on their land, or the land they advise people about, the very next day.
Headline acts included James Rebanks, a shepherd from the UK who has sold 2.5 million copies of his books about caring for country, and his wife Helen, who is also a bestselling author in the UK and US on the role of the other farmer, the one often hidden at home.
Dan Kittredge from the US regaled the crowd with stats about how the way we farm can radically affect the nutrient density of our crops and meats.
Felice Jacka talked about how you can shrink or grow your brain depending on your diet. Stan Robert from Oyster Cove hosted a fascinating conversation with The Agrarian Kitchen’s head gardener Mitch Thiessen and organic grower Tony Scherer on whether vegetable farming can ever be considered regenerative.
Meanwhile, local fire manager and landscape healer Jason Smith was arguably the most influential speaker, travelling all the way from Cradoc to Glaziers Bay to reframe how we see the soil that’s in our care.
With music by Esther Cooke and The Claire Anne Taylor trio, coffee by Beansmith and food by Yeastie Beastie and Bruny Island Cheese and more, it was like a cross between a writer’s festival, a music festival, a conference and a field day.
Early estimates are that it injected over $700,000 into the state economy, so is rated a success on many levels.
