Welcome to our farm! Our family (me, my husband, little girl and baby) have a medium-sized farm in Gippsland, Victoria. Our farm is rain-fed rather than irrigated and has been in the family for generations. We love our farm and cows. We hope this blog helps other Aussies get a taste of life on the land.
Please let me know what you think and ask as many questions as you like.
Marian Macdonald
(yes, I know, ee-i-ee-i-o)
Great work, this should help to dispell some of the myths of us dairfarmers. Keep up the good work, from a wet dorrigo
Thanks Julie!
Marian,
just had to post and say thankyou for your fantastic blog. I teach Agriculture and Home Economics in QLD, and your insight into dairy farming is so valuable to help explain why good food should never just be seen as a cheap and readily available right in this country. Keep up the fabulous work – farmers need to tell their story! Thank you again.
I really appreciate that comment, Lisa. It’s hard to know who I’m writing for and what matters to them.
Hi Marian. Congratulations on your initiative to try to educate people what you do and how you do things each day. There are many many city dwellers who understand what you and all our other great farmers are doing for us, yet there is the majority that has no idea. Part of this is due to the fact they simply aren’t exposed to anything at all related to farms or farming. And that is why my concept for the home of Australian Agriculture and food in Sydney known as The Australian Farm and Food Experience will be linked to the school curriculum and then children, tourists, and the community will be able to come for excursions and day trips to see the whole production line under one roof for each agricultural enterprise.
Sounds really interesting, Gary! When will it be open?
Hi Marion,
Just needed to say that what your doing is fantastic. I live on a small farm myself and work in the city. So many of the people I work with wouldn’t have the first clue about what actually takes place on a farm and where their food, milk, meat and leather etc comes from.
I have A sister in the city too and her whole family, even with us up on the farm, are in my opinion dangerously naive about the way it all works.
As Joel Salatin from “Food Inc” says, something as intimate as what you put in your mouth is becoming so complicated and far removed from the way it should be it’s just wrong.
Keep up the good work, we’ll educate them one at a time!
Kindest Regards,
Penelope
Hi Marian, did you see Landline’s story on social media today. Someone’s also set up a new facebook group ‘Farming is the new black’ (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Farming-is-the-New-Black/125826837512511?sk=wall ). Thought you might be interested. PS like the Weekly Times story the other week. Hope yr well. cheers m./
Read about your blog in the Weekly Times and think it is a wonderful initiative. On Landline this week there was a section on a young couple from the US speaking to the live export trade farmers in the Northern Territory (?) abouth the power of social networking as a tool to positively inform city folk about how their food is produced. I do not know how to blog but would like to set one up about how I rear and fatten my beef heifers which are grass fed here near Bena in Gippsland and how I have revegetated all my waterways and steep land etc. Oh, well keep up the good work and I hope the goat found a home. regards Libby
We are farmers/graziers on the Central tablelands NSW and would love your thoughts on our blog http://www.ktsfarmlife.blogspot.com Passion for farming, fuelled the site, target audience is infant/primary age children and is written from a 4year olds perspective of what happens down on the farm and have been emailing intro letter and details of site to Sydney based public schools and have a small contingent of followers.
Once again love your thoughts?
KT
I love it! What a clever idea!
I’ve tweeted a link and will put it up on Facebook too. You should also get in contact with these guys: http://www.dairyyouthaustralia.com.au/, who have led the way in connecting with schools.
Hey Guys/Gals and cows
My name is Dave Curwain and I worked on dairy farms since coming out of high school. I previously worked for Jack Patton of Berry’s creek in south Gippsland for roughly 2-3 years and before that I worked for a couple of farms just doing either milkings or stayed and went, these were Andrew Lamers of Leongatha South and Garry Pocklingten of Mardan. The first farm I ever worked on was Scott and Suzanne Wightman of Nicholls Rd. in Mardan and that is where i learnt everything I know today. As you may or may not know, they are one of/the biggest producers of organic milk in south Gippsland, their label name is “True Organic”, I must say that I am proud to have know that area and the people there but more so the techniques used in the approach to sustainable and environmentally friendly dairy farming practices. I have, within the last 1.5 years moved out of Vic. and gone to the city life (Canberra A.C.T) pursuing my I.T career. I stumbled across your blog and love hearing of the news that happens down that way! I miss certain aspects of it all and when I hear others’ stories I picture myself in their shoes, looking out towards the unforgettable sunsets of 4:30am-9:45am (Depending on daylight savings or not lol). Cheers guys, hope to hear more soon. Dave.
great site where did you get your troughs made?
http://milkmaidmarian.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/trough.jpg
Thanks David – we got these fantastically enormous troughs via our local Murray Goulburn trading store but they come from a firm on the Mornington Peninsula.
Thanks for the visit! Great blog you have here. Yes, Gippsland is the best
Love seeing rural Australian’s blogging and sharing their stories. Glad to have found your blog. http://www.norrisaroundaustralia.com
Great blog! very topical in light of the issues with milk prices, but also just a fabulous insight into life on the land.
Thanks L.A.! Please do let me know if there’s anything you’d especially like to read more about.
General Comment: Hi Marian, If think you have achieved more for the dairy industry lately than in the previous 10 years (I love thus auto spell check) so keep up the good work.
Why, thank you, Richard!
Hi Marian,
I stumbled over your blog whilst on Google and I’m so glad I did. I love the way you can communicate the day to day life of a dairy farmer so easily and in such a reader friendly way. It seems to me that a lot of the points of view held in opposition to farming practices by ‘Non-Farm’ people are down to a lack of communication and openness from the farming community. We need more people like yourselves who can articulately and interestingly put across the point of view of farmers to help break down the barriers.
On a lighter note, as a young person starting off in the Dairy industry it’s brilliant to read and relate to so much that you write about. I have recently started my own blog, to document my thoughts, opinions and experiences on life on and off the farm. I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t mind taking a few minutes to have a look at it.
http://travellingyoungfarmer.wordpress.com/
Hope all is well on the farm, let’s hope for some rain soon eh? (I’m currently on a farm in Northern Victoria, and although we’re irrigated, we wouldn’t mind a few mls)
Take care
Jake