NO CITY FARMERS MARKETS FOR US
“Go to the Canberra Markets, Lou,” one of our market friends said. “You will sell all your lamb in one go!” Others say, “You used to live in Sydney. You should sell all your produce there. You’d have a ready market”.
People often ask us why we don’t go to Canberra or Sydney Markets to sell our produce. We know that we could ‘compete’ in these markets with our produce – there is no timidity about that. We probably could sell all our lamb at once at a Canberra or Sydney Market, but we don’t want to!
We have very good reasons, we think, not to go to markets in Canberra and Sydney. Here they are. See what you think!
Our local produce – sold locally.
1. THE CAPITAL CITIES ALREADY GET LOADS OF GOOD FOOD
All food is drawn to the capitals because the populations are big, the incomes are bigger and there is arguably more of a foodie culture in the cities. But they are swimming in good food. They don’t need us to turn up with our produce as well.Related to this point is our second reason for not going to the capitals…
2. RURAL AND REGIONAL PEOPLE DESERVE TO EAT GREAT FOOD TOO!
If all the good food goes up and down the highway, what does the foodie do in a regional city when they want fantastic gluten and preservative-free sausages (for instance). In every town, there are foodies who really appreciate good food. I want to feed them!
3. WE BELIEVE IN LOCAL FOOD!
Yep, I’m yelling it in capitals! We think that keeping food local is one way we try to do things differently. Customers often ask where our farm is, they mention that they used to live near there or their uncle used to shear near there or they’d noticed our sign while driving to Tumut or… People get warm and fuzzies knowing that there food has not come from far away.
4. WE BELIEVE IN LOW FOOD MILES!
Yep, I’m yelling again! There are already too many food miles in our food. We think that by keeping the food miles as low as possible, we are being part of the solution to climate change instead of adding to it. We grow our lamb 20 mins from the abattoir, 75 minutes from the butcher that cuts up for us and makes our smallgoods, and we have a policy of not travelling any more than 1.5 hours from a market to sell our produce.
5. WE BELIEVE IN BEING AS DIFFERENT AS POSSIBLE FROM THE ORTHODOX FOOD SYSTEM
Anything you buy from Colesworths of this world or even Harris Farm, has loads of food miles. If we took our food to Canberra or Sydney, we, too, would be adding unnecessary food miles to our produce. If we profess to be ‘alternative ‘ farmers, if we aim to do things differently, why on earth would we want to emulate the mainstream and send everything we produce to the city?
6. WE HAVE TO FARM. YEP, WE ARE FARMERS!
We need to spend time on the farm to farm, and we want to sell our produce ourselves. We think our customers want that too – we think you want to meet the producer. We don’t hire people to sell our stuff for us because just as our food is paddock to plate, we think it should be sold from the farmer to the customer. Yes, we farm our property – they are our sheep and cattle. We make the condiments, we collect the eggs, we tend to our animals, and sometimes we lay down in the grass or cuddle our dogs. Yep, we are the farmers, not a farm managers, not our relatives, it’s just us! Not everyone you see at market stalls is the farmer.
If we go to local markets, we are not wasting time travelling, and we have more time to do what we want to do – be with our animals.
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Anyway, that’s why we sell where we sell. That’s our rationale. There is more to farm ethics than just your production system and your animal welfare approach. Keeping food local, reducing food miles and keeping the link between farmers and food is important to us too.
WHERE TO FIND OUR FARM PRODUCE
As part of our belief in ethical farming practices, we also believe food should have low food miles wherever possible.
As a general rule of thumb, the lower the food miles, the less distance it has travelled, and the better the choice is for the environment and for your health.
Our Kestrel Nest EcoHut guests can access our lamb via our Highfield Eat our Farm pack and locals on our Farm Produce Shop page.
Please note if purchasing from our Farm Produce Shop Page – we can deliver to Coolamon, Wagga Wagga, Brucedale, Ladysmith, Alfredtown, Tumblong, Tumut, Gundagai, Adelong, Tumbarumba. Or you can pickup either from our farm or local at Local at Learmonts.
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