NORTH ARM
FARMS The Mandarin Bend, Harvest Owl and Autarky Farm are a three farm collective here in the Nambucca Valley. Together, they create "North Arm Farms".
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i Tom. Tell us about the initiative and the people behind it. The farmers behind North Arm Farms are Kaycee Simuong, Tom Macindoe, Camilla Bonicci, Bryce King, Alex Columbe and Kerryn McFarlane. We’re a motley (and given the age of the average Aussie farmer, pretty youthful) crew of mostly first generation farmers, with the exception of Bryce, who grew up on a wheat-sheep property in Western Australia. Kaycee and Tom both have environmental science backgrounds, Camilla was involved in ecotourism, Kerryn in bush regeneration, and Alex and Bryce both in carpentry and the arts. So, a pretty diverse bunch, but all of us have a love of good food, a passion for the environment and the selfsufficient lifestyle. North Arm Farms is a totally grassroots producer-run collaboration between the three small-scale farms down here in the beautiful North Arm of the Nambucca Valley. Before
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forming the collective, We all employ organic North Arm Farms is we were friends all growing principles. Both a totally grassroots individually growing 20 The Mandarin Bend (that’s producer-run to 30 crops each to offer Kaycee's and my farm), and collaboration customers the diversity Autarky Farm run by Bryce between the which they love, which and Camilla are Certified three small-scale was really challenging. Organic; and Harvest Owl, farms down here We were all riding the which is Alex and Kerryn’s highs and lows of being baby is synthetic chemical in the beautiful small organic growers free. All three of our market North Arm of the and often in competition gardens are at or under one Nambucca Valley. with each other. We acre - so by conventional saw there was a better growing standards, way going forward. So considered pretty small scale. about two years ago, with similar perspectives Being part of the collective allows you to on the broken food system and the intention each specialise in a specific field, offering of providing a diversity of fresh produce to the best produce to your customers. How our local community, we decided to form the well does this work for each of you? collective. We were able to streamline our At a farm level, all three properties are very farming enterprises and build resilience all at the different geographically. The Mandarin Bend same time. It’s a wonderful thing, and has so far is located higher up the top of the Nambucca proven to be a pretty successful model. To our River in Girralong - it’s a true valley environment, knowledge, the way we’re operating is pretty so gets cooler in winter and therefore suits unique in Australia. growing more of the winter greens and root