Published since 1986
AUGUST, 2019
Nick and Vicki’s boutique operation
www.farmernews.com.au
Hay and silage
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PAGE 2-3
with GREG AND FIO O’BRIEN OF CALLISTA PARK
PAGE 18
PAGE 13-16
DAVID’S VEALER ENTERPRISE
DAVID Gibbs (pictured) runs Sussex Farm Vealers at Red Hill. The boutique operation turns out a limited number of vealers during the month of December, which he sells over the hooks to Cardinia Meats. Turn to pages 4 and 5 for the ‘Marketing the future’ story.
A truffle obsession
“FROM early childhood I used to go out with my father and collect mushrooms for eating,� said Dr Peter Stahle, VicWRULDQ WUXIp H IDUPHU DQG SUHVL GHQW RI WKH $XVWUDOLDQ 7UXIp H Growers’ Association. Foraging as a child instilled a love of nature in Peter, and KH GHYHORSHG D NHHQ LQVLJKW into the ground and the symbiRWLF UHODWLRQVKLSV WKDW H[LVWHG within it. This interest led to him
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Peter Stahle’s love of harvesting white gold
LQLWLDOO\ SXUVXLQJ D FDUHHU DV D research scientist for the DeSDUWPHQW RI $JULFXOWXUH VSH cialising in microbiology. ,W ZDV WKLV H[SHUWLVH WKDW made him the obvious choice to conduct an economic evaluDWLRQ RQ WKH SRVVLELOLW\ RI D WUXIp H LQGXVWU\ RQ PDLQODQG $XVWUDOLD ERWK IRU H[SRUW DQG GRPHVWLF FRQVXPSWLRQ
Though he had left the world of research science behind, DQG KDG HPEDUNHG RQ D FDUHHU in management consultancy, it ZDV KLV VFLHQWLo F EDFNJURXQG that assisted him most when conducting the study. “I got to travel the world eatLQJ DQG WDONLQJ WUXIp HV y 3HWHU UHPHPEHUHG DV SDUW RI KLV o HOG research.
7KH UHVHDUFK DOVR RSHQHG KLV H\HV WR WKH HFRQRPLF SR WHQWLDO RI WUXIp HV DV D FURS DQG he has been involved with the industry ever since. His initial foray into growLQJ WUXIp HV ZDV D MRLQW EXVLQHVV YHQWXUH LQ -DSDQ EHIRUH WKH <DNX]D WKH -DSDQHVH PDo D drove him out and he lost everything.
$IWHU VXFK DQ H[SHULHQFH something more familiar and FORVHU WR KRPH EHFNRQHG +LJKODQGV D UHJLRQ WXFNHG between Seymour, Yea and <DUFN SUHVHQWHG DQ RSSRUWX QLW\ ZLWK SHUIHFW FRQGLWLRQV DQG DPSOH UDLQIDOO IRU JURZLQJ WUXIp HV Peter also had fond memoULHV RI WKH UHJLRQ KDYLQJ VSHQW
his childhood visiting a friend whose family had lived there for generations. 7KH SUR[LPLW\ WR 0HO bourne also became a decidLQJ IDFWRU DV WUXIp HV RQFH KDU YHVWHG QHHG WR EH WUDQVSRUWHG UHODWLYHO\ TXLFNO\ LQ RUGHU WR UHWDLQ SRWHQF\ DQG PRLVWXUH 7DNLQJ DOO WKLV LQWR FRQVLG eration, in 2006 Peter and his ZLIH SXUFKDVHG DFUHV RI JUD]LQJ ODQG LQ +LJKODQGV
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Continued page 6
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