Paul West to launch the small landholders network

Celebrity Paul West to launch the region’s first network for small landholders and hobby farmers

 Celebrity food grower Paul West, who rose to fame hosting SBS’s River Cottage Australia, is headed to Tamworth to launch the region’s Small Farms & Lifestyle Blocks Network in an effort to connect small landholders and help with their land management goals.

On Friday 2 June at The Longyard Hotel in Tamworth, all small landholders from lifestyle blocks and hobby farms across the North West are invited to attend a long lunch feast from 12pm – 4pm.

Paul, originally from Murrurundi in NSW, now works as a broadcaster for the ABC travelling to regional Australia for Backroads and talking science for Catalyst, and is a passionate advocate of growing food in backyards.

“I can’t wait to launch the Small Farms & Lifestyle Blocks Network this June and help local landholders and residents fast-track their food growing and land management knowledge,” Paul said.

“I was lucky that I was taught early about growing our own food, but not everyone gets that experience. Local Land Services are launching this network so like-minded people can connect as they try to improve their land, production capacity and environment. It’s a fantastic initiative.”

At the launch, attendees will enjoy a long lunch while provided with resources about best practice on their land, the latest research and informative speaker sessions from:

Rural butcher Dale Goodwin from Dale’s Downtown Meats in Uralla, will deliver a “Know Your Brisket” session detailing the best way to get the most out of a brisket and many more BBQ hints and tips.

• North West Local Land Services Small Farms Network Officer Margo Weekes, will provide key details to keep you in the loop with all you need to know on your lifestyle block or hobby farm.
• Celebrity food grower Paul West, will deliver a session on boosting opportunities for self-sustainability and ways to maximise production on your block.

Tickets are $30 and can be purchased online here: smallfarmslonglunch.eventbrite.com.au Tickets include a long lunch feast of brisket and meats with salads and sides, an afternoon tea of charcuterie meat and cheese boards and soft drinks.

The Small Farms & Lifestyle Blocks Network, an initiative of NSW Local Land Services, is aimed at landholders whose primary source of income is not farming, but who is a land manager and stock animal owner.

Local Land Services’ Small Farms Network Officer Margo Weekes said small farms and lifestyle properties play an important role in managing a state-wide healthy natural environment.

“Our smaller lifestyle blocks are so incredibly important and we want to support those landholders. Many small properties have all the risks that larger properties need to manage such as livestock, invasive species, weeds native vegetation, emergency preparedness, dams and more.”

“At the Small Farms & Lifestyle Blocks Network launch my team and I will be there to talk to you about; making your small farm more productive and profitable; managing weeds and pests; preparing for emergencies; how to recognise diseases in livestock; new technologies; improving soil... and so much more.”

Local Land Services is a regional-focused NSW Government agency delivering quality customer services to farmers, landholders and the wider community.

Local Land Services help people make better decisions about the land they manage and connect them with groups, information, support, and funding to improve agricultural productivity and better manage natural resources.