Grassroots festival is back with stellar line-up

AFTER a highly successful inaugural event last year the Grassroots Festival will be back next month.

Run by the Gunningham family in the state’s North-West this year’s event will be held from February 12-14. 

Co-organiser Amelia Gunningham said they were encouraged to run the festival again after receiving very positive feedback at last year’s event. 

“We were just really blown away with how everyone felt like it had blown their hats off in terms of what they expected it to be and then what was shown,” she said. 

“Especially with the bus tour one the first day and going to see what people are doing on farm and practising the things we were then talking about on the second day. I think that tied it really nicely together for a lot of people.” 

Matthew Gunningham said the aim of the Festival was to provide access to high-quality guest speakers who can provide information for farmers that is relevant and also practical.

The main focus again this year will be regenerative agricultural practices and sustainability along with mental health and education. The festival will kick off on February 12 with a bus tour which will include visits to two local farms. 

These will be David Roberts-Thompson’s Table Cape farm where he has been using regenerative agricultural practices for a number of years. 

The second farm visit will be to the Elliot Dairy Research Station where participants will get to see the mixed species trial work being done and part of the major farmlet project. 

The day will conclude with a screening of the Roots So Deep documentary and a question-and-answer session with Peter Byck. 

February 13, the main conference day, will be held at the Gunninhgams’ property 818 Montumana Road, Montumana. 

The program will kick off at 9am with a presentation from soil specialist Nicole Masters from Integrity Soils. 

Ms Masters has been involved with regenerative foods systems for more than two decades. She is passionate about educating people about the importance of healthy and properly functioning soils and their role in agriculture and society more broadly. 

Another guest speaker will be film maker Peter Byck who is a professor of practice at Arizona State University and also made the short film series called Carbon Cowboys. 

He is also heading up a major research project on adaptive multi-paddock grazing which involves a large group of scientists and farmers working to improve soil health, biodiversity and carbon storage. 

“I think something that’s interesting as well is Peter isn’t a farmer himself,” Amelia said. 

“So, his perception on things can be can be totally unbiased and he can look at the facts and figures and listen the farmers and his view on things isn’t skewed by things he hard growing up or anything like that.” 

Agronomist engineer Jim Elizondo will also share his knowledge on how to run profitable and sustainable grazing operations.

Mr Elizondo will also con duct a two-day educational course following the festival. 

Mr Gunningham said the course would be hugely beneficial for any farmers wanting to improve how they are managing their grazing systems and pastures to make them more sustainable and profitable. 

“Grassroots is aimed at commercial farmers who make a living from farming,” he said. 

“It’s not for a nice group of people that just like the idea of it. We have to be able to make a living at this.” 

The conference will also include a presentation from agricultural consultant Sam Bye who has been helping the Gunninghams with a carbon farming project across their operation. 

Mental and physical health is also a focus of the program this year which will include international guest speaker Natalie E West who is an Integrative Psychotherapist. 

Throughout the conference day there will also be a number of demonstration sites including a soil pit, rain fall simulator, renewable energy and dun beetles. 

To see the full program or purchase tickets go to www.grassrootsfestival.org

Further information can also be found at the event’s Facebook and Instagram pages.