NEWS
2024
A Celebration of Managing Holistically 25 Years On
Fri 18 and Sat 19 October 2024 – Carcoar NSW, at Coombing Park with George and Melinda King. The first national Holistic Management Conference was held at Coombing Park in 1999, and it will be terrific to revisit and hear guest speakers talking about the choices and future opportunities we need to consider as holistic managers. Registration details out soon.Rachel's Farm wins CCA Award for Best Documentary Feature Film
Mar 2024: AHMC member Rachel Ward's film Rachel's Farm has won the Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Documentary Feature Film! About the film.AHMC member Stephanie Trethewey is Tasmanian Australian of the Year 2024
Stephanie Trethewey has been awarded 2024 Tasmanian Australian of the Year for her work as a rural women’s advocate and founder of the national charity Motherland.2023
AHMC Member Sam Vincent Wins Major Literary Prize
My Father and Other Animals, by AHMC member Sam Vincent, is about saving the family farm through regenerative agriculture. His memoir about belonging, humility and regeneration of land, family and culture, won the Prime Minister's Literary Award for Nonfiction 2023.New CEO for AHMC
Helen Lewis hs been appointed CEO from 1 July 2023. She is an Accredited Holistic Management Educator and co-owner of Picots Farm, which holistically produces grass-fed and finished beef. Helen's experience over 25 years includes community development, policy advising, agripolitics, agribusiness in Central Australia, holistic supply-chain management, company directorships, and 20 years as General Manager for the $1.2 billion Outback Way project. See the media release here.EOV Monitor Training
We're currently recruiting people across Australia to train as EOV Monitors, with a new ONLINE course starting 29 June 2023. See See here for information on the pathway to EOV Monitor Accreditation, application form, and FAQs.AHMC Member Rachel Ward Releases New Film
Rachel's Farm highlights the unique opportunities women are finding as regenerative farmers and ecological health monitors, and features intimate interviews with Rachel, her family and those who've inspired her. The film offers an extraordinary insight into a voyage from ignorance towards the growing movement to restore the health of Australia’s farmland, food and climate. More about Rachel's Farm.2022
17-18 March 2022: Fenner Conference 2022: Making Australian Agriculture Sustainable
Australia’s food production is in a predicament. Soils are deteriorating with declining nutrients and erosion by wind and water. Reserves of fertiliser are poor and supplies are diminishing. Nutrients are declining in the produce consumed here and exported. An exceptional group of speakers, including Tony Hill, Australian Holistic Management Cooperative, ask: Can we feed ourselves and not destroy the Earth?
17-18 March 2022 at Shine Dome, Acton ACT 2600 or online via Zoom livestream. Program and Registration
14 January 2022: Farming Matters Podcasts Now Available
Podcasts from the 2021 Farming Matters Conference have now been published. Access them through anchor.fm/farming-matters, or listen directly via Apple, Google or Spotify.2021
06 August 2021: Australian Farmer Interview with Tas Ag Co
Australian Farmer interview with L2MA Market Partner Tas Ag Co: "We’ve got carbon tests, plant tissue tests, soil tests, feed tests, we've got blood tests of animals and our commercial performance data obviously. We have environmental data baselined with the Savory Institute's land to market program, so we have an environmental baseline of how many types of species we have - tree species, ground cover, water infiltration."Read more here ...12 June 2021: Farewell to Guillermo Vila Melo
"The AHMC board was shocked and saddened to read this week of the passing of Guillermo Vila Melo. Guillermo was an accessible, skilled, committed and knowledgable person, who gave us strong support in developing our implementation of Ecological Outcome Verification in Australia," said Tony Hill, Executive Chair of the Australian Holistic Management Co-operative.29-30 March 2021: Farming Matters Conference: For our Love of the Land
The conference went very well, and was followed by a program of field trips to regions surrounding Albury on 31 March. See videos and images from the conference and field trips here.2020
4 August 2020: First-Ever Ecological Outcome Verification Certificate Awarded in Australia
Australian Holistic Management Cooperative is proud to announce the award of the first-ever EOV certificate in Australia to Mulloon Creek Natural Farms. “Our 2019 monitoring report for Mulloon Creek Natural Farms has just been released, and I am pleased to announce, through this first-ever EOV report, that the health of their farmland is trending positive”, said Australian Holistic Management Cooperative Executive Chair Tony Hill. Read more...15 July 2020: Save the Dates for the 2021 Conference
The rescheduled Farming Matters Conference will be held on Monday 29 and Tuesday 30 March 2021, followed on 31 March by the Field Trips. Covid-19 constraints makes our planning still uncertain, but we will re-open registrations as soon as circumstances allow.21 Jan 2020: Allan Savory to Headline the Farming Matters 2020 Conference
Allan Savory, founder of Holistic Management and the Savory Global Network, will be the keynote guest at the Farming Matters – For Our Love of the Land conference, to be held at Albury in March 2020. Extreme drought and weather conditions are asking tough questions about how best to build resilient landscapes, and this conference will host a range of practitioners and thinkers experienced in innovative, proven methods of building natural capital, soil health and biodiversity within prosperous rural businesses. Conference details here.2019
23 Oct 2019: Australian Holistic Management Cooperative Awarded for Innovation in Agriculture
AHMC won the Grand Champion Award in the Australian Government
Innovation in Agriculture Land Management category at the 2019 NSW Landcare
Awards!
See Savory Institute Media Release: Land to Market
Australia Awarded for Innovation in Agriculture
16 Sep 2019: Internationally Recognised Ecological Farming Logo Launches in Australia
NEWS RELEASE: Australian farmers improving the health of their land now have access to an internationally recognized logo to advertise their sustainability credentials. The 'Land to Market' logo from the award-winning Savory Institute, based in the United States, will be rolled out among Australian program participants from October 2019.19 May 2019: Back to Nature: Making money while restoring the land
ABC Landline broadcast on regenerative agriculture, with members and supporters of Land to Market Australia.14 Jan 2019: EOV Monitoring Process Proves Quick and Supportive
In less than 4 months the new environmental accreditation, Ecological Outcome Verification, has set up its first 20 baseline sites, proving the process is fast and collaborative. Using rigorous scientific methodology, the monitoring measures soil health and biology, ecosystem processes, plant species and biodiversity. Read more...2018
17 Dec 2018: Nineteen baseline sites have been established on Australian farms, representing more than 30,000 hectares of land under regenerative management.06 Dec 2018: Kering and Savory Institute - First Verified Regenerative Sourcing in Fashion
Kering and The Savory Institute announced a new collaboration today to recognize the positive impact regenerative agriculture can have in the fashion industry. Kering has become a Frontier Founder under Savory’s Land to Market™ program to advocate verified regenerative sourcing solutions in fashion's global supply chains. Read more...24 Oct 2018: First Bales of Verified Regenerative Wool Hit Market
As part of the Savory Institute’s Land to Market™ program, the Savory Hub in South Africa has delivered its first bales of regenerative wool to the international wool market in Port Elizabeth. These bales carry Savory’s Ecological Outcome Verification™ (EOV™) seal, which is the first to indicate that the land from which the wool is sourced has been verified to be regenerating. Read more...23-28 Oct 2018: First South Australian EOV baseline sites are being established in South Australia.
21 Oct 2018: Mulloon Creek Farms fantastic organic and biodynamic produce will soon be EOV too, thanks to the great work of Land to Market Australia and Holistic Management Co-op establishing the first Australian EOV baseline sites at Mulloon Creek, Jillamatong and Millpost.
20-21 Oct 2018: EOV Australian Verifiers two-day workshop was held with eight potential verifiers at Braidwood.
16 Jul 2018: the formation meeting for Australian Holistic Management Co-operative Limited took place.
14 Jun 2018: Article in 'The Land' on Land-to-Market members Anna and Michael Coughlan
Animals and environment thrive in holistic farm cycle at Tarabah Pastoral. 'The Coughlans are participating in a nation-wide program Land to Market Australia, which will for the first time use scientific rigour to show improvements to biodiversity, soil health, and ecosystem function.'11 May 2018: Podcast by Tony Hill on 'Get the Dirt'
Land to Market's Tony Hill recorded a podcast with Cynthia Lim of 'Get the Dirt'. It lasts for 28 minutes and the Get the Dirt website also provides details and links to Land to Market Australia.21 March 2018: Land to Market Australia Lays Ground for Regenerative Sourcing
Savory Institute news on our own Land to Market Australia's farmer-driven, countrywide effort to satisfy growing consumer demand for food and fiber products that support land health.21 March 2018: ABC NSW Country Hour Interview with Tony Hill
The ABC NSW Country Hour program has an interview with Tony Hill about the Land to Market program (starts one minute in). Listen on the ABC site or download the podcast.13 March 2018: Recognition for Commitment to Verified Regenerative Sourcing
EPIC Provisions, a founding brand partner of the Land to Market program, was recognised last week for its commitment to verified regenerative sourcing with the Frontier Founder Award from the Savory Institute.12 March 2018: News Release – Regenerative Farmers Say 'Yes' to Mindful Consumers
A group of Australian farmers is taking up the challenge to show consumers just how well they're managing the environment. Knowing that consumers now demand proof that farmers are putting land regeneration at the heart of their operations, the group has created a program of farmer support and environmental monitoring to do just that.- Read more here ...
- Full Media Release here ...
- The Four Steps to Ecological Outcome Verification ...
February-April 2018: Course on Holistic Grazing and Ecological Monitoring
Learn to grow more grass, prepare for dry seasons and manage grazing during drought.- Grazing planning
- Ecosystem processes
- Biological monitoring
- Ecological Outcomes Verification
2017
27-30 November 2017: Ecological Outcomes Verification Training
Our EOV training was a major achievement in many ways. We trained nearly 40 people in EOV in four days. We had Byron Shelton from the Savory Institute coming from the USA to conduct the training. Now we have seven HM Educators trained as Hub Verifiers, and as a world first, we have nearly 20 producers trained as Field Monitors. All this means we have the building blocks for an early implementation of the brand 'Land to Market Australia' incorporating ‘Ecological Outcome Verified’.
30-31 October 2017: Second Tombarra Workshop
The Reference Group held a second face to face workshop on 31 October 2017 at the Tombarra events centre, near Braidwood NSW. Key topics discussed at the workshop were:
19-20 September 2017: First Tombarra Workshop
The Reference Group held a face to face workshop on 20 September 2017 at the Tombarra events centre near Braidwood NSW. The focus of the day was on making sure that Reference Group members have every opportunity to guide the direction of the Holistic Management Cooperative Project and remain informed about new developments.
The full-day workshop on Wednesday 20th covered a number of topics: Savory Institute's ecological outcomes verification (EOV), the profiles and requirements of the Reference Group, the Holistic context, draft marketing plans, the online facilities, the EOV training plan, training innovations, and accreditation and remuneration models.
From left: Lesley White (speaking), Michael Fitzgerald, Emily Yarra
(standing), Harry Watson, Hayden Druce (standing), Brian Marshall, Victoria
Royds, Jane Keany, Margie Fitzpatrick, Martin Royds, Kirsty Altenburg (out of
shot), Tony Hill (behind the camera).
The workshop was preceded by a producers and quality food providers' dinner on the evening of 19th, with a catering theme of local food and wine. Several guests with experience at supplying wholesome food through regenerative agriculture spoke briefly on their experiences and outlook.
