They spend big, show up with passion and add a new face to the local gossip network — but they can also be a challenge.
Murrindindi Shire is a picturesque rural shire 40 km from the outskirts of Melbourne.
In an effort to combat rural land going to waste under the absent eye of city-dwelling owners, local Landcare volunteers have teamed up to launch ‘Farmer Wants A Field’.
Upper Goulburn Landcare Network project co-ordinator Cat Thomas said the idea was only just off the ground but was already fielding expressions of interest.
“We are trying to match-make farmers with land,” Ms Thomas said.
“We’ve had a few people interested because they are city-dwellers moving out to the country and they want to get a start, plus farmers looking for land to agist stock.”
The ‘matchmaking’ service was inspired by a local family who operate across four farms in the Alexandra and Yea area but don’t own any of them.
“They started on one and people kept saying, ‘I love what you’re doing, can you do it on my property?’,” Ms Thomas said.
“They are able to make land more productive and they look after it just beautifully.”
She said Farmer Wants A Field was 100 per cent focused on regenerative agriculture, which was more work but gave you a better overall farm.
“We find for new residents their first port of call is the real estate agent they bought the property off, which are your Nutrien Ags and such.
“This leads them straight into conventional farming, not regenerative ag, which is a real shame because we know conventional is not working.”
Murrindindi Shire encompasses the areas of Yea, Alexandra and Buxton and is sandwiched between the Yarra Ranges and the edges of the Alpine National Park.
The area has experienced huge climbs in rural land prices, placing pressure on a lot of young farmers who can’t afford to outbid retiring Melbourne workers for property.
Landcare hopes Farmer Wants A Field will help these farmers get a start and lower the barriers to a career in agriculture.
The Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority-funded project will act as a case study and, if successful, could be replicated across the country.
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