S3 Ep 23 - Hillside Food Forest

Australian Farmers: Telling Our Story

No farming background? No worries. That’s the attitude one young couple from NSW is taking in their unique business. After purchasing a mountainous, overgrazed and neglected 100-acre property in Putty, just a couple of hours outside Sydney, they are on a steep learning curve. And they’re pulling it off beautifully, producing cattle, pigs and chickens with regenerative agriculture at the heart of what they do. To learn more, the owners of Hillside Food Forest, Sam Rayment and Liz Ferrone are here to discuss.

• Sam and Liz’s favorite place since they moved to their farm in February 2021
• With no farming experience Sam shares how and why they ended up purchasing this land and becoming farmers.
• Previously, they lived on Sydney’s northern beaches with a couple of chickens and an aquaponics system, which led them down this pathway.
• So, where did they begin and how did they learn how to produce animals?
• Turning an old block of land which was neglected, into a functional farm.
• Sam and Liz started with cattle then added in, pigs and chickens.
• Sam and Liz, from the start, wanted to use a regenerative method and share what this involves.
• As Liz has a background in dietetics, the quality of what they are producing has been of the highest priority.
• Selling direct to consumer has been a game changer for Sam and Liz, and they share how it has been received by the local community.
• What Sam and Liz love most about their new life on the land.
• The most unexpected thing to happen so far.
• A common misconception about who is the ‘farmer’.
• Their ultimate dream for the future of the farm.

We hope to see you back on the road soon, to learn more about how Australia grows on the next episode of Australian Farmers with Angie Asimus.

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