Travel & Culture

The great state of agriculture in Australia

I love sharing the good news stories of our Australian farmers. This week I have been traversing the countryside of Victoria, stopping to chat to a fruit grower on his orchard, a lamb producer, a dairy farmer, a grain grower and also visiting an egg farm where we found ourselves surrounded by nearly 40,000 free range hens.

The reason for our expedition? To show off the greatness of agriculture, by filming short video presentations that tell the unique, innovative and motivating ‘from paddock to plate’ stories behind each farming enterprise. ‘The Great State of Ag’ initiative is aimed at highlighting the diverse range of environmental and sustainable innovations being utilised by farmers, including our salad growers, to secure a brighter future for Victorian agriculture.

It’s a chance for producers to talk about the technology that they are embracing to ensure they remain viable and profitable on the land. It’s about the sustainable practises they are implementing to maintain and increase a high quality production level. Not to mention the different value-adding options that many are experimenting with to stay in the industry. I don’t want to give away too much, but here is a sneak peak of the optimism one farmer we interviewed is feeling about the future of agriculture in Australia. “Agriculture is a major industry that the world can’t live without. People need to eat food. Looking ahead, as an industry, we can’t lose.” The six short video ‘from paddock to plate’ presentations will be available to view shortly on ‘The Great State of Ag’ website: www.greatstateofag.com.au

Enjoy your salads!Louise.

Join Louise on a journey through the seasons with salad ingredients, old traditions and popular, exotic or unusual vegetables. From Paddock to Plate founder, author, food writer, radio journalist & yoga teacher.