Events & Workshop Noticeboard

At MCNF we are bringing together various forms of natural agriculture, believing that each has its own significant advantages for how we manage our land. To date these are Organics, Biodynamics, Natural Sequence Farming and Permaculture.

This year we are happy to have living on the farm a very experienced and talented Permaculture teacher - Cam Wilson of Permablitz fame. He will conduct most of the Permaculture courses, run intern programs and generally get lots of great stuff happening. Find out what Cam's been up to by visiting his website.

Geoff Lawton and other specialist teachers will continue to be an important element of our curriculum to bring you their unique knowledge and experience. This year we are looking forward to extending our programme to include as many positive educational courses to help farmers, land managers and others interested in sustainability, so if you're not on our mailing list send Jacko a note and ask to be included.

For those not familiar with Permaculture, it was developed in Australia by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren and is now practiced in 130 countries. It is possibly the most effective and efficient design system for not only small area farming, for which it is generally known, but also in broad acre situations on larger properties.

Event Dates

AUGUST

Fundamentals of Soil
Monday 2nd August
Conducted by Dr. Christine Jones and Colin Seis

“Nutrients are locked up in soils like money in a combination safe. The Mycorrhizal fungi are the combination that unlocks the safe.”
Walter Jehne, 2010

This one day course taught by Dr. Christine Jones and Colin Seis will teach the fundamental mechanisms of how crops and pastures get nutrition from soil, how nutrients can be unlocked from soil and how more water can be stored in soil to reduce the affects of drought.
We’ll also provide an overview of how farming practices like pasture-cropping, grazing management and shelter belts can harness these mechanisms.

Cost: $330 per person incl GST. Discounted rate of $220 per person incl GST. for additional attendees (family member/colleague). Includes morning and afternoon tea, lunch and course notes.

This course is FarmReady Approved: call 1800 087 670 to see if you are eligible for this fee to be subsidised under the FarmReady scheme: quote course #FRTC0807

For bookings or more info contact Donna.

For information relating to course content, please contact Sue

SEPTEMBER

Introduction to Permaculture
Saturday 25th / Sunday 26th
Conducted by Cam Wilson

Learn the principles behind permaculture design and how to apply it on any scale, from broadacre farming to an urban block, in order to increase the productivity and resilience of your land or garden, reduce your energy consumption, improve your soils and save water. Plenty of hands-on practical workshops are included, covering Food Forests, soil improvement, water harvesting techniques and composting. Take home the principles of smart design and the skills to apply it!

Cost: $330 incl GST. Includes morning and afternoon tea, lunch and course notes.

For bookings or more info contact Donna or ask Cam a question

 

OCTOBER

Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC)
Evening of Friday 1st - midday Saturday 16th.
Weekend 9-10th off.
Conducted by Cam Wilson

Learn how to design efficient and productive permaculture systems and get your hands in the dirt learning practical skills too. Having worked alongside a number of Australia’s top permaculture teachers, we recognise there are many ways the permaculture concept can be presented. Our aim is for our participants to leave our course empowered and with a solid understanding of the Permaculture design process. We’ve taken what we consider to be the best elements of each approach and have come up with what our students agree is an excellent course.

Cost: $1760 incl GST. Includes morning and afternoon tea, lunch and extensive course notes.
Farm Ready Approved: call 1800 087 670 to see if you are eligible for this fee to be subsidised under the FarmReady scheme: quote course #FRTC00382

For bookings or more info contact Donna or ask Cam a question.

 

Bioloigical Farmers of Australia - Roadshow
Saturday 30th
For bookings or more info see the BFA website

 

MCNF 2010 Land Restoration Field Day
Sunday 31st
For bookings or more info contact Donna.


NOVEMBER

Introduction to Permaculture
Saturday 13th / Sunday 14th
Conducted by Cam Wilson

Learn the principles behind permaculture design and how to apply it on any scale, from broadacre farming to an urban block, in order to increase the productivity and resilience of your land or garden, reduce your energy consumption, improve your soils and save water. Plenty of hands-on practical workshops are included, covering Food Forests, soil improvement, water harvesting techniques and composting. Take home the principles of smart design and the skills to apply it!

Cost: $330 incl GST. Includes morning and afternoon tea, lunch and course notes
For bookings or more info contact Donna or ask Cam a question.

 

Local Farms and Community with Joel Salatin
Thursday 25th / Friday 26th
Presented by Milkwood Permaculture
Conducted by Joel Salatin

Joel Salatin is a masterful speaker whose humour and positive energy guarantees a rewarding workshop. Over two information packed days Joel takes us through his entire family farm operation from the production of pastured poultry (eggs, broilers, turkeys), salad bar beef, pigaerator pork, forage-based rabbits & forestry products through to the relationship marketing approach his family business has developed that has made Polyface Farm the internationally recognised, and strictly local farm it is today.

Pricing and booking details are available via Milkwood Permaculture