Globally renowned author and farmer-food activist Matthew Evans will lead an inaugural farming event called GROUNDED, at his 70-acre Fat Pig Farm in Cygnet, Tasmania in December.
Evans, best known for his six-season TV show Gourmet Farmer and best-selling books Soil, On Eating Meat and the new Milk, has curated some of the world’s leading experts and voices in sustainable farming to talk about farming better.
GROUNDED is all about farming better; a conference crossed with a festival, with the event to be held on December 4 and 5. It will showcase over 30 great thinkers speaking on panels and giving demonstrations on farm, for farmers, organised by farmers.
Evans said: “We’ve created GROUNDED as a joyous, inclusive festival that brings a fresh approach to farmer learning. Our land stewards have a thirst for knowledge, and we’re aiming to give them practical advice, shared by farmers with farmers, in a convivial atmosphere.”
“We’ve been able to lure some of the best local and international names in great farming thinking down to our pretty little part of Tassie, people who want to share their knowledge and belief that no matter how long we’ve done things, we can always farm better.”
Speakers across the two days will cover over 40 topics as diverse as using fewer inputs, building resilience, getting more out of your land whilst improving soil health, increasing biodiversity, supporting farmer’s mental health, increasing income streams, landscape regeneration practices and principles and way more. There will also be ‘walkshops’ demonstrating soil health, cover crops, rotational grazing and how to make a native bee hotel to name a few.
International speakers include UK shepherds James and Helen Rebanks who have sold over 2.5 million books about their family’s multi century stewardship of land; Dan Kittredge, a US based organic vegetable grower and nutrient density researcher who has developed a handheld tool to measure the nutrient density of food; and Eat NZ founder Angela Clifford who specialises in (amongst other things) Maori empowerment in the food scene.
Local speakers include Indigenous fire expert Jason Smith; soil PhD Craig Liddicoat, Piotr Trebicki on how climate change is affecting insect pests in farming; nutritional psychiatrist Felice Jacka on how what we eat affects what we are; and Di and Ian Haggerty who do broadacre cropping in the Western Australian wheatbelt, on ways to market and controlling the narrative.
Evans said: “We want GROUNDED to relish existing land holders and nurture a new cohort of farmers who see their roles not just as growing food and fibre, but as custodians of the future. We hold in our hands the ability to reshape ecosystems, regenerate landscapes, and we know that farming better is the answer to so many of the world’s ills.”
“We were inspired by the Groundswell festival in the UK which has been running for eight years now and has wide appeal across the food and farming worlds, uniting farmers with their advocates, scientists, financiers, ag tech engineers and peers. We’re proud to say GROUNDED is being run with their blessing. We want to take GROUNDED across Australia, giving it longevity as the most fun, intimate and informative farm event in the calendar each year. Nothing is achieved alone, of course, and we’d like to thank our partners and supporters, particularly our platinum sponsor, Thankful For Farmers and our gold sponsor, Stone & Wood, as without their support this event wouldn’t be possible.”
GROUNDED
Fat Pig Farm, December 4-5, 2024
Tickets on sale now www.groundedaustralia.com.au
ABOUT GROUNDED
GROUNDED is a hybrid event that reimagines farmer learning, created in 2024 by farmer and food activist Matthew Evans and an advisory panel of farmers and farm supporters with roots in all aspects of agriculture, including dairy, cropping, horticulture, farmer support and grazing who are keen to bring a fresh approach to farmer learning.
GROUNDED will hold its inaugural event in Tasmania in December 2024 and will run events in other parts of Australia in coming years.
ABOUT MATTHEW EVANS AND FAT PIG FARM
Matthew Evans is a one-time chef turned farmer, writer, broadcaster and food activist. Together with Sadie Chrestman they turned a one-time apple orchard into Fat Pig Farm, a mixed smallholding set on 70 acres in Tasmania’s picturesque Huon Valley. The farm has a heritage orchard, an organically run market garden, the namesake old breed pigs, beef and dairy cows, plus goats, bees and more, as well as a purpose-built dining room that for seven years served 5000 meals annually. All this while storing about 100 tonnes more CO2 than they emit. After visiting the UK’s Groundswell in 2023, Matthew was inspired to bring that same idea of a fun, informative and ground breaking agricultural festival to Australia. The result, GROUNDED, is a cross between a food festival, a farming conference and a field day, with talks, demonstrations, food vans, a bar and plenty of chances for social interactions.
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