Charlie is an award-winning grazier from Boorowa, New South Wales, Australia, an educator and passionate advocate for Regenerative Farming practices. His family business has developed under Charlie’s guidance from a ‘conventional’, industrial high input mixed enterprise farm working against Nature to a Biodynamically principled holistically managed farm partnering with Nature.

Hamish presents biodynamics as an enjoyable and cost effective way to produce high quality food and fibre suitable for human health and well-being as well as a way to address our carbon and climate challenges. We can be carbon neutral and productive and healthy and viable. He encourages gardeners and farmers alike to play an important role in improving our environment.

Stuart is the owner/manager of Forage Farms, a 3rd generation business. He is also the founder of Tarwyn Park Training, which is a family run training course, teaching the principles of Natural Sequence Farming and how to implement them into any operation. He aims to share his knowledge of landscape rehabilitation with the wider community empowering them to create change within a degrading landscape.

Mick Dan, Founder and farmer at Good Harvest Organic Farm, is a passionate organic farmer and climate scientist based at Woombye on the Sunshine Coast. He is committed to the development of a community that supports local organic growers and aims to bring the farmer to the table to families across the coast. Combining his dedication to growing organically and sustainably, with his teaching experience in physics, climate change and ecology, Mick and his team at Good Harvest practice innovative organic farming techniques aimed at developing organic matter, improving the soil and producing high quality nutritious food.

Brogan’s love of farming began at 13 out on 10,000 acres on a horse mustering cattle, he never missed a school holiday to spend time on the farm.  But farming was a little out of reach at he turned 18 and did his apprenticeship in building.  8 years ago he began managing the Changing Habits Farm honing his skill in Holistic Management, cell grazing, natural sequence farming, multi species pastures, animal husbandry, biodynamics and syntropics.  His love is the soil he uses plants and animals to improve the ecology and water holding ability the property.  Brogans knowledge surpasses his age in both theoretical and practical farming.  

Rob has been growing food most of his life, it was hit and miss and then he discovered permaculture and market gardening.  During that time he felt like he became a slave to his garden.  He knew there had to be a better way.  Rob heard about Syntropic and has done and continues to do every course possible following the experts around.  He realised he no longer needed to be a slave to the garden but instead work with nature and allow nature to do what it does best. He has been studying and building syntropic systems for the past 6 years, combining with many modalities including biodynamics and biogeometry.  The Changing Habits Farm is a great example of his work. 

INTRODUCTION TO BIODYNAMICS
with Hamish Mackay & Charlie Arnott

Join Hamish Mackay and Charlie Arnott

An Introduction to Biodynamics brings together the art and science of agriculture, teaching participants how biodynamic preparations contribute to the soil food web and introduce practical aspects needed to apply biodynamics:

• The life of the soil
• Creating fertility in your soil
• Managing your natural resources
• Practical use of the biodynamic preparations Developing risk management: Weeds, Pests, Diseases
• Meeting climate change challenges: Drought, Flood, Carbon sequestration

Applicable to home gardeners, horticulture, small intensive cropping systems, broad acre farming and animal production, if you would you like to learn how biodynamic practice is different from organic gardening and permaculture methods then this course is for you.
** This workshop will provide you with the foundation to attend a follow on Biodynamics Preparation Making Workshop. At the Biodynamic Preparation Making Workshops held each Spring and Autumn you will learn how to make season specific biodynamic preparations.

Each day includes lunch, snacks, coffee & tea

INTRODUCTION TO REGENERATIVE FARMING AND SYNTROPICS
with Brogan O’Meara and Rob Wyborn

Brogan and Rob both work on the Changing Habits Farm. Brogan manages the day-to-day workings of the farm attending to the soil and animals, while Rob creates and manages the syntropics. Their knowledge and work have transformed the farm from a monoculture of grass to the diversity it has today. 1000’s of food-bearing and companion trees have been planted, and the implementation of biodynamics, syntropics, and all the principles of Regenerative Farming is evident as you walk through the landscape of the farm.  

You will learn

• Syntropics – using Australian natives and others, mulching, chopping and dropping and harvesting, and commercial growing of ginger and garlic.
• Worm Farming
• Composting
• Cell grazing
• Poultry management for pests and fertility of the land
• Soil ecology
• Wholistic management
• The Integration of Biodynamics and Natural Sequence Farming 

It will be a day of theory and practical, but most of all, it will be your chance to see how all the systems you have learnt through The Festival of Food and Farming come together in a bounty of food and beauty. We are so excited to show you what you can create on your own plot of land.

Includes lunch, snacks, coffee & tea