A Grassland Society of Southern Australia (GSSA) bus tour of the Mt Gambier region on September 2 will give participants an insight into four different local farms.
The tour will focus on a variety of enterprises, including a paddock-to-plate experience finishing with a meal at The Barn with beef supplied by Ardno Herefords.
The tour also includes visits to Van Schaik's Bio Gro, Donovan's Dairy, and Sinkhole Gin.
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Limestone Coast branch president Dylan Brodie said it was the first GSSA activity in the Mt Gambier region for several years, with recent activities curtailed due to the COVID pandemic.
Mr Brodie said there was already a lot of interest from local producers wanting to join the tour.
"We're looking at different local farms and businesses and what they mean to the area and in some cases the connections between them," he said.
"For example, we'll see pastures and livestock at Ardno Herefords who produce the beef that will be served at The Barn Palais at dinner."
Bio Gro was founded more than 40 years ago, by Hans Van Schaik and his wife Marjan Van Schaik, as a small earth moving business but he had a particular interest in soil management, and that organic residues could and should be value-added.
He tested and trialled products derived from these residues, and soon after expanded the company's operating portfolio to include the development and manufacture of various forms of growing substrates, soil conditioners and mulching mediums.
Today, Bio Gro is a family-owned company and widely regarded as a leading innovator within the Australian horticulture and waste management industries.
Ardno Herefords was founded in 1937 and is one of Australia's oldest and most influential Hereford studs.
Sinkhole Gin is inspired by one of South Australia's most unique natural wonders.
Hidden away on farming land is Kilsby Sinkhole.
Renowned for its natural beauty and crystal-clear water, it gives up secrets when the sun breaks through the clouds, illuminating the 30-metre-deep limestone chamber with brilliant cobalt blue rays of light.
Registrations are now open at www.grasslands.org.au.
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