Joel Salatin’s Australian Workshop
We thought we’d give a plug to our good friends at Milkwood Permaculture and Regen Agriculture who have brought out to Australia some great innovative thinkers and farmers doing things outside the square – empowering people to independent action and making a success of their localized community endeavors.
Who is Joel Salatin?
Joel Salatin is an American farmer, author and lecturer. He uses holistic and unique methods of animal husbandry to sell his products to the consumer by cutting out the middleman. Joel is coming out to Australia in August and will do an intensive one day series of workshops to explain his system.
Salatin’s 550-acre Polyface farm is featured prominently in Michael Pollan’s book The Omnivore’s Dilemma (2006) and the documentary films, Food, Inc. and Fresh. His unconventional farming practices have drawn attention from the alternative agriculture community especially those interested in sustainable livestock management. For example, Pollan became interested in Salatin because of his refusal to send food to locations not within a four-hour drive of his farm, i.e. outside his local “foodshed.”
“We want [prospective customers] to find farms in their areas and keep the money in their own community,” said Salatin. “We think there is strength in decentralization and spreading out rather than in being concentrated and centralized.”
Salatin’s philosophy of farming emphasizes healthy grass on which animals can thrive in a symbiotic cycle of chemical-free feeding. Cows are moved from one pasture to another rather than being centrally corn fed. Then chickens in portable coops are moved in behind them, where they dig through the cow dung to eat protein-rich fly larvae while further fertilizing the field with their droppings.
What will you learn?
This one day workshop will cover PolyFace Farms animal systems, including pastured poultry, salad bar beef, forested pigerator pork and the main-frame design of the farm.
Also covered will be PolyFace’s ‘relationship marketing’ techniques where the farm interfaces directly with consumers, cutting out the middle men and keeping things clean, honest and real.
Joel will also cover how his farm approaches their internship program, providing young people with a chance to learn PolyFace’s techniques, while providing the Salatin family with an enthusiastic labor force which further benefits the farm.
Workshop Dates
Aug.02.2011 Joel Salatin Workshop Jamberoo NSW
Aug.04.2011 Joel Salatin Workshop Nome, Townsville QLD
Aug.05.2011 Joel Salatin Workshop Beerwah QLD
Aug.06.2011 Joel Salatin Workshop Brunswick East Victoria
Where to Book?
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