2022 Field Days Fun!

Published 22nd July 2022. Written by Maddison O’Brien

The Mudgee Small Farm Field Days (MSFFD) made a cracker of a comeback in 2022! Despite the weeks of wet weather that preceded it, the event turned out to be a great success, with stallholders and punters braving the mud on Friday and enjoying the Winter sunshine on Saturday! At the Strawbale building, Watershed Landcare volunteers were out in force, displaying what the Mudgee Bee Group and Landcare Nursery have to offer. The Landcare Talk Series was a hit, and we even had some cute and cuddly friends from Dry Creek Farm at our exhibit this year!

Talented volunteers run the Landcare Nursery, and 2022 was their best MSFFD year yet! Selling approximately 1,800 plants, the support from the community and demand for quality native plants was astounding! We like to say that our Nursery tube stock is the best because it’s grown with Landcare Love!

The Mudgee Bee Group had their delicious raw honey and afabulous range of bee products available. We were thrilled to receive so much genuine interest in new members joining and getting involved with the group, and we had many questions about the varroa mite issue. The volunteers sold out of honey and had a fantastic time sharing their beekeeping passion! A special thanks to Paul Fookes, who gave two days of his time to create a welcoming presence in the Bee Group space!

You might have spotted some friendly goats next to the Strawbale building if you were there during the field days. Mike & Billie from Dry Creek Farm run goats as an alternative weed control method and have been working with the rural fire service to do hazard reduction grazing. They have a wealth of knowledge about permaculture, and it was fantastic to hear from Mike & Billie during their talks. One thing is for sure, all day, the kids of MSFFD just couldn’t resist jumping in with the goats for a pat and a photo.

The Landcare Learnings Talk Series, which ran on both days, was well attended. Col Seis gave a great talk about Regenerative Agriculture and the importance of soil health. Col will soon release his new book Custodians of the Grasslands, and we are excited to get our hands on a copy! Thanks to our speakers for sharing their knowledge and for all who came along to listen.

An event like this takes months of organising and collaboration. Without the involvement of our volunteers and the community, we could not have put on such a great display and a successful two days. So our sincere thank you to all the volunteers and the hard work of everyone involved.