By Lucy Waldron
The Granite Belt Growers Association (GBGA) hosted another successful Farming After Hours event, drawing a crowd of eager growers keen on exploring innovative solutions to enhance their farming practices.
The highlight of the evening was a presentation centred around composting, offering insights into a potential avenue to alleviate financial burdens for growers.
Narissa Corfe, GBGA Industry Support Officer, said the main focus of the event was to discuss how compositing could be a strategy for minimising input costs for growers.
“We got funding through the future fields fun to run a project to see how to reduce input costs for our growers and Lara Wilde from Queensland Food Incubator has been doing research in the region,” Ms Corfe said.
Various possibilities were researched to support local farmers and while options like freeze-drying and producing jams and jellies were explored, it was evident that reducing input costs associated with fertilisers and composts was a priority for Granite Belt growers.
“The proposal put forth by Lara was to explore a group-led composting scheme to address these concerns,“ Ms Corfe said.
She emphasised the enthusiastic reception the proposal received from local farmers, highlighting their eagerness to participate in a pilot program aimed at testing the effectiveness of the initiative.
This event was attended by 62 participants each as excited for a new initiative to further develop their farms as the other.
Reflecting on the purpose of events like Farming Afterhours, Corfe said they foster community connections and provide a platform for growers to share experiences and unwind outside the pressures of daily farm life.
The association has observed a growing interest in such events, with attendance steadily increasing with each gathering.
“We used to only hold these events three times a year, but they have become invaluable for our members’ well-being and networking,“
Corfe encouraged those interested in participating in future events to consider becoming members of the association, ensuring continued access to valuable networking opportunities and support.
For more information on upcoming events and membership opportunities visit granitebeltgrowers.com.au/
