by Ernie Harbott

I was organised enough to attend two life changing conferences down south in 2024. In March I attended RayGenerate in Ballan in Victoria. And last week, I made the trek down to the peaceful Huon Valley in Tasmania to make some noise at Grounded. Matthew Evans was inspired by the UK’s Groundswell to hold a world class conference, an informative field day and a cracking food festival all in one, at his property Fat Pig Farm. And he delivered.

The sun shone, the bees buzzed, and the soil was soft underfoot (yes! soil, not dirt!). The venue was as warm and welcoming as the hosts. Over two days, the presenters pumped out back-to-back talks, discussions and demonstrations on farm. Pioneers in their fields came from all over Tassie, Australia and the world to talk regenerative farming, food systems and soil. Topics close to the heart of this soil sister, but in fact, the event serendipitously brought together three soil sisters!

After a long walk down the hill from the farm restaurant, conference goers were greeted by artisanal local food vendors, three speakers’ tents, a demonstration field and a walkshop shed, all slotted in between features of the farm such as sheds turned into a milk bar or book store, and compost bays turned into urinals. Farmers learn better from other farmers on farm. And so that’s where we found ourselves for two jam packed days of heartfelt stories and lessons.

The three speakers’ tents featured non-stop presentations simultaneously all day. Despite stiff competition from overseas presenters, I thought the two best speakers were Chris Eggert (an organic dairy farmer from Wauchope, NSW)  who spoke so much from his heart about wanting to change the food system and save the soil for his kids, and Will Bignell (a sheep farmer from Bothwell, Tas) who has manically achieved everything you could possibly imagine including a PhD, running a business and farming, and spoke of the importance of self-care. The discussion I enjoyed the most was between Helen Rebanks (UK farmer, business woman, teacher, mother and author of “The Farmer’s Wife”) and Rachael Treasure (Tassie local, regenerative farmer, volunteer, mother, comedian and author of “The Farmer’s Wife”) which dug deeply into the pressures of being the farmer’s wife and the farm’s wife, but still made us laugh. I learnt a lot from both of the walkshops I participated in, one teaching us quick and dirty soil health checks with Fiona George, the other an insect safari with Shasta Henry. And I feel like Felice Jacka (nutritional psychiatry researcher) deserves a special mention. She was the mother figure of the event, literally bringing people together to create partnerships between those that identified issues with those that could provide solutions. Watching her be so proactive, determined to move people forward towards tangible actions was really inspiring.

The best thing about the event was that I got to speak face to face, one on one, with all of those people and many more. It was the opportunity of a lifetime to network with likeminded people. To chew the fat with farmers and experts who don’t usually get off their farms or out of their fields. Good people got together and things you couldn’t have imagined happened that will probably affect the rest of my life, not least of which, rethinking things and considering new ideas I can apply to my life. The event had me completely at ease, a place where I could feel comfortable and safe, to open my mind and be pushed out of my comfort zone, to get in there and mix with people I would not normally be able to meet. But I didn’t just connect with smart people, I made friends with them. Everyone was so genuine and gracious. It made me feel very hopeful and optimistic.

I loved is how the local community pulled together to make it happen. Opening their homes to accommodate guest speakers, supplying gear and lending a hand. My friend Rachael Treasure, a local regen ag writer, dropped the portaloos off herself the day before festivities. Charlie Arnott, a regenerative farmer, podcaster and larrikan, directed traffic in the carpark. Kirsten Bradley, permaculture educator and farmer, welcomed visitors and handed out maps. And when I got a migraine at the end of the first day, I was well taken care of by staff, including Matthew Evans, the host of Grounded. Luckily it was not all I became known for at the event – a number of guests were wearing my compost passion t-shirts for World Soil Day, the second day of the event, including Matthew himself.