Did you know: If you poured all the grain—canola, lentils, hay and silage—produced each year in the Buloke Shire into the MCG it would overflow?
The BCG Buloke Farm Tours, launching this August, are a new initiative to showcase the produce, passion and dedication of farming communities in the Buloke Shire. The tours will put consumers in direct contact with farmers in the region who not only produce large volumes of grain to feed the world but also manage several intensive livestock industries and are at the forefront of driving innovative, grass roots research and extension.
BCG’s project lead Louisa Ferrier said the tours, supported by funding from the Buloke Shire Council and the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industries and Regions through the Business Tourism Innovation Grant program are for all members of the public: “The tours are for anyone keen to step through the farm gate, sit down with a Mallee farmer and learn more about what it takes to produce food and fibre.
“The COVID pandemic and increased cost of living has deterred Australians from travelling overseas. The result has been a tourism boom in regions such as the Mallee and Wimmera where an entirely new audience including grey nomads, young metro-based adults and young active families are looking to explore rural Victoria on the Silo Art Trail, in search of an authentic country experience,” Ms Ferrier explained.
Believed to be first of their kind in the region, the tours will commence in August and continue until the end of October when crops are growing, the tours will support local business while offering a unique opportunity for participants to obtain a real sense of Buloke farming, communities and the meticulous care in which Mallee food is produced.
Mallee farmers will host tours on their farm, providing an overview of crops and livestock systems, end uses of different crops, the scale of operations, sustainability (environmental, profit, people), machinery and technology on the farms, grain storage systems and the cost of production.
“Our farmer hosts are also heavily involved in community activities and groups, are committed to sustainable land management practices. They have overseen the farm management transition where some of their children and grandchildren are now living and working on the farm,”
It is envisaged that by fostering a grass roots understanding of farming, the tours will also provide a cohesive link with other initiatives in the region such as the Silo Art Trail.
The tour
The three-hour tour will take participants to a farming property to meet a Mallee farmer and see local farming systems in action. It will conclude with a Paddock to Plate lunch. Using locally produced products, participants will enjoy a meal based on a menu that has been developed by renown restaurateur, and BCG Board member, Stefano de Pieri.
“With wide open spaces, diverse landscapes and resilient, vibrant communities, visitors will leave with a sense of the uniqueness of the region, life as a Mallee farmer and the desire to linger longer,” Ms Ferrier concluded.
Participants will receive a calendar of operations summarising typical activities conducted over a 12-month period. During general conversation BCG tour guides will share their local knowledge about other points of interest in the Buloke Shire.
For more information call BCG on (03) 5492 2787. Bookings will open soon.
