Propagate

When Jason and Samantha started their small pig farm in Stockinbingal, they never imagined it would expand to owning a butcher, a bar and a small restaurant. But the two see worth in keeping as much of their work in house, both for practical and ethical reasons.

What started as a small metalworks business for Kim and Rob Sizer, expanded into a thriving success. But with the purchase of a bigger property came the need to make a higher profit - and so began their foray into running a Christmas tree farm, as well as producing hay.

Instead of doing what everyone else was doing, when Dean returned to his family farm he decided to do things a little differently. Now he’s running a successful trout farm in Black Mountain - and he’s never out of ideas for how to expand the business.

Since finishing school, 24 year old Molly has been working full time on her parents farm just outside of Peak Hill, managing the sheep. And she’s learnt a lot from about how to run a farming business under tough conditions. And while the family continues the big succession discussion… for her, it’s time to travel across the country and see how other farms are managed.

Learning about regenerative farming methods changed everything for Ross and Dimity, now they’re doing everything they can to care for the land and to protect their cattle business against future droughts -  and already they’re seeing big changes.

In season six of Propagate, we're talking to farmers from all over New South Wales, who are really thinking outside the box when it comes to how they manage their farming businesses. From farmers bringing as much of the business in house as possible, to completely reinventing how their generational farm has always run.

Jasmine and Hayden Green run a cattle seedstock program in Uranquinty, as well as offering embryo and semen packages across multiple sales. For them, a diversification of land and business is the safest way to build a successful and thriving business.

Jase Finlay and the team at Oyster Life are using new technology in their farming methods to make sure their business is as resilient as possible against future threats, as well as helping them stick to their four day work week.

Lewis and Pippa Goodman are currently working a piece of land through share farming, while Lewis works for another farmer as well. They see the benefits of working a few different jobs, as well as different properties, to ensure their future stays as stable as possible.

Tamara and Craig Corby are focused on their goal to own their own piece of land one day. Part of that is staying nimble and always ready to change tactics when a curve ball is thrown their way. After going through the 2019 bushfires, as well as droughts, they could see the benefit of having properties in two different climates.

Using regenerative farming methods, Graham Finlayson has been able to help his property survive multiple droughts. Together with his daughter Harriet Finlayson, who runs a chicken enterprise on the farm, they are focused on caring for the land and doing whatever they can to drought proof their business.

In season five of Propagate, we’re talking to young farmers who are throwing out the traditional farming blueprint and embracing new methods to run their businesses. We’re speaking with growers about what resiliency methods they’re using to make sure they’re prepared for whatever the future brings.

Without big capital behind them, Emily and Matt Neilson have had to think outside the box. They’re a bit different to your ‘traditional’ dairy farmers, because they don’t own their land, they lease it.

Courtney Young and Ian Condon started Woodstock Flour at their local farmers market. With community at the heart of everything they do — their flours are milled with Certified Organic grain with love and care.

Lauren and Lachlan Mathers run a free-range regenerative pig farm in southern NSW. They started Bundarra Berkshires because the pair couldn’t source good local pork and wanted a farm full of happy pigs.

Therese and Liam Thomas were city-slickers from Sydney, and now proudly call themselves certified organic garlic farmers. They’ve started small, but just a few years in, they’ve locked in a wholesaler who will take their entire crop.

Bianca Tarrant and Dave McGiveron started Our Cow because they wanted to ensure a stable price for their livestock. Now they employ 40 people and have recently raised $2.4 million to grow their meat subscription empire.

Sarah Sivyer started Just Been Laid Eggs in the Hunter Valley in 2017. With a subscription and a wholesale arm, Sarah’s business is built on the idea that her eggs are the freshest you’re going to get.

In this new season of Propagate, we're speaking to farmers running value-add businesses. We’re spotlighting a generation of growers focused on sustainability, regenerative land management and closing the gap between producers and consumers.

Hayley Pattison and her husband Matt weren’t planning on taking over their families’ farms. They wanted to make it on their own, and build the farm of their dreams under their own steam. What they weren’t expecting was that things would take off so quickly.

Mel Kiel trained and worked as a nurse, but discovered a love for cattle trading that turned into a lifelong passion. Her business only requires a small amount of land and the high turnover is great for cashflow. Here’s how she and her husband turned their home into a successful livestock trading enterprise.

Christine Miles had always dreamed of becoming a farmer, but chose a mining career instead. It wasn’t until she moved to a regional town where people practiced both that she began her gradual transition into the farmer she’d always hoped to become.

Sam Maiden’s organic Dorper farm in Broken Hill looks like something out of an old Western movie. Maybe that’s why tourists and film producers love it so much. To land this property (and eventually the neighbouring one too), Sam and her husband Richard started out by purchasing in town at the lower end of the market. Over the years, they turned a 25,000 starter house into a sizeable farm deposit,...

When Matt Flick started contracting, he was only hoping to make a bit of spending money on top of his farm work. He never imagined it would turn into a full time business with huge demand across Central Western NSW. Over the years, the growth has enabled Matt to purchase tractors and spray rigs, and hire two staff members to help meet the workload. He says it’s good practice for the farm he hopes...

Carissa Wolfe and her partner Karyn knew they had a lot to learn before they could run their own dairy. So they gave themselves ten years to travel around America and work on farms of all sizes and practises. They dubbed their journey the “Education Years”, and when it was complete, they brought their loaded toolkit of skills back to NSW and launched Benmar Farm.