Get on board! A bus trip to inspire and connect
Get on board! A bus trip to inspire and connect
Kyeamba Valley Landcare Group organised a holistic farming bus tour, to revive motivation amongst landholders in our region
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The issue
Sometimes you just need a different view to restore your motivation. Seeing how someone else has tackled a problem, learning about their successes and failures, getting ideas to try on your own farm… We all know the value of learning from other farmers, but sometimes we need a little help to get us out there and talking to those interesting people.
Kyeamba Valley Landcare Group (KVLG) had noticed that some members were dealing with difficult conditions, and spirits were low. So they decided to address this through an educational and inspirational tour.
The solution
All aboard the KVLG Bus! The big advantage of a bus tour is that everyone is together on the bus for the day, providing lots of time for chatting with old friends, and meeting new people.
Our tour visited two farms. At Green Gate Organic Farm, Albury, Rob led us on a tour of the 400 acre certified organic educational farm, demonstrating the agro-ecological approach and the diverse polyculture - including pigs, chickens, sheep, honey, olives and more! At Holbrook Paddock Eggs, Sam showed us around their free-roaming egg farm, where we learnt how their 10,000 laying hens are integrated into the farm system, laying in portable sheds which are moved to fresh pasture weekly.
KVLG covered the cost of the bus, so attendees paid only for the tours ($20, kids free). To keep costs down, we had lunch at a park where people either had a picnic, or bought lunch at the café.
The impact
It's amazing the impact a day like this can have – as well as educating attendees on a range of novel ideas, and showing them how these can be incorporated into a productive farm operation, the tours served to inspire and motivate our group. People were excited about the things they learnt, and keen to continue learning and trialing new things on their properties.
Key facts
- Number of smiling bus trippers = 30
- Distance travelled = 260 km
- Duration of tour = 8.5 hr