Farmer on Your Plate showcase moves to bigger Fremantle venue amid growing popularity

Perth’s annual Farmer on Your Plate showcase is moving to a bigger and better venue in Fremantle this November to cater for growing crowds and increased interest from vendors. Previously held at Forrest Chase in the Perth CBD, the free event allows city folk to meet the farmers who produce their food and sample some of WA’s best fresh produce including meat, yabbies, fruit, honey and oils. Organised by not-for-profit group Farming Champions, the 11th annual event will be held at Fremantle’s Esplanade Reserve on Saturday, November 4, from 10am to 4pm. Farmer on Your Plate committee chair Nicola Kelliher said the event was attracting more people each year, prompting the venue change. “We really enjoyed being in the City of Perth but we were basically outgrowing it . . . the numbers of stallholders are increasing, the interest is constantly increasing,” she said. “We’re really lucky that we can have a larger, green space that’s surrounded by trees; I think we’ll have more opportunity to really sell the idea.” Farmer on Your Plate aims to educate the community about the importance of family farms and the high quality of West Australian food, while giving homegrown farming businesses a chance to showcase their wares. While the old venue accommodated about 20 exhibitors, Ms Kelliher said the new one could host up to 40 — all of whom will be sampling and selling their produce on the day. Previous events have attracted crowds of up to 2000 people. “We’ve got such a great stage that we can provide to people who have a story to tell about agriculture, and why what they’re doing is different, and how it can make a difference,” Ms Kelliher said. “We’ve always said ‘this isn’t a market stall’; we’re not just a fair for people to come along and sell their stuff. “This an educational event as well, and I think people are really enjoying that it’s not just a hard sell on the day. It’s an enjoyable day where people can ask questions and share.” Ms Kelliher, who runs Wandering Clover Fed Beef with husband Shane, said about 30 farming businesses from across WA had expressed interest in this year’s showcase. “Being down by Fremantle this year, I’m looking at how can we bring in more aquaculture, because we’ve got the sea right next door,” she said. “I try to find different themes, if you like, to pique people’s awareness . . . and get people to think about their connection every day with agriculture.” Among this year’s exhibitors will be Bees Neez Apiaries based in Beechina near Chidlow, which has been owned by Leilani Leyland and husband David for the past 40 years. The business, which has exhibited at Farmer on Your Plate since 2012, has 1000 commercial bee hives spread across Esperance and Kalbarri. “We move where the trees are flowering,” Ms Leyland said, adding that she was keen to dispel “misinformation” about honey and educate people about the importance of bees. With preparations well under way, organisers are now hoping to recruit more volunteers. Ms Kelliher said the best way to get in touch was via farmingchampions.org.au or the organisation’s Facebook and Instagram pages. “If people think they have a skill they can offer, we would be happy to work with them on anything,” she said. “Help can be given on the day, in preparation, or with the committee. We’re an amazing team and we manage to draw in such a big response for our event.” Other attractions include cooking demonstrations by Perth’s top chefs, a farm animal petting zoo and live music.