Ground Cover

Farming Together
Ground Cover

OUT NOW! Series 3 of Ground Cover! In this series, you will hear the stories of farmers who participated in the Regenerative Agricultural Mentoring Program. RAMP, as it is generally known, was developed at Southern Cross University and assisted by the New South Wales Government through its Environmental Trust. Gavin Tinning met with a diverse cohort of innovative and inspiring farmers to bring you their insights and learnings. These are their stories.

  1. Dairy Farming Direct to the Customer with Paul Wilson of Nimbin Valley Dairy

    EPISODE 1

    Dairy Farming Direct to the Customer with Paul Wilson of Nimbin Valley Dairy

    In Series Three of Ground Cover, we hear the stories of farmers who participated in the Regenerative Agricultural Mentoring Program.  RAMP, as it is generally known, was developed at Southern Cross University and assisted by the New South Wales Government through its Environmental Trust. Gavin Tinning met with a diverse cohort of innovative and inspiring farmers to bring you their insights and learnings. These are their stories. Today I'm in the hills behind Nimbin with Paul Wilson from Nimbin Valley Dairy on Bundjalung Country, Northern New South Wales.  Paul and his partner Kerry have shifted their dairy from supplying a milk processor to delivering an amazing range of cheese and other dairy products direct to customers at their farm gate and at various farmers markets in the Northern Rivers of NSW, Australia.  In between a bit of farm work, admin and customers turning up to their farm cafe, we chatted about the challenges of building a local food business, the impacts of the 2022 flood and mudslip events where 800 millimetres of rain fell overnight in this region and devastated and disrupted many sectors of the area's economy and we also talked about some of the important things – like how many goats is too many to milk.  If you want to know more about Nimbin Valley Dairy, and there's heaps that we didn't cover, then look them up online or catch them at a farmer’s market near you.  We trust you enjoy this podcast.

    32 min
  2. The Challenge of Regenerating Flood Affected Soils

    EPISODE 6

    The Challenge of Regenerating Flood Affected Soils

    In this podcast episode, Gavin heads out to Jim Coren’s place in Tucki Tucki near Lismore, NSW. Apparently Tucki Tucki means place of many koalas. The local Bundjalung word for koala is Burbi, a totemic animal prior to European settlement, and a concerted effort is now being made locally to conserve the koala population. Jim and his wife Andy settled here a few years ago just as the worst flood in recorded European history impacted Lismore and surrounds, and like many people on floodplain country, it left much of their property underwater for a long time and saturated for most of 2022. Like a lot of farmers, Jim likes getting things done and being able to see the results of his efforts. He aims to improve the impact of his grazing management and regenerate tired flood plain soils and pastures, but the challenge of these extended wet periods has proved difficult.   There have been wins though, especially on hill country where the impact of fish hydrolysate made on farm has boosted the growth of Rhodes grass, so it is now able to compete with the less desirable Bahia grass. Jim and Andy are also seeing thriving patches of mixed species of sorghum oats and legumes. This Ground Cover episode is the final episode in a six-episode series where we heard from participants in the Regenerative Agriculture Mentoring Program. RAMP was developed at Southern Cross University. The project has been assisted by the New South Wales Government through its Environmental Trust. You can learn more about RAMP at https://www.ramp.org.au

    35 min
4.7
out of 5
94 Ratings

About

OUT NOW! Series 3 of Ground Cover! In this series, you will hear the stories of farmers who participated in the Regenerative Agricultural Mentoring Program. RAMP, as it is generally known, was developed at Southern Cross University and assisted by the New South Wales Government through its Environmental Trust. Gavin Tinning met with a diverse cohort of innovative and inspiring farmers to bring you their insights and learnings. These are their stories.

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