“The Small Farms field day is about everything country, tractors, motorcycles, irrigation, farm equipment and animals” said field day coordinator Glen Drury.  “We like to keep it simple, so that everyone can enjoy catching up, and finding out about how to grow things better on their block.”

As more consumers develop a craving for local fresh food, a batch of new small farms is finding innovative ways to meet the demand. This rural renaissance is producing more varieties of vegetables, raising goats, sheep and buffalo to produce new types of cheese, or finding creative methods of getting it to market, and this is what the new Small Farms Field Day is all about.

Targeting all North Queensland small farmers, from Cairns to Townsville, the field day is building on the resounding success of the inaugural field day last year. “We were almost overwhelmed by the number of people that poured through the gates last year, and the business being done was amazing” said Glen Drury.

Feedback surveys said that people wanted more stalls, more information, more animals, more stalls more often. So the organisers North Johnstone and Lake Eacham Landcare, and the Malanda Show Society have listened to this and a sensational array of exhibitors are already booked, new sponsors and partners are coming on board, and new sections are being added.

Cross Stitch Corner, Johnstone River Catchment Management, Mungali Creek Biodynamic Dairy, Malanda Rural Glenview Dairy and Terrain NRM have all decided to back this fresh new event with sponsorships. The Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal is funding a new and innovative Small Farmers Information Centre to help people decide how to make the best use of their small landholding to create a sustainable rural lifestyle.

Jude Nechwatal from Cheesemaking and More, will be demonstrating how to make cheeses in your own kitchen. The Home Cheesemakers Competition will allow the many budding cheesemakers in the area to showcase their ability to master this old craft. Three categories will be judged, and then spectators can taste the delicate differences between home-made camembert, fetta and cream cheeses.

Features will include the Celebrity Goat Milking Competition,  Chainsaw Carving is Information Living with Wildlife on wildlife friendly fencing will be readily available from the Tolga Bat Hospital.

In a first for any event ever held at the Malanda Showgrounds, a fully digitalised map will be available to assist all interested exhibitors. This will be available through the website.

With names such as Country Lane, Farmer’s Lane, Equestrian Lane, Landcare Lane, Green Energy Corridor, The Rural Technology Village, Farmer Health Check Hall, The Home Paddock – for fun and entertainment as well as the best in country food, and the Large Animal, Small Animal and Poultry Sheds there is guaranteed to be something of interest for everyone.

Special thanks to ATGIS, Maria Pesavento and Tablelands Regional Council (TRC) for their invaluable assistance with the digitised map.

Anyone interested in being a sponsor, exhibitor or wanting to participate in any way in this fresh new event is encouraged to visit the website www.malandasmallfarms.com  phone Carl Grandelis on 4096 5349 or email at info@malandasmallfarms.

Sites are still available either indoors in the pavilion or outside in the showgrounds, however spaces are filling up fast for this year’s  Small Farms Field Day being held on the 8th November at the Malanda Showgrounds. It is already proving to be bigger and better than the first field day held last year.

Businesses and exhibitors can take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to promote your own unique products and services. This innovative event will enable the public to view, compare and buy a comprehensive range of products designed for effective, efficient farming and rural practices as well as promote Local Produce and Enterprises. So if you are keen to be a part of this exciting event, now is the time to get your applications in.

Already there are a number of exhibitors that have secured their sites such as Central Tyres, Dingo Machinery, Yuruga Nursery, Piping Hot Solar and Elders Insurance  just to name a few.

There is still a chance to register, though we can not guarantee you a site after that date so please get your applications in early.

To apply for a stall click here and then the big red sign that says Register Now on the right hand side of the page.

We look forward to your participation in this year’s Small Farms Field Day “Big on Everything Country”

For more information contact Carl on 40965349 or email: info@malandasmallfarmsfieldday.com

The wonderful old craft of making cheese is making a very popular comeback as more people are wanting to get back to basics and want to know they are feeding their families real and wholesome food. By making their own cheese they know where their milk is coming from, what ingredients are going into it and enjoy the sweet satisfaction of creating a wholesome product that has been made by their own hands.

This year the Small Farms Field Day at Malanda on is adding a Home Cheesemaker Competition open to anyone who has the knack of creating their own cheese.

Jude Nechwatal is the event organiser and a judge for this exciting new event and is well known for her own wonderful cheese making craft throughout the Tablelands and beyond. Also stepping up to be a judge is  Gina Dal Santo renowned Food Judge.

There are 3 categories to enter your cheese. Three categories are the simple unflavoured versions of  Fetta, Camembert and Cream Cheese. The judges want to be able to taste the real cheese flavours of and textures of these popular  cheeses. For those cheesemakers who want to add a further creative dimension, they can enter the flavoured Fetta Cheese  category.

This competition is open to cheesemakers of all ages and organisers are expecting a huge response.

To enter contact Judy on 4095 2097

We are looking forward to an expanded area of local fresh produce growers to include a Farmers Market. If you grow vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices to bread and cheeses, jams and preservatives etc, you are invited to be a stall holder in this year’s event. These days the emphasis on accessing fresh locally produced food is becoming more popular to the average family.

We have an abundant supply of locally grown produce in the area and the organisers would like producers to showcase their food source by becoming part of Malanda Small Farms Field Day  Farmers Market. Whether it be by the bucketful’s, on the back of an old cart or brought in by a truck as long as you grow it, you are welcome to trade.