Donnybrook Apple Fest to feature regenerative agriculture in new ‘Future Farming’ pavilion

The new chair of the 2021 Donnybrook Apple Festival is hoping an interactive regenerative agriculture pavilion will spark people’s interest in the concept. A new addition to a historic festival, the “Future Farming” pavilion will host a range of South West speakers — residents, scientists and growers — during the two-day event. The concept places a high premium on soil and seeks to “rehabilitate and enhance” farm ecosystems through actions including planting trees, increasing biodiversity and improving nutrient recycling. Glen Mervyn egg farmer Belinda O’Brien said the practice was gaining traction and was excited to create a space dedicated to regenerative agriculture display for the first time in the festival’s history. “There’s quite a lot of people interested in regenerative farming and talking about it more and more,” she said. “Ultimately it’s about the future. It’s about doing things on the land that isn’t destroying ecosystems or breaking them down, but making our soils healthier and stronger. “It’s about building up the bugs in the soil, planting trees, and creating shade ... I see all these beautiful old jarrah and marri trees. One day they will fall down and if we’re not planting more trees now, in 100 years our kids and grandkids are going to be looking at bare paddocks.” Speakers will include Dung Beetle Ecosystem Engineers project manager Kathy Dawson, from Warren Catchments Council, off-grid farmer Dave Hamilton and beekeeper Andrew Fyfe, with topics covered including biosecurity, organic produce and soil health. Growing up in Bencubbin, where her father ran a mixed cropping and sheep farm, the fourth-generation farmer purchased her farm 20km out of Donnybrook five years ago, where she runs Blue Tractor Farm Pastured Eggs. “I chose not to go back to the Wheatbelt — I would’ve loved to go back to Bencubbin,” Ms O’Brien said. “Growing up in the Wheatbelt in a farming community, I watched a lot of things like salinity evolve.” With a passion for the environment, she helped her father fence off and plant trees on their property and has since spent more than 25 years in environmental management. “We did some planting along creek lines and not only is it beautiful to look at, but . . . it’s got all of this life,” she said.