Margaret River’s Regenerative Agriculture Conference set to showcase ‘farming’s future’ from September 5 to 8

Those in need of a break from farm life have been urged to pack their work boots and glad rags and make the journey to Margaret River, not for a weekend of surfing but to attend a two-day conference with the focus on farming’s future. The Regenerative Agriculture Conference 2023 is expected to shine a spotlight on the region’s farming enterprises, while serving as an information exchange for those keen to hear about restorative farming systems. The event has been spearheaded by the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, with other supporters including Perth NRM, RegenWA, South West NRM and Business Events Perth. It builds on the Perth version of the event held in 2019 and will be held at Margaret River HEART — Nala Bardip Mia (Our Story House). The conference and associated workshops and field trips aim to increase awareness and knowledge of what organisers have described as the “most promising agricultural solutions to regenerate soils, draw down carbon, rehydrate landscapes, and restore on-farm biodiversity, helping build farm and community resilience.” The Regenerative Agriculture Conference will kick off with a showing of the film Rachel’s Farm on Tuesday, September 5, before the conference is held on Wednesday, September 6 and Thursday, September 7, and on-farm or field trips on Friday, September 8. The conference will feature a wide range of guests from around Australia and the world, with Anthony James confirmed as MC. Mr James is currently working from Derby, where he hosts conversations on regenerating the systems and stories humanity lives by, at both live events and on The RegenNarration podcast. The RegenNarration podcast began in 2017 and has featured regenerative pioneers David and Frances Pollock from Wooleen Station, Wyalkatchem and Mollerin farmers Di and Ian Haggerty, Resource Consulting Services’ Dr Terry McCosker, and Dr Charles Massy. Speaking from Fitzroy River, Mr James described attendance at the conference as “vital” for anyone with an interest in agriculture, or regeneration and sustainability outside of farming. Mr James said WA’s farming sector often found itself in self-defence mode in response to various challenges, from live export bans, to rising input costs, to commodity pricing, to greenhouse gas emissions, and biodiversity loss. “Events like this provide an insight into ways producers can farm in a way that gets on the front foot, shores up their social license and their own operations, and has a positive impact on their land, nature as a whole, and on the people who live off it,” he said. “So many of those who live off the land and care for land are marginalised in one way or another; farmers often operate in isolated areas, often misunderstood by urban Australians, and often without access to services and facilities city people take for granted.” When asked if WA broadacre farmers would be able to relate to the upcoming conference, his answer was simple. “For sure. With speakers like Zac Webb, Di Haggerty and Terry McCosker, for example, just to start the conference, there is content with relevance,” he said. While some still subscribe to the stereotypical belief that residents of urban areas do not care about farmers, Mr James said he found that people who lived in cities were inspired by stories of those producing food in these healthier, restorative ways. During the two-day conference, presenters taking to the podium will shine light on what they have found is possible ranging from the regeneration big picture to farming and human health, barley and beer, and connection with First Nations wisdom. Speakers include Zac Webb, Dr Terry McCosker, Di Haggerty, Gabe Brown, Noongar woman Heidi Mippy, Matthew Evans, Rowan Reid, Grant Sims, Judi Earl, Kristy Stewart, Jeff Pow and Michelle McManus, Rod O’Bree, among others. Field trips will access regional examples of integrating primary production with value adding, tourism, and retail for diverse and commercially successful food businesses. They will also be livestock farmers incorporating organic, regenerative or other sustainable farming principles into their daily operations, or vineyards adopting a range of sustainable approaches to production. Participants can travel further afield and explore three family-run mixed horticulture and livestock businesses in Manjimup. Facilitated by the Lower Blackwood LCDC and presented by cover cropping practitioner and seed grower Grant Sims, and local agroecologist Mark Tupman, the one-day Multispecies Pasture – From Principle to Practice workshop will explore the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ of seeding multispecies and perennial plants into grazing pastures. Included in the day will be site visits to farms that put principle into practice and improving their paddock soil health through pasture biodiversity. In another one-day workshop and field walk, pasture ecologist and regenerative grazier Dr Judi Earl will discuss the critical skill of pasture assessment during the Calculating Pasture and Grazing to Build Soil and Profitability workshop. Included in the day is a field walk to demonstrate how to assess pasture in the field and how to undertake a feed budget. Participants will also be introduced to planning grazing around assessment of pasture and feed requirements. To find out more, visit regen2023.com.au. Registrations have been extended due to high demand and now close on August 27.