Innovative Farming in the News

December 2001 - The Land - City cockies 'chew fat' on network

December 2001 - The Land - First Zebus, then ComBox

April 2001 - Small Farms Magazine - New technology is to be launched at Tocal

City cockies 'chew fat' on network
By Kim-Cherie Davidson, The Land

A new electronic network is helping develop a "rural community in the Big Smoke", thanks to the initiative of a Southern Highlands farmer, Gerry Carroll.

It is described as "a community for city-based farmers".

Mr Carroll, a software engineering company CEO in North Sydney, established the Internet facility last year after finding there was no organization providing a linkage to (or within) the fast-growing ranks of city-based farm owners.

He had been seeking interest from people like himself for a prototype remote monitoring and controlling device he had developed for his own property, only to find there was no simple way of obtaining a response.

Innovative Farming, which began as a research and development project for remote farm monitoring, and after publicity in The Land has developed into what he calls a "social and educational forum" for city people who own farms.

It now has 600 members, mostly from Sydney and Newcastle, representing a spread of city careers from professional gardeners to corporation heads.

Innovative Farming manager, Robin Major, said most members had a past connection to the land and were reactivating a passion for farming.

"It's not just another cold-headed commercial business."

Members received electronically distributed information on quarterly seminars, as well as a newsletter.

The seminars addressed a mixture of relative farming topics and usually attracted 30 to 50 city-based farmers, who also took advantage of the chance to "network" and learn from each other.

Seminar topics have included city-based farm management, the country home, no-chemical farming, soil testing and farm security.

The quarterly newsletter included seminar reviews and previews, practical tips, regular columns on farm management and a software review.

Ms Major said most members had cattle enterprises and were serious commercial operators who had managers on their properties.

Others were "lifestylers" with an eye to establishing a retirement haven.

Most of the farms are within two hours drive of Sydney.

The only real qualification needed to join Innovative Farming was farm ownership, Ms Major said.

Most members had no preconceptions about farming. They had capital to invest and were prepared to take calculated risks.

"In fact, we could be seeing the start of a trend where the city farmers do the experimentation and the bush does the adapting," she said.

First Zebus, the ComBox
By Kim-Cherie Davidson, The Land

Like most city-based farmers, Gerry Carroll lives between two worlds: the stress and bustle of a city business and a busy, but orderly farm life.

The Innovative Farming organisation's founder heads the Object Oriented software engineering company, with a staff of 120 in Sydney and Melbourne.

Because of a keen interest in agriculture, he bought his 296ha property, "Mulloon Farm", at Braidwood in the Southern Tablelands three years ago, which he runs with the help of wife, Robyn Clarey, and a part-time manager.

Mr Carroll (pictured with Mrs Carroll) runs Nadudanas, a miniature Zebu breed from Sri Lanka, choosing the small-breed cattle to feed a "niche market" for smaller cuts.

He also conceived the idea of ComBox, a remote monitoring and controlling device which when fully developed will allow landholders to check on property security, water levels, stock movements and conditions, electric fences and weather, while nowhere near the farm.

Wanting feedback from other absentee landholders, he then developed Innovative Farming, "a community for city-resident farmers".

"It is a wonderful opportunity to talk to like-minded people and discuss issues, some which are common to traditional producers, but others which are quite different," he said.