farming
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Farm build rights gone?
Landowners in the Macedon Ranges will lose their existing rights to build a dwelling on 40ha or more in the Farm Zone under a state government proposal to protect farmland. It is one of the controversial elements in Planning for Melbourne’s Green Wedges and Agricultural Land Consultation Paper aimed to protect agricultural land within 100km…
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Show tickets up for grabs
Would you usually be busy preparing your craft or your cattle, selecting a fine wool fleece or cultivating your prize-winning rhubarb to enter in the Kyneton Show? Does your family count down to the carnival or is Show Day your favourite? With COVID restrictions forcing the rescheduling of this month’s show, the Kyneton Agricultural Society…
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Cultural farming venture for Harcourt
Work has begun to establish an Indigenous Bush Tucker Farm at Harcourt. “I’m confident to say we’ll probably get going just before Christmas,” local Dja Dja Wurrung man, Harley Douglas said. Mr Douglas is shouldering the role of farm manager, while Castlemaine-based Gunditjmara person Claire Barker will be garden manager and says they’re particularly looking…
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Red reigns at Riddell
Mt Charlie Red Angus at Riddells Creek has exhibited in The Red Angus Society Victoria On-farm Challenge for the first time. Co-owner Paul Rathbone said it was a terrific opportunity to demonstrate the great qualities of the breed in the challenge, which took place from October 31-November 2. The event featured 217 head of cattle…
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Trio of golden Delicious wins
Three producers from the region have secured gold medals and national recognition in the 2020 Delicious Harvey Norman Produce Awards. Sutton Grange’s Holy Goat Cheese, Tellurian Fruit Gardens of Harcourt and Tooborac’s McIvor Farm Foods have all been named in the honours that celebrate the country’s new, innovative, native and outstanding produce. Holy Goat Cheese…
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‘We all have stories to tell …’
Castlemaine resident Isis Jordan is thrilled to be the new manager for Lancefield and District Farmers Market. “We all have stories to tell, and I’m committed to honouring and sharing yours,” she assured stallholders in the lead-in to the monthly market held at Romsey Park on Saturday. For the second month in a row, the…
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Farm plans fast-tracked
Madeleine Jenkins and Tim Harvey had the rug pulled out from under them before they found solace in farm life at Tylden. The couple had a five-year plan in mind when they purchased their 48-acre block in 2018, but the double blow of the 2019 bushfires and COVID-19 ended Tim’s work in the events industry.…
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Foodies connect
A community of passionate Macedon Ranges cooks and foodies has formed to share ideas, recipes, tips and tricks, and swap food. Three mums who parked next to each other to drop and pick up their kids from school are the women behind the Facebook group ‘Macedon Ranges Food, Foodies, Wine and Cooking’. Joni, Anita and…
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A welcome sign of spring
It’s a welcome sign that spring is here when the daffodils are blooming and the lambs are being born. Quadruplets in sheep are extremely rare so it was a surprise for sheep farmer Andrew Sellars-Jones to see these four healthy girls arrive at Chandpara in Tylden this week. They are purebred southdown sheep and are…
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Hens rescued in Cobaws
Three hens found boxed and abandoned in the Cobaw Ranges have been given a second chance at Edgar’s Mission Farm Sanctuary in Lancefield. Local residents examined the suspicious box to discover the ISA brown hens inside while out for a walk with their dogs. They were determined to bring the hens to safety. A fourth…
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Lancefield market makes a comeback
The Lancefield and District Farmers Market has been rescued by a passionate group of locals and will go ahead this Saturday at a new location: the Romsey Community Sports Oval. The market, usually held along Lancefield’s village green, has operated at Lancefield Park for the past few months to allow for greater social distancing, but…
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Support grows for local producers
The face of farmers markets has changed across the region since coronavirus hit and has given rise to a more serious and intentional shopper, market facilitators have found. Bendigo Farmers Market organisers have surveyed a 30 per cent increase in regular local shoppers since coronavirus hit and expect to retain these consumers into the future.…