Stanthorpe Eco Expo

Stanthorpe Eco Expo 2022

Did you attend the Stanthorpe Eco Expo in 2022?

After you have looked at the photos scroll down for our speaker videos

Keynote Speaker:

Andrew Woodford,
Senior Agronomist at Wilshire & Co.
Regenerative Agriculture in Horticulture

Andrew grew up in Papua New Guinea until 11 years of age, moving to Brisbane at the end of 1973 and studied agriculture at Corinda High School. A genuine interest in honeybees led to studying Apiculture at Gatton Agricultural College for two years and then working commercially in NSW for two years in beekeeping.
In 1986 Andrew returned to study B. App. Sc. Horticulture, graduating in 1989 from the University of Qld., Gatton College. Plant nutrition has always been his passion with the belief that much insect and disease incidence is due to poor plant nutrition, of which Andrew is increasingly convinced. Andrew has a genuine passion to guide farmers in how to grow commercial crops with decent levels of trace elements, for better crop, animal and personal outcomes. He has farmed vegetables on the Sunshine Coast for three years and sold produce through home delivery.
Andrew’s wife has been asthmatic all of her life but at the end of three years, eating their own mineral enriched produce, her asthma had significantly reduced and never been as bad as previously. Andrew truly believes that most people don’t eat vegetables (much) because they are not always palatable to eat but minerally imbalanced, subsequently lacking flavour and real taste.
In the last six months, as senior agronomist at Wilshire and Co, Andrew has been working with Hybrid Ag, who have been operating in Victoria for 20 years, being very experienced in tree crops; Hybrid Ag, have the focus “Transforming food for health”, of which Andrew is a genuine supporter and they are the only company he knows of, who have a complete range of quality organic certified products including complete soil blends so as to build your soil health from the ground up.

See video section below

Grape Growing in the Granite Belt: a focus on healthy soils

with Michelle Coelli from Twisted Gum Wines, Ballandean

Growing grapes has been my life for the last 15 years, and in recent years I have added wine-making to that. Together with my husband, we make all wine on site using only the grapes that we grow, and we are passionate about taking care of the environment. My background is in agriculture. I grew-up on a small dairy farm in NSW, where I developed a love for farming and the environment. Straight after school I went to Uni and studied Rural Science at the University of New England, Armidale. I met Tim at Uni, and we got married in 1989. We lived in WA for a couple of years where I worked for the University of Western Australia on a soil conservation project in the wheat belt. We then moved back to Armidale, where I worked on various water policy projects, studied environmental economics, and started a family. In 2002 we moved to Brisbane and after only 5 years of city living, we moved to our current home on Twisted Gum Vineyard in Ballandean in 2007.

Family, farming and the environment are very important to me. I am pleased with our progress in the vineyard. Our methods of grape growing put healthy soils, biodiversity and water efficiency at the core of what we do. We continue to try new ideas and build a resilient farming system that mimicks nature as much as possible. We minimize chemicals used and do not use insecticides, instead relying on natural enemies of vineyard pests, such as birds, micro-bats, beneficial insects and spiders. We graze sheep in the vineyard during winter to help cycle nutrients and build soil health. We are also net exporters of renewable energy.

See video section below

Regenerative Agriculture…what does it all mean?

with Kym Wilson, Ready to Adapt

Kym has spent her life in hospitality and caring for people and planet. Kym is co-owner of Ready to Adapt, regenerating landscapes and livelihoods, working with climate savvy farmers and landholders through their coaching business, based on the Granite Belt.

Growing up in the Lockyer Valley, Kym has a strong connection with the farming sector. She has a background in health and good food having been a Commercial Chef for 20 years before turning to Nursing. Her love for nature was born out of chook sheds full of clucking hens and climbing trees as a child. The wonderment of nature through the eyes of her grandchildren now reminds her of the beauty in small things from ants to butterflies, giving her a strong sense of needing to ensure we leave the planet in a condition that will allow our children’s children to thrive.

Authoring hundreds of articles both on her own website and for other organisations, Kym enjoys writing about all things Regenerative and Resilience building. A keen homesteader, Kym enjoys working with people and nature to build a more resilient future. Together with her husband Strachan, they run workshops and education sessions on Permaculture, Regenerative Agriculture and much more. When not working in the community they run Torfoot Farm – a Registered Belted Galloway Stud just outside Stanthorpe.

See video section below

We hope you enjoy 2022’s presentations

A big thank you to our major sponsors for 2022

and special thanks to our 2022 supporters:

Ananda Palli and more to come…

If you or your business would like to be involved please use the contact form below