The Dirt — Tasmanian Farming News February 2026
Welcome to the February 2026 edition of our monthly newsletter, The Dirt. Get the latest Tasmanian farming news from our community and beyond!
Welcome to 2026 at Sprout.
This year marks an important period of transition and transformation for Sprout Tasmania. We’re taking a careful look at how we use our time, energy and resources, and how we can grow stronger by focusing on what creates the greatest impact for our community of farmers and food producers.
Advocacy and education remain at the heart of everything we do, and that won’t change. But alongside this, we’re sharpening our focus — leaning into the work we do well, being more intentional with our capacity, and seeking out new ways to sustain Sprout for the long term. Toward the end of 2025 we began reshaping our membership model, and this year we’ll continue that shift as we move toward becoming a truly member-led organisation.
Growing better means growing together. Throughout the year, we’ll be inviting our community to play a more active role in strengthening Sprout — whether that’s through ideas, skills, connections, or direct support. If there’s something you know well, care deeply about, or think Sprout should be paying attention to, we want to hear from you.
Thank you for being part of this journey with us. We’re excited about what’s ahead, and grateful to be building it alongside such a committed and thoughtful community.
Warmly,
The Sprout Tasmania team
IN Our Paddock
🎉 2025 Sprout Producer of the Year
We’re proud to congratulate Josh Hall of Resonate Farm, our 2025 Sprout Producer of the Year.
Josh’s work reflects the values at the heart of Sprout — care for land, commitment to community, and a strong belief in the importance of local food. Through persistence, generosity, and a focus on quality, he has built a farming practice that not only feeds people well, but also supports and encourages other growers across the region.
The past few years have brought real challenges, and Josh’s determination in the face of setbacks is a powerful reminder of the resilience required to farm with integrity. This award recognises that perseverance, and the leadership shown through action.
As part of the award, Josh joined Tony Briscoe for a candid interview, sharing his journey, the realities of small-scale production, and what continues to drive his work. We encourage you to have a listen via the button below.
Congratulations, Josh — and thank you for the contribution you make to Tasmania’s food community.
🌱 Update on horticulture food safety regulations
The public consultation on Tasmania’s proposed Primary Produce Safety (Horticulture Produce) Regulations has now closed. Following sustained concern from growers across the leafy greens, berries and melons sectors, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) has updated its position to acknowledge that a tiered regulatory model is necessary — one that scales requirements according to risk and volume of production.
This represents an important shift away from a one-size-fits-all approach that would have placed disproportionate regulatory and cost burdens on small and diverse producers. The updated consultation materials now explicitly reference small producers and recognise the need for practical, scale-appropriate pathways to compliance.
Sprout Tasmania has consistently advocated for this outcome, drawing on feedback from producers through surveys, webinars, direct conversations and formal submissions. The acknowledgment of tiering reflects the collective voice of growers and the lived realities of farming at different scales.
While consultation has closed, the regulations are not yet finalised. Sprout will continue to engage with government as the regulatory framework is refined, with a focus on ensuring food safety outcomes are achieved without undermining farm viability, diversity, or local food security. We will keep members informed as further clarity emerges on implementation, timelines and support for producers.
🧭 Help shape Sprout’s direction
Recently, the Sprout Board came together for a strategy planning day to take a good, honest look at where we’re at — what we’ve been doing well, what’s working for our community, and where we can improve.
We reflected on our strengths, the opportunities ahead, and how we can best position Sprout to support small producers and local food into the future. Following this, Sprout staff have added their insights, and now we’d really value hearing from you.
We’ve created a very short, 4-question survey and would love your input to help guide our next steps.
👉 Have your say via the survey link below
forms.gle/G7bW88T1HoGaJ7v77
🌱 Why your Sprout membership matters — and why now is the moment to join
For 14 years, Sprout has stood beside small producers — listening, learning, advocating and showing up where it counts. What began as an idea has grown into a statewide voice that is now recognised across industry and government as the home of small-scale producers in Tasmania. When legislation changes, when policy is drafted, when decisions affecting growers are being made — Sprout is in the room, representing you.
We’ve reached this point because producers have trusted us, shared their experiences, and backed the work we do. And now we’re taking the next step — a truly member-led model where producers and supporters help shape Sprout’s direction and impact.
To do that sustainably, we’ve introduced a new pay-what-you-can monthly membership.
No more set annual fee — just a contribution that reflects what you can manage, month by month, while still strengthening Sprout’s ability to:
- advocate for scale-appropriate regulation and fair market access,
- deliver training, workshops and practical resources,
- build community and connection across farms and regions, and
- elevate the visibility and value of small producers across Tasmania.
Because when small producers thrive, so do communities, local food systems and our shared environment.
Whether you’re a grower, an ally of growers, someone who eats local food, a hospitality powerhouse, or simply someone who wants to see Tasmanian producers flourish — your membership makes a tangible difference.
👉 Active annual memberships will expire at the end of their term — but you don’t need to wait. You can switch to the new monthly system today and help secure Sprout’s future now.
We’d love to have you with us for the next chapter.
Your Community
🍎 Turning waste into opportunity — workshop + report release
We’re pleased to share an exciting opportunity for growers and makers interested in finding value in what might otherwise go to waste.
FermentHQ is hosting a workshop that coincides with the release of their Fruit Waste Report, which explores the huge potential in turning out-of-spec fruit and other waste streams into high-value products. The event will include insights from growers and makers who have already created opportunities from their own waste challenges — and there’ll be a light lunch provided.
Whether you’re interested in diversification, value-adding, creative processing or just curious about new on-farm opportunities, this session offers practical ideas and real stories from people doing it.
Here at Sprout we LOVE supporting initiatives that help producers make the most of their resources — and we encourage you to check this one out!
🌾 Study opportunity: Agribusiness in 2026
The University of Tasmania is offering an Undergraduate Certificate in Agribusiness in 2026, with a 100% HECS tuition fee scholarship available for eligible domestic students. This means students who complete the course in 2026 can do so without tuition fees.
The course is fully online and designed to be flexible for people working on farms, in ag services, or in regional communities. It consists of four units and provides a practical introduction to agribusiness study, with the option to progress into a Diploma of Agribusiness with full credit.
If you’re interested in building skills, exploring study, or know someone who might benefit, you can find more details via the link below.
🌱 A new strategic plan for Tasmanian agriculture
The Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) has released its Strategic Plan 2026–2031, outlining priorities for research, education and industry collaboration to support a strong and resilient agricultural sector across the state.
The plan highlights a growing emphasis on sustainable productivity, climate and biosecurity resilience, and practical on-farm outcomes. It also reflects continued interest in approaches such as regenerative agriculture, soil health, water stewardship and landscape-scale thinking — areas that are becoming increasingly important to long-term farm viability.
For those exploring or working with practices like cover cropping, rotational grazing, diversified systems or other regenerative techniques, this strategy signals ongoing support for research and education that connects innovation with real-world application.
We’ll continue to follow how this plan is rolled out and share relevant opportunities as they emerge, and we’re genuinely excited by the direction it sets — one that values practical knowledge, long-term thinking and collaboration between researchers, growers and communities across Tasmania.
🌾 Celebrating excellence in Australian agriculture
We’re excited to share that a new national awards program — the Australian Agriculture Awards — has been launched by ACM Agri and the National Farmers’ Federation to recognise outstanding leadership, innovation and resilience across our industry. Supported by Nutrien Ag Solutions and Westpac, the initiative celebrates people and enterprises making a real difference in areas like sustainability, wellbeing, next-generation leadership and innovation.
Winners will be selected at state-level before progressing to a national gala event in Canberra in November 2026, where Australia’s Agricultural Medalist will be announced.
This is a great opportunity to acknowledge the stories and achievements of growers, producers and community leaders who are contributing to a stronger, more resilient food and farming system — including right here in Tasmania.
👉 Nominations are open now — find out more or submit a nomination through the awards website.
That’s it for our Tasmanian Farming News this month. As ever, do get in touch if you have any questions or issues. We’re always here to help.
Thanks as always,
The Sprout Team.