The Dirt – AUGUST 2024
Welcome to the August 2024 edition of our monthly newsletter, The Dirt, where we dish the dirt on the latest comings and goings of Sprout Tasmania.
in our paddock
Changes to Horticultural Food Standards
As you may be aware, there have been new standards written in relation to food safety in the areas of sprout, berries, leafy green vegetables and melons. These will come into effect on 25th February 2025. These standards apply to any food producers (that’s farmers) and any food processor (for many of you, who carry out the full supply chain from growing, harvesting, washing, packing, transporting and selling; that’s you too).
Each state is required to work out how they will legislate and implement the new standards based on their unique context and industry requirements. The section of the Tasmanian State Government that takes carriage of this is the Product Integrity Branch within Biosecurity Tasmania (BT).
Back in 2023, Sprout reached out to the team there to let them know we would be very keen to be a part of any discussions about the new standards to provide feedback from the small-scale farming sector, to ensure implementation did not adversely impact growers at this scale. We had assurance that BT would be keen to engage with industry and they would be in touch when the time was right.
We caught up again last week with BT, and we have been given a snapshot of the process from here:
- BT need to gain internal approvals to go ahead with the consultation process, this is being sought now and will be provided in the coming weeks.
- BT will then draft regulations, with the view to going through an intensive industry consultation process. This will happen in the coming months.
They are very aware that they do not want to put unnecessary administrative burdens onto any farming business, and will take a practical approach to aligning any implementation requirements with the level of risk associated with an activity or business. It will be all about you (as the food producer and processor) demonstrating you are undertaking an activity safely and you have identified risks and you are taking steps to mitigate them.
Are you our next treasurer?
A quick reminder that we will soon be saying goodbye to Frank Barta, and we are now seeking someone to replace him on the Sprout board in the role of Treasurer.
The position is voluntary and the Treasurer’s primary objective is to assist in meeting the board’s financial obligations in overseeing the operations of Sprout Tasmania. A commitment to being involved in all aspects of representing a not-for-profit organisation is a must, as is an alignment with the vision and mission of Sprout.
We ask for anyone interested to send their CV and cover letter through to info@sprout.org.au – a full position description can be sent on request.
Sprout Producer Program News
At Sprout, we never stay still, and are always looking for ways to ensure we’re relevant and positioned to make the most impact.
And so, you won’t be surprised to hear that we have been working hard at evolving the Sprout Producer Program for 2025. We are fine tuning the personal, business and community development that the program aims to achieve and are also upping the ante on how we deliver education, networking, and peer-to-peer learning.
Stay tuned for some exciting announcements in the coming weeks, as well as information on how you can be involved in the 2025 Sprout Producer Program. It’s shaping up to be a huge year!
SPP 2024 producer feature – Preston Ridge Free Range
At the top of the water source, on an island at the bottom of the world is a little place called Preston. It’s here, that farmers David and Stella dedicate themselves to free-range farming.
David and Stella are passionate about animals and nature. They aim to live “with” the land rather than just “on” it and live as close to nature as possible.
The Preston Ridge Free Range brand showcases the livestock and the land on which they live, together. At Preston Ridge Farm their pigs, sheep and cattle forage freely over 140 acres of lush, fertile farmland with access to clean spring-fed waterways. They live the natural way, and the result tastes better because of it.
This brand tells the story, highlights the way they live and the place they come from. Preston Ridge livestock roam the expansive fields as they please, helping themselves to fresh, nutritional and tasty pasture with outdoor access 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Preston Ridge sell their meat direct to the customer, at Devonport and Deloraine Farmers Markets and through the Tasmanian Produce Collective.
You can find details of all this year’s participants here.
And information on all the SPP alumni here.
Your Community
Positions Vacant – Farm My School, and Goulds Natural Medicine
There are a couple of positions vacant that recently caught our eye. Close to home, Goulds Natural Medicine are seeking an Organic Farm Team Leader. This opportunity exists for a capable person to join their Farm Team in Allens Rivulet, to help them grow the medicinal herbs that they use in all areas of their natural medicine business. For more details head here.
Slightly further afield, on the Bellarine Peninsula in VIC, our good friends at Farm My School are looking for a passionate professional farmer to establish a standard of excellence in farming, production, and management of the farm and it’s produce. This is such an exciting opportunity to work on a project that has so much potential. For all the details head here. 
Pop-Up Biochar Shop – Sunday 18th August – Mornington
In 2017 The New Black Biochar crowdfunded a biochar kiln.
They used the money raised back then to start the project, and Bodie and his team at Dovetail Timbers have continued working on the pyrolysis rig when time and funds allow. Self funded projects like this mean slow and steady progress!
The good news is that the rig is now running well, and the team have recently conducted some burns over 24-36 hours. This is a big milestone for them, knowing we can reliably supply large volumes of high quality biochar on demand.
To celebrate, they’re launching an online shop where you can buy their beautiful, fine, hardwood sawdust biochar, and collect it at the Pop-Up shop in Mornington in August.
How it works
You pop on over to the web shop https://thenewblackbiochar.com.au/shop/ and peruse the offerings. You select and buy what you are after, and they’ll take it to the Pop-Up on Sunday 18th August for you to collect.
They don’t have other delivery or shipping options at this stage (unless you are after a truckload, and if you are, get in touch!). In the coming months they’ll have distributors around Tassie, but for now, the way to get your hands on biochar is through the web shop and pop-ups.
Time and place for August Pop-Up
Sunday August 18th, from 12.30 – 2.30 pm
Best Mix Garden Supplies
124 Mornington Road, Mornington
The collection window is fairly tight, just 2 hours, so they’ll have your orders all ready to go. Don’t come late or you’ll miss out and the yard will be closed.
Small Business Advice and Financial Guidance Program
Last month we highlighted that Round Four of the Small Business Advice and Financial Guidance Program recently opened for applications.
This program provides eligible small businesses with access to specialist financial services or business support to assist in their growth, and we wanted to highlight one of the services where this funding can be used.
At Sprout, we’re big fans of Bonnie Tuttle – she has provided us with expert strategic support and she is well versed in providing business advice in the ag space. So if you’re considering applying for this program, do consider reaching out to Bonnie to chat about how she could help. You can get to know her better over a Zoom call by booking here.
Enabling Business Grant Program opening in October
The Enabling Business Grant Program, which is the second round of the Small Business
Growth Strategy Grant Program, will be opening on Tuesday, 29 October 2024. Aiming to support Tasmanian businesses to grow, adapt and innovate, this program will provide grants of between $2,500 and $10,000 for capital purchases that align to the enabling business and technology themes of the Small Business Growth Strategy 2026.
All successful applicants will be required to provide a cash contribution of at least 30 per cent towards the total purchase cost. The total value of the proposed purchase/s must not exceed $50,000, including GST.
Yes, October is a fair way off, but it’s good to be prepared! The program guidelines have been made available in advance of the program opening to provide applicants plenty of time to review the guidelines, consider their eligibility and identify the eligible capital purchases to include in an application. For more information visit the Business Tasmania website.
Case Studies Required to Understand Sustainable Finance
Farmers for Climate Action recently announced that Ernst and Young are seeking case studies to include in a report which aims to understand the cost and benefits of accessing sustainable finance.
Please reach out to FFCA at info@farmersforclimateaction.org.au if you are a farmer, or know of someone, who has:
Engaged in a sustainable farming projects or activities with sustainable finance (i.e., a green loan or sustainability linked loan); or
Have engaged in sustainable farming activities that would likely be eligible for sustainable finance.
The information for the case studies includes:
Detailed information on the actual costs and benefits for the farmer to undertake the project; and
Where appropriate, information on the loan terms (e.g. interest terms, loan size and lifetime) and the monitoring and reporting requirements.
Want to learn more about Tasmania’s mandatory rollout of sheep and goat eID?
Electronic identification devices (eID) for sheep and goats are an ear tag or a leg band, that contains radio frequency identification (RFID) technology.
Mandatory eID for sheep and goats will be a requirement in Tasmania after 1 January 2025. All sheep and goats born on and from this date will need a National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) accredited eID device fitted before they leave the property.
eID’s are not just for producers of sheep and goats. Once implemented in Tasmania, the new requirements will apply even if you own only a few backyard animals.
If this affects you, and you’d like to know more, read the first of NRE’s eID newsletters here.
National Varroa Mite Management Program
Training workshops are being offered to provide beekeepers with the latest information on Varroa mite and managing Varroa mite.
The FREE ONE DAY WORKSHOPS will provide information on:
- Understanding Varroa mite and its impact
- The importance of monitoring and treatment thresholds
- Integrated pest management and Varroa
- Chemical treatment options including organic options
- Brood location, frame rotation and management
- Best practice record keeping
Three workshops will be held in Tasmania:
- Launceston- Saturday 31 August, 9:00am- 3:00pm
- Hobart- Saturday 7 September, 9:00am- 3:00pm
- Devonport- Saturday 14 September, 9:00am- 3:00pm
You can register for the workshops here.
You can sign up to receive weekly stakeholder updates from the National Varroa Mite Management Program here.
2024 Nuffield Conference
This year’s Nuffield Conference will be taking place in Launceston. Tickets are still on sale, the even runs from the 2nd to the 4th of September and includes an awards dinner, regional tour and two conference days.
Building Strong Farm Teams
Resilient Farming Tasmania and Tasmanian Women in Agriculture have partnered to hold interactive People and Culture Workshops across Tasmania’s 3 agricultural regions that are FREE to attend for all farmers.
As well as getting your head around recent changes to workplace laws, the workshops will include strategies for improving communication, enhancing teamwork, and developing leadership within the farm team.
Presenters include:
Andrew Cameron (Primary Employers Tasmania): Get the best from your people
Stephen Hansen (Rural Business Tasmania): Succession Planning – Strategies that Work
Sally Murfet (Inspire Ag): Creating impact through effective communication
Lauren Harper (Rural Alive & Well): Strategies to make a difference with mental health and wellbeing
The People and Culture Workshops will be held in the following areas in August:
5 August 2024 (North) – Quercus Park, 415 Oaks Road Carrick 7291 (register here)
https://events.humanitix.com/save-the-date-people-and-culture-workshop-5-august-24
12 August 2024 (North-West) – The Watershed, 2A Old Bass Highway Wynyard 7325 (register here)
https://events.humanitix.com/people-and-culture-workshop-north-west-12-august-24
15 August 2024 (South) – UTas Farm, 701 Richmond Road Cambridge 7170 (register here)
https://events.humanitix.com/people-and-culture-workshop-south-15-august-24
Finally, what Ollie is reading, and what he will be reading very shortly…
Milk by Matthew Evans
Matthew needs very little introduction. By contrast, it appears that milk does!
Matthew’s deep dive into the world’s original superfood is fascinating, surprising, and important. While reading Milk I learnt so much about something I thought I knew, but clearly didn’t. From genetic mutations to a city without babies, from swill dairies to baby formula, and from Tassie devil milk to plant-based options, Milk was a fantastic read.
Broccoli & Other Love Stories by Paulette Whitney
And just as I finish Milk, Paulette’s first book ‘Broccoli & Other Love Stories’ is published. Such perfect timing!
Aside from the 12 books my Dad has published, it’s hard to remember a time when I’ve ever been so excited about a book launch (I know my Dad will be reading this, so I had to say that). Paulette’s deep, considered, passionate and skilled approach to growing and writing is something I’ve admired for many years, and I wanted to include an Instagram post she wrote just a couple of days ago to illustrate this:
Family.
Everything is related, connected and interdependent.
Relationships and commonalities shared between culinary plants are endlessly fascinating to me, and it really does help the cook and the kitchen gardener to understand them.
We awoke this morning to snow on the mountain and sleet falling on our garden, so I decided that since we have the fire on (and a lovely little new fire with an oven underneath it) to cook a ragu all day long.
Coming in from icy the garden I realised that I’d gathered three cousins – rosemary, thyme and sage – to flavour the dish. They’re all members of the mint family, Lamiaceae, along with the mint, lemon balm, pineapple and blackcurrant sage pictured here, lavender, hyssop, basil and many, many other plants with rich, aromatic compounds.
As well as having flavour and scents that it would be hard to do without, the Lamiaceae family shares plenty of physical traits that make them easy to recognise in the garden.
Square stems, bilaterally symmetrical flowers – often with large lower petals for pollinators to land on, leaves that sit opposite one another on the stem, or are arranged in whorls and seeds that form in groups of four and are often – annoyingly for seed savers – stubbornly difficult to extract. But once you recognise the seed of the basil you’re saving you then know how to look for your shiso, rosemary or lemon balm seeds.
We love hearing from you, so please drop us an email, contact us via our socials, or give us a call if you have feedback on anything mentioned in this month’s newsletter.
Thanks as always,
Jen and Ollie