farming
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Healthy landscapes
Connecting Country has been successful in round three of the Smart Farms Small Grants program and will receive $49,623 to develop a targeted Healthy Landscapes guide and on-farm workshops. The guide and workshops aim to provide local farmers and other land managers with practical tools to better understand their land and make informed management decisions…
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Farmers looking after their own
Arnold-based primary producers Carly and Darren Noble of small farm business The Agri-Food Network recently launched a Mental Health Gift Hampers initiative aimed at bringing a smile to the face of fellow central Victorian farmers and small producers doing it tough during COVID. The couple launched the program in late March after close friend and…
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Farmers win in land battle
A fourth generation Springfield farming family has taken on the state government in a David and Goliath battle over land, and won. Backed by Macedon Ranges Shire Council, the Clement family succeeded at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal in preventing fragmentation of farmland at 75 Clements Road, Springfield. The family donated the land as…
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Cost blowout for saleyards plan
A major cost blowout for Kyneton Saleyards upgrades has put pressure on Macedon Ranges Council to find additional funds to complete the project. A feasibility study of the two-stage plan for modernisation and compliance requirements projected a cost at more than $1 million, with an estimated payback period of 17-18 years, but stage one alone…
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Gain solace from gardening
Sandy Scheltema In these extraordinary times when we must stay at home and cancel everything except our commitment to our common humanity, many of us are finding solace in growing food. To dig the soil, plant seeds, tend to and nurture a garden can bring great joy and calmness, and seeing something growing from what…
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Grape help for hospitality workers
Fruit-picking is hard manual labour but Harcourt Valley Vineyard has seen a sudden influx of offers and is returning a favour with this year’s harvest. The team has offered this season’s remaining work to local hospitality staff facing an employment slump in the COVID-19 pandemic. Vineyard owner Kye Livingstone said hospitality was among the first…
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Boost for small agribusinesses
Seven agribusinesses in the Macedon Ranges have received grants through the state government’s Small-Scale and Craft Program to support business growth, create jobs and attract more visitors to enjoy locally made food, beer and spirits. Grants of up to $25,000 have been awarded and will be used to assist businesses in scaling up, expanding their…
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Cheese please! A new venture for Castlemaine
A new artisan cheesemaker and cheese school is being establishing in Castlemaine, adding an additional attraction to the town’s Mill complex and tapping into newly emergent demand. Building work is well underway to develop existing premises in the site’s specialty food and beverage precinct. The Cheese School and artisan cheesemaking enterprise – Long Paddock Cheese…
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Seed library to sprout benefits
The Macedon Ranges community will reap the benefits from growing its own plants as a new initiative gets underway. The Macedon Ranges Seed Library will launch on March 7 in a bid to encourage locals to grow their own food supply and help to protect plant diversity in the region. The idea of the seed…
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From shadow to farm: New shared knowledge program launches
Aspiring farmers can now experience life on the land through a new program that allows experienced farmers to share their knowledge. Kyneton tree-changer Melissa Connors introduced the Macedon Ranges to This Farm Needs a Farmer in 2018 and is about to officially launch a new Shadow Farming initiative to the program. “Through shadow farming, tree-changers…
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Food forest takes root
Kerryn Wildenburg has planted the seed for a permaculture ‘Food Forest’ in Kyneton. She is donating four acres of her own land to provide vulnerable community members with a place where they can learn to grow and cook nutritious food. “Food brings people together. It allows connection, and builds relationships and sustainable change. We want…
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Locals react to Baringhup solar farm approval
A Baringhup farmer has criticised the failure of the state planning minister to inform objectors that a solar farm has been approved for the area in recent days. Long-time local Peter Baker was among multiple residents who had formally objected to the solar farm proposed for a 230-hectare site at Baringhup West Road – and…