Information and Articles

When I was a kid, all my relatives grew their own vegetables - my parents, my grandparents, my aunts and uncles. But I was never interested in any kind of gardening (and I didn’t particularly like to eat vegetables anyway). Things have changed a lot since then! 

Gympie lifestyle farmer, Colin Kierkegaard, owned a John Deere ride-on mower for 14 years, so was no stranger to the iconic brand. When it came time to seek out a new machine he went to the guys at the Vanderfield dealership. “I’d been really happy with my ride-on mower, so I thought I’d take a look at what they had. The sales team really understood what we needed. They took the time to ask about our property and what jobs I’d be doing. They guided me in choosing the right machine and the attachments to go with it. They were with me every step of the way.”

Greater Sydney Local Land Services has launched a series of online resources to support small farmers during self-isolation.

The Big Shift for Small Farms podcast and “From the Ground Up – marketing fundamentals”
video series include a broad range of expert advice and information for growers and producers
running a variety of business from industry experts and their farming peers.

Birds can be a pest around the horse property as they search for sustenance, fouling water and feed-bins and spreading weed seeds in their droppings. The presence of grain in horse feeds encourages larger numbers of birds, which can take a toll on trees and newly sown crops.

However, evidence gathered from the Integrated Pest Management for the Horse Farm report (2007), demonstrated that birds may also affect the incidence of intestinal parasites on the horse farm in ways that are both positive and negative.

Designed for the dedicated farmer, grow hobbyist, or passionate plant lover, The Rural GROWtunnel offers an enclosed cropping environment that provides protection from wind, rain, hail and intense sun.  This is particularly important in a world where climate change is making weather patterns less predictable and harder for growers to plan their crops.

Article as seen in the November edition of Money magazine by Susan Hely.

Questions: What is the smartest way forward financially for us given that Clare will not be working for some time? Should we invest in shares, buy an investment property or focus on paying down the mortgage? What is the best way to buy land, build a house and set up a hobby farm?

Names: Clare and Michael

Status: Married and expecting a baby.

If you have a small farm and are looking to expand, there are various ways you may be able to achieve that. Business expansion for small or lifestyle farmers can take place in many forms, including: 
1.    purchasing additional land;
2.    agistment;
3.    share farming; or 
4.    leasing additional farmland. 

The threat of fire is a year-round risk in Australia. However, for anyone living on – or managing – a small farm, a long hot summer and the onset of the declared fire season is the time to be proactive and to prepare for bushfires. 

Having a fire management plan in place to protect your property, machinery, livestock and especially your loved ones is the best defence against bushfires and grassfires. 

As with any new business, starting a small farming business can be a daunting task. The fact that there are different taxation rules that apply specifically to small businesses in the agricultural sector can complicate matters even more.

The Australian Tax Office (ATO) website contains a plethora of information relating to hobby farm business structures, possible tax deductions and options for claiming losses, but we have condensed the most important information in this article.