Why it's great to be involved in Organics!

By Michael Maloney of 'Organic Lovers'

As a newcomer to the 'Organic Industry' and a more recent member of TROPO I thought it was timely to write about my personal observations of the local industry.

Although I'm not an organic producer I have long been interested in Gardening / Horticulture. After 10 years of employment in the Community Services sector I decided it was 'time for a change' - so last year did some voluntary work with the Byron Bay Herb Nursery and Lismore City Farm. I also enrolled in Dave Forrest's Organic Farming class at Wollongbar TAFE.

The 16 week TAFE course was a very positive experience for me and I found Dave to be an extremely knowledgeable yet very modest man, highly regarded by his students. The students came from diverse backgrounds but a nice sense of camaraderie existed and we were all sorry that the course had to come to an end.

The course included farm visits and an opportunity to talk to organic growers on their farm management practices. I had the opportunity along with other students to visit the farms of Jeff Reilly, Hogan Gleeson and Dave Roby - all regulars at the Rainbow Region Organic Market. Late last year I was accepted as a participant in the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme ( NEIS ) which is a scheme providing small business training for those people who seek self employment and are receiving Centrelink payments. My plan was to establish an organic roadside stall selling locally grown and certified produce.

However, local councils are quite restrictive in terms of what one can and can not do, so this project is on hold at present. Nevertheless, many of my friends encouraged me to set up an organic box delivery service to private homes and offices. They have become the core of my customer base. Some of my customers have been long time organic consumers while others are new converts. A common buying motive is the importance of buying local produce from local growers, which supports the notion of a local regional economy, and the benefits of money remaining in our area.

When I deliver my organic boxes to customers I can assure them that the avocados are grown near Alstonville, bananas from Main Arm, carrots from Goolmangar, herbs from Teven, oranges from Rosebank, silverbeet from Jiggi and Huonbrook, etc. My customers are rejecting conventionally grown fruit and vegetables sold at supermarket chains- instead choosing to buy local which gives them a sense of 'connection' with the food they eat.

The feedback from my customers has been overwhelmingly positive in terms of quality produce and value for money. New customers are coming on line through word of mouth recommendations which makes me feel confident about the future.

Anyway, the main reason for writing this article is to acknowledge the support given to me by the numerous organic producers in the region. After obtaining membership lists from NASAA and the BFA and searching out local OHGA members I proceeded to make contact with as many producers as I could. Some like Tony O'Rafferty of Teven and Avril May of Rosebank are former students from Dave Forrest's Organic Farming class. Others like Craig Morrison of Heavenly Organic, Jeff of Earthward Bound, Hogan of Pinchins Lane and Dave Roby I knew, albeit not well from farm visits.

I stumbled across Pete Tighe of Peter Piper Organics, Julianne Hartmann, and Don Drinkwater; and others like Mark and Janelle of Bayside Organics through their sponsorship of my sons soccer team. I have been welcomed into their homes and provided with lunch and this is on a first time meeting basis.

There is a real generosity of spirit among organic growers of the Northern Rivers region. This makes me glad to live in this region and be a part of the local organic community. I know I have made the right career choice!

Readers' Comments

From: "Kristin Reddin" <krisr@dodo.com.au>
Date: 1 Sep 2006

Hi fellow organic gardener, I stumbled across your acticle while searching for alternative accomodation on the net. I have a query, my family are going to Byron Bay for my brother's wedding in Dec 17th and we are looking for a strawbale house to stay in the following week, somewhere within about 3 or four hours of Byron Bay,do you know of any such thing or who I could ask.

thanks Kristin

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