S3 Ep 24 - The Berry Dairy

11/23/24 • 25 min

Pastures are already pretty green in New Zealand, but this newly married couple wanted to find something extra special. They landed on Gippsland in Victoria where dairy farming became their main source of income, but they value added, bringing in a pick your own strawberry patch, on-farm café, petting zoo and playground. If it all sounds very family friendly, it’s because Nicole and Brendan Saunders know a thing or two about kids, having four of their own. Nicole from The Berry Dairy joins me to discuss:

Moving from New Zealand to have a better life here in Australia.
Nicole shares her favourite place on her farm.
In 2018, Nicole and Brendan were newly married and she shares why they decided to move to Australia.
Brendan grew up on a dairy farm and Nicole is also a generational dairy farmer.
Diversifying into agritourism and the beginnings of ‘The Berry Dairy’.
The range of people they see coming through and what to expect on a family-friendly day out.
As well as strawberry picking, customers can have a meal at their on-farm café where 90% of the produce is locally sourced.
This model has earned them some impressive awards and, the response they have received.
The highs and lows of the last 12 months and Nicole’s openness when it comes to the struggles.
Strawberries, although generally seasonal have been growing almost all year round.
What Nicole loves most about life on the land.
A common misconception about farmers.
The most unexpected thing to happen since starting.
Nicole's ultimate dream for the future of The Berry Dairy.

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.

Links: Angie Asimus Connect with @angieasimus on Instagram Partnered with Australian Farmers Follow @australianfarmers on Instagram The Berry Dairy Produced by Pretty Podcasts

Moving from New Zealand to have a better life here in Australia.
Nicole shares her favourite place on her farm.
In 2018, Nicole and Brendan were newly married and she shares why they decided to move to Australia.
Brendan grew up on a dairy farm and Nicole is also a generational dairy farmer.
Diversifying into agritourism and the beginnings of ‘The Berry Dairy’.
The range of people they see coming through and what to expect on a family-friendly day out.
As well as strawberry picking, customers can have a meal at their on-farm café where 90% of the produce is locally sourced.
This model has earned them some impressive awards and, the response they have received.
The highs and lows of the last 12 months and Nicole’s openness when it comes to the struggles.
Strawberries, although generally seasonal have been growing almost all year round.
What Nicole loves most about life on the land.
A common misconception about farmers.
The most unexpected thing to happen since starting.
Nicole's ultimate dream for the future of The Berry Dairy.

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.

Links: Angie Asimus Connect with @angieasimus on Instagram Partnered with Australian Farmers Follow @australianfarmers on Instagram The Berry Dairy Produced by Pretty Podcasts

Previous Episode

S3 Ep 23 - Hillside Food Forest

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.

Links:

Angie Asimus

Connect with @angieasimus on Instagram

Partnered with Australian Farmers

Follow @australianfarmers on Instagram

Produced by Pretty Podcasts

Next Episode

S3 Ep 25 - Red Tractor Designs

Life on the land is often picturesque - picture worthy even. So, when a former visual arts teacher moves to a farm in beautiful Mudgee in NSW, you can imagine there would be a fair bit of creativity going on. It started with a few pictures on greetings cards for the local markets. Now, her artwork has gained a loyal following of art lovers around the nation. Rachael Flynn of Red Tractor Designs joins me now to discuss:

Rachael lives on a gorgeous property in Mudgee New South Wales, and shares her greatest inspiration.
As a visual arts teacher, Racheal has a creative side which she has used to start imitating rural life with her art.
In the beginning, Rachael focused on typical farming scenes like wheat harvest, shearing and mustering.
The evolution from landscape artwork and maps, to farm animal based character artwork.
The range of products Rachael offers for anyone who’d like to own a little piece of life on the land for themselves.
Rachael’s most recent major production line has been in affiliation with Nepal to sponsor local disadvantaged women.
They type of clientele who are buying these products and how this has shifted over the years.
Rachael’s favourite aspect of country life to paint and design.
The most unexpected thing to happen since starting the business.
Rachael’s ultimate dream for the future for Red Tractor Designs

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.

Links:

Angie Asimus

Connect with @angieasimus on Instagram

Partnered with Australian Farmers

Follow @australianfarmers on Instagram

Red Tractor Designs Artwork by Rachael Flynn

Follow @redtractordesigns on Instagram

Produced by Pretty Podcasts