A New Chapter …
A New Chapter
Hello Dearest Farm-ily,
I'm sorry it has been so long in between blogs...
Life has been disruptive!
I now find myself (like many other commercial growers) a North Coast Refugee,
after living in and around Mullumbimby for 18 years ... I could no longer find affordable accomodation for my family, so I have needed to relocate us to Mudgeeraba, QLD (Gold Coast).
The Farm Properties I was offered to partner with in Nth NSW, didn't have onsite accomodation, making it unworkable, and a new requirement for starting a profitable enterprise on land, post 2020.
You now need:
1. Minimum 1 acre of clean, cleared land
2. Minimum of 2 Meg irrigation water and infrastructure
3. Powered Shed / Structure
4. Affordable long-term housing for your Farmer
In fact, accomodation is becoming more of an issue with Working Farms unable to find experienced Farm Managers, and Workers, as there is such a shortage of affordable rentals in the region. And no, I will not live in a tiny home, caravan or other such accomodation - I am a Professional Farmher, with a family (2 Teens + 2 cats).
In the interim ... I have completed my up-skilling, and now have an international Digital Marketing Qualification (CDMP), and am continuing to support Farms, and other passionate business owners with Marketing ... and Organic Profitable Small Scale Farm Consultancy.
My dreaming is to create Farms that are integrated with the people who will use the produce. I would love to see farms with supermarkets, restaurants, schools, nursing homes, childcare centres, and in EVERY new housing development. For me the idea of having farms located rurally, isolated, and then needing to rely on transporting all the produce out to customers, is an outdated paradigm.
I am passionate about integrating food and flower production where it is going to be used. Bringing Farming back to the people, and reducing transportation miles - which is a major contributor to Climate Change.
Sooooooo, I am ridiculously EXCITED to now be consulting with Nick Steiner and The Mini Farms Project. For those of you that don't know about this project ... Mini Farms is a local charity (based in SE QLD).
The mission of the organisation is to convert under-utilised spaces into urban (and suburban) farms to grow high quality, organic food for those in need, whilst addressing local food security and sovereignty ... directly supplying Meals on Wheels, and Ozharvest.
Often donated produce to charities is sub-standard, old, and non-organic ... and these are the people that really need good nutrition!
So, Nick decided to do something about it, and started this charity based organisation in 2014 from his garage. Since then through a lot of hard work, charitable donations, and amazing partnerships with other like-minded organisations, and supportive people, it has GROWN.
My first project is a collaborative venture with Loganlea City Council, City Studios, Griffith University, and Loganlea State High School. I am joining the Operations Team, and will start working on designing an Urban Farm Project on site at Loganlea High.
With funding, and community donations, we hope to commence operations in February 2022 onsite, growing fresh produce for students in need, and the remaining produce going to OzHarvest.
Watch this space :)))
From My Heart To Yours
Farmher Sheia
