The Dirt — Tasmanian Farming News January 2025
Welcome to the January 2025 edition of our monthly newsletter, The Dirt. Get the latest Tasmanian farming news from our community and beyond!
CEO UPDATE
Happy New Year to everyone!
The ship is now back to being a solo crew, but only for a short time, as we are in the recruitment phase of finding new staff to bring on board as part of our Sprout Team!
I am reading a wonderful book at the moment, which I thought I would share with you, as I think there are some incredible take homes for all of us, regardless of circumstance.
Leadership is a Relationship – How to put people first in a Digital World by Michael S.Erwin and Willys DeVoll.
Now stay with me, I know the title might throw you off, if you don’t consider yourself in a traditional leadership role, but this book is all about building the foundations of strong human connections, and this is so fundamental for all of us to work on.
This book reminds me that it is our connection with people that matters most. We cannot let the digital era damage this pillar of successful communities.
I feel privileged to work with all of you, as I know you too value the connections you make with farmers, customers and suppliers. I feel it when I meet people through my Sprout work, and I LOVE it.
So, for 2025, the challenge I have for myself, and perhaps for you too, is to work on being a present and responsive person, who works on the personal connections with those around me.
I can’t wait for this year! Thanks for being a part of it, and for doing what you do.
Jen
Growing Good – A Night of Celebration and Success
It’s been a month since Growing Good, and what a huge success it was! The evening was filled with delicious food, inspiring conversations, and a shared commitment to nurturing our farming communities. We’re deeply grateful to everyone who contributed their time, talents, and generosity to make this event unforgettable, with special thanks to the team at Restaurant Maria, to Laura Dyba, and to our four chefs – Stephen Peak, Lilly Trewartha, Christian Ryan, and Tom Westcott.
Thanks to the incredible support of our attendees, chefs, volunteers, and silent auction participants, we raised over $23,000 in funds, which is an incredible amount!
This incredible achievement is a testament to the collective passion for supporting Tasmania’s small-scale farmers. These funds will be directly invested in vital advocacy efforts, being a collective voice for the small-scale farming sector, to enable them to thrive and contribute to a resilient and sustainable agricultural sector in our state.
At Sprout, we believe that real change starts with community, and your generosity demonstrates the strength of this shared commitment. Not only did we meet our fundraising goals but we also inspired others to join the cause, amplifying the impact of our work.
Thank you to everyone involved for supporting the Growing Good event and for standing with us in championing Tasmania’s agricultural future. Together, we are making a difference—one farm, one farmer, and one community at a time.
Cross Pollinate 2025!
Our annual conference is coming again for this year, and we wanted to be sure you save the date for Sunday 22nd June.
We are lucky enough to be working with the amazing crew at the Moonah Arts Centre again.
Stay tuned for details later in the year, but as a teaser you can expect a year in the life of farming, with speakers and group discussions taking us through the seasons.
Interested in sitting on our board?
We are seeking two more values aligned, legendary individuals to join our volunteer board here at Sprout.
If you are interested, please send your CV and cover letter via email to our Board Chair – kateplaschke@sprout.org.au
Livestock processing project
Our farmer survey is still live until Sunday 19th January.
We have had over 120 responses to far, which is fantastic, but we would love to hear from even more farmers.
Please share this email with anyone you think may be interested to take the time to tell us their experience.
Remember, this survey is for;
- those who are already processing and selling their meat, using a service-kill abattoir.
- those who would like to explore selling their meat but haven’t ventured down this road yet.
- those who are currently using home-kill services who are looking to move towards selling their product in the future.
This survey does not include farmers who are selling their livestock through an agent, or direct to an abattoir and have no intention of changing this business model.
We have also been busy having conversations with abattoirs, butchers and transport operators, to build a comprehensive picture of the full supply chain.
Our report will be released in March 2025.
If you have any thoughts, or ideas of who you think we should speak to in relation to this project, please get in touch with Jen via email – jennifer@sprout.org.au
Grassroots Festival – February 2025
12th, 13th and 14th February – Montumana, NW Tassie.
Grassroots Festival is an immersive Tasmanian Sustainable Farming Festival hosted by Gunningham Family Farms in North West Tasmania. With diverse workshops, interactive demonstrations and expert led sessions.
The first Grassroots Festival in February 2024 was a great success. We are super excited to announce to be back with another Grassroots festival in 2025! Once again the two day event will be covering a range of topics including, soil health, alternative and diverse pasture species, livestock health, farm forestry, financial health, farmers stories, carbon and renewable energy.
Sprout will be there on the 13th as a stallholder, so grab a ticket and come along and say hi.
Calling all market gardeners / Vegetable pricing survey
We had an update on the survey of retail vegetable prices in our December newsletter, yet the email address was incorrect – so just a quick update –
Send an email to Christie (veggies@oldorchardfarm.com.au) or Briony (fatcarrotfarm@gmail.com) if you’re interested in participating or would like to know more.
Next gen wannabe farmer – looking for farmers to interview.
Meet Chilli Donela! An awesome human we had the pleasure of meeting at the recent Grounded Australia festival in Glaziers Bay.
Chilli is a determined, dedicated, aspiring farmer who is keen to learn through interviewing farmers and telling their stories on her YouTube channel. Chilli is well aware of the challenges for those wanting to enter farming without the means of acquiring land, and so has taken matters into her own hands. We love that!!! You’ve got this!!!
Please get in touch with Chilli if you are keen for her to visit your farm and share your story.
It’s young people like this that give us the tingles!! As they are the future of our food and farming systems! Let’s get behind Chilli!
Find her channel here and get in touch.
Good luck Chilli, we look forward to staying connected and following you into the future.
We hope the year has started with a positive vibe for you, and wish you an awesome 2025!!
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.