S2 Ep 20 - Accidentally Organic

Australian Farmers: Telling Our Story

Life is busy for most of us but spare a thought for this couple from Sunnyside Tasmania. They run a successful dairy whilst raising nine children. Given that work load, it would have been easier not to completely overhaul the business from a conventional dairy to a large-scale organic operation, that has also radically progressed to once a day milking. Why do it? Well, they bought a block of land with all sorts of problems that lead to some health issues with the cows, The solution ended up being an accidental transition to organic production. To learn more about Mark and Roslyn Lambert’s unintentional business transformation, Mark is today’s guest and we discuss:

• Mark’s favourite place on their farm in beautiful Tasmania.
• Mark grew up on the farm and in fact left school to milk the cows on the dairy farm.
• The farm at the beginning, had poor soil health which led to a range of health problems for his cows.
• Seeking professional advice for health issues, Mark realised the solutions were focussed on managing the issue rather than preventing it in the first place.
• Finally, Mark’s investigations lead him back to soil health and the numerous steps he has taken to solve the soil pH levels and healthy balance.
• Loosing 50 head of cattle triggered Mark to dive even deeper into the role the land plays on his cows, and their health.
• The ‘fruit-salad pasture’ where cows self-medicate and eat what they need.
• Making the shift to once-a-day milking and the impact this has had for Mark, and the dairy cows.
• This was a 10 year process to transform the land and, why Mark explains this as ‘Accidentally Organic.’
• Thinking outside the box and the first hand transformation Mark’s dairy farmer family has seen.
• The challenge is what Mark loves most about working and living on the land.
• The most common misconception about farming
• Mark’s ultimate dream for the future.

We hope to see you back on the road soon, to learn more about how Australia grows on the next episode of Australian Farmers with Angie Asimus.

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