Preserving the legacy of Green Grove Farm

Today, there is growing worldwide concern with understanding better how farming methods are influencing our environment, health and the quality of food.

Here in Australia, our mission is to build a research program and education centre at one of our oldest family-run organic farms.  The project will preserve an important and unique legacy of elder generations and contribute to greater education and knowledge on sustainable farming practice.

By focusing on the organic farming practices at one of Australia’s premier organic farm and the nurturing of its whole farm ecology, we hope to help make a difference for future generations to have healthier lives. The Green Grove Farm of Kamarah, New South Wales has been farmed organically since 1962 by the Druce family. Due to the decades of careful soil and farm management of the farm, it has exceptional soil biodiversity and health.  This is expressed ecologically through the soil-plant–animal food chain of the land. 

Our goal is to increase the understanding of the relationship between soil mineral nutrition, crop cultivation and food quality by investigating the success achieved at this farm. 

The Project Plan

Our first step is to harness a community concerned about preserving the legacy of this Australian leading organic farm. We will then build an open source educational centre at the farm.  The educational and research centre will support future work on food-chain health benefits (also termed agro-ecology).

Research will be conducted, including full documentation of the organic farming knowledge at Green Grove Farm, filling data gaps and publiclly sharing this important information for future generations.  An open source web site will also be created as part of this project, displaying data gathered at the farm over the years.    

Using the farm to educate our future food producers…

Green Grove Farm is frequently showcased to local school and university agricultural groups as a successful organic farm. Our campaign will also enhance the ability of Green Grove to function as an effective education facility to help educate our next generation of farmers.

How You Can Help

Essential to our goal is the support of concerned and passionate individuals.  If you’d like to join our community that is concerned about preserving the Green Grove farm, education and farming practice, or simply want to contribute to the health of future generations, here is how you can join in:  

We are offering these unique limited-items rewards in exchange for your pledges of support.

1. E-book on sustainable farming:  ‘Seeking Sustainability’ $15
2. Sponsor an Acre $20
3. Organic Plant Food for your garden $50 – Includes 3 Packs
4. Sponsor a Lab Test on soils and plant health $150
5. Soil Health Seminar and Farm Tour  $175 – At Green Grove Organics on 16 Feb 2017 
6. Premium Organic Beef Pack  $425 – Includes: 2 x Round Steaks, 4x T-Bone Steaks, 4x Scotch fillet steak, 1x 1kg diced Beef, 3 x 1kg Beef Sausage, 1 x 1kg Beef stir fry, 1 x Roast Beef small, 1x Rolled Roast, 2x 1 kg Mince
7. Education Centre Naming Rights – 5 year term $5000

Why Is This Important?

There is a worldwide concern today with how farming methods are influencing our environment, health and the quality of foods.

We feel that by preserving a unique organic farm history, and learning from its practices thru research and documentation, future generations will benefit.  

Did you know that generations of conventional farming and over use have depleted soils of the rich nutrients it was once imbued with?

That we have lost up to 50% mineral value of fresh produce?

And mineral deficiency is associated with a rise in chronic illness?

The insights offered in organic farming practices at Australia’s oldest organic farm, and the nurturing of the whole farm ecology, can help our next generation of both farmers and consumers to have healthier lives.

It can help, for example, build an understanding of the importance of mineral-rich, healthy organic soils and mineral-rich organic feed to the production of higher protein and mineral enriched produce.

About the Farm

The Green Grove Farm is a 1100 hectare property situated near Ardlethan, in the magnificent and fertile Riverina region of New South Wales. The farm has been owned by the Druce family since 1918. The Green Grove farm is amongst the most premium producers of organic produce in Australia.

In 1962, the current owner Alan Druce, became concerned about pollution in the food chain. He set about taking steps toward pure food production by eliminating harmful sprays, artificial fertilisers and other “modern day” farming practices designed to “enhance” farm production, becoming in the process one of the pioneers of organic farming in Australia.

This method of farming is based on the nurturing of the whole farm ecology, and treating it as an incredibly intricate, interdependent and fragile system that needs to be understood and cared for. The Green Grove logo, the hand, soil and grain, depicts farmers being caretakers of the ecology, to produce food.

Alan’s farm produces high value on the market – including crops such as premium organic wheat, oats, beef and lamb.  It is a testament to the quality of organic farming process starting with top quality mineral rich soils.

Since 1987 Green Grove has had an association with the Australian National University (ANU) and is almost constantly being monitored and compared with conventional farming. The results of these tests are regarded as significant, sometime astonishing, to the point of Green Grove being regarded as one of the premier organic test cases in Australia, and indeed the world.

In July of 1998 the Green Grove site was presented at the 7th International Conference of Ecology in Florence, Italy as a significant organic test site.

Today the Druce family, the fourth generation on Green Grove, enjoy the results of a long-standing organic conversion, and continue to seek ways and methods of better food production.

Since 2011 Alan has been working with Converte who provide liquid organic plantfoods, seed primers and foliar sprays.  Converte products drive foodchain health and have made a significant difference to the health and productivity of the farm over recent years.  Converte is helping Alan to preserve the lasting legacy of his amazing work and leadership in the field of organic farming in Australia. 

Join In Today!

Grab a reward today, and don’t forget to share with friends, family and colleagues.  

#greengroveorganics  @convertehealth