New project officer assigned to regenerative farming project

Farmer Craig Hunt is using two hectares of his land to experiment with a multi-species crop to increase biological activity in the soil and reduce the use of chemicals.

Newly appointed project officer, Hannah McInerney, joined the team with an aim to widen the project through engaging with other interested farmers.

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Ms McInerney grew up on a farm near Wagga, she is a qualified agronomist and holds a diploma in organic farming.

Like Mr Hunt, she came to the realisation that traditional farming methods, which depend on chemicals, would not be sustainable in the long run.

On Thursday, July 7, Ms McInerney facilitated a tour of the trial paddock which included an open discussion to share knowledge on regenerative farming practices.

Participants including the Gundaroo Regenerative Agriculture Land Management group contributed their knowledge to the discussion after inspecting the growth, roots and soil surrounding the plants that were dug up from the trial plots.

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Mr Hunt is also participating in the Regenerative Agriculture Mentorship Program.

Run by Southern Cross University, the program aims to facilitate and support farmers to make the transformational change from traditional to regenerative agricultural principles and practices.

Participants in the Southern Tablelands will be mentored by Tony Hill, CEO of Land to Market.

Other participants from the Southern Tablelands include Mike Steketee, Robert Favaloro and Greg Crease; all of whom are a part of Goulburn Mulwaree Landcare's Regenerative Agriculture Grazing and Farming group.

Convenor for Community Voice for Hume, Bob Phillipson, said there was an interesting mix of farmers in the program.

"[Farmers] include those with minimal, but very biodiverse, acreage who want to grow healthy food to cook for farm-visit tourists," he said.

"Participants are not just traditional farmers but include other farm-related activities that could showcase our growing abilities and attract more people to Goulburn Mulwaree."

The program kicked off on Monday, July 11 and mentor Tony Hill is set to visit Goulburn for a sustainability conference planned for mid-September.

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