Five Sixty Farms is a family-owned organic microgreen farm located south of Lismore. The certified business is dedicated to producing the freshest and highest quality microgreens using sustainable farming practices. For those who don’t know, microgreens are young plants that are harvested when they are only a few inches tall, just after they have developed their first true leaves.
Forward thinking and community involvement are often key themes of organic businesses in Australia, and AOL Member Charles Higgins is a great example of these concepts. Charles is part of an expanding local co-operative in the Nambucca Valley region on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, where he and four other growers produce certified organic macadamias for the Australian market.
If you want to sound more knowledgeable about wine, there aren’t many better people to learn from than Mike Bennie.
The renowned wine judge and writer recently delivered a private masterclass session for the recipient of the 2023 Australian Organic Wine Awards Associate Scholarship, as part of his role leading the expert judging panel for the awards.
Here, he pops the cork on what was covered in the masterclass, with tips on how you can improve your own wine judging skills.
Down Under Enterprises is a vertically integrated grower, producer and global wholesale supplier of pure Australian Essential Oils and native botanical ingredients. Products are sourced from their New South Wales farm Buhlambar, which lives in the heart of the traditional home of the Aboriginal Bundjalung people (in Bundjalung language, Buhlambar means ‘Home of Tea Tree’). Other small growers also contribute to the Down Under business.
BioAg is an Australian owned and operated manufacturer since 1999, offering proven certified organic liquid biostimulants and natural phosphate fertilisers.
The company was formed to provide sound biological programs for agriculture-based soil and plants, at a time when suitable solutions and products were not readily available through conventional supply chains. BioAg’s development has been driven by conversations with farmers who wanted to do things differently and better but needed access to the right inputs to achieve those goals.
Rugby league legend and 2023 Australian Organic Awareness Month Ambassador, Anthony Minichiello, has backed the push for stronger regulations around organic ‘greenwashing’.
Now a qualified nutritionist, Mr Minichiello advocates for certified organic farming practices as a key element of a nutrient-dense diet.
“There’s a lot of misleading marketing claims and fake studies out there that confuse people,” he said.
South Australia has scooped the pool at the 2023 Australian Organic Wine Awards, with four of the six major trophies awarded to growers from the Wine State.
Hosted by Australian Organic Limited (AOL), the Awards, now in their third year, celebrate Australia’s certified organic and biodynamic wine industry.
In total, 45 certified organic and biodynamic wine producers from 32 regions across the country submitted 211 bottles of the nation’s finest organic wines for judging in the Awards program.
The variability in poultry stocking densities allowed to be claimed as ‘free-range’ is being thrown into the spotlight during the 2023 Australian Organic Awareness Month.
Under organic certification, no more than 1,500 egg-laying birds are permitted per hectare for set stocking, while non-organic free-range products can have up to 10,000 birds per hectare.
The burgeoning organic production of the Margaret River wine region has been celebrated at the 2023 Australian Organic Wine Awards, with five producers from the region among the trophy and medal winners.
Wilyabrup-based Stormflower Vineyard claimed a Silver Medal and the Trophy for Best Left of Centre Wine for their 2022 Petillant Naturel, described by judges as lively, vibrant, and a good example of the ‘naturally sparkling’ wine.