Zoe Laing - Warinyan Farm

Who are you ?

Im Zoe Laing and together with my partner Shmu Karni run a mixed farm and fermenting business.

Where and what do you farm ?

We farm on my parents property in Upper Lansdowne on the Mid Coast NSW. We grow organic fruit, herbs and vegetables for our fermenting business as well as holistically grazing a small herd of cattle with a cacophony of poultry in toe and a few bee hives.

How did you start your farming journey / what led you to it?

I grew up in the country with horticulturist parents so gardening was part of growing up. In my early 20s whilst living in the city I became interested in permaculture and biodynamic farming as i became more aware of the many environmental issues facing us. I studied ecology and plant sciences but knew i wanted something more hands on than academia. I travelled through India volunteering on organic farms and permaculture projects before completing a permaculture design certificate in Thailand and living and working in a permaculture community in Thailand for a year. In between i worked on some commercial orchards in Australia to fund my travels and could see a stark difference between their operations and ones i was interested in. On return to Australia I completed a certificate IV in Permaculture and a holistic management course before moving to my parents newly acquired property to really have a chance of farming for a living.

Is it what you expected ?

Yes and no. I knew it would be a tough gig making a living solely from farming especially with no capitol for start up and since our land isn’t suited to having a large market garden we decided to go down the route of value adding our produce. If the land had been flat we would have expanded the market gardening enterprise more. The fermenting side of our business took off though and now we try to balance fermenting on a larger scale whilst still trying to grow as much produce as we can.

Biggest learning curve so far ?

You cant do everything at once! In the beginning we were also doing pastured eggs but eventually didnt have enough time to juggle growing veg, moving cattle and chooks, and fermenting all together and do them all well. We chose to continue the more profitable enterprises that were suited to the property.

Who / what / why inspired you to get farming?

I was very much inspired by wanting to make a difference in the world and helping the environment. This lead me to permaculture in the beginning and people like Masanobu Fukuoka and Sepp Holtzer. My PDC teacher Richard Perkins has been a continuing inspiration as well as many friends and teachers i’ve met along the way. Later Holistic Management gave me even more insight and changed the way i look at the things. Now, growing nutrient dense, regeneratively farmed food feels like one of the most important ways to affect change in the world.

What is your biggest milestone so far ?

There have been a few, perhaps the most important being creating a profitable farm business doing what we love and earning a living from the land. We have also helped regenerate our previously abandoned property, improving pastures through grazing management, building fertility and increasing biodiversity.

What is the dream ?

To own our own property and create an abundant paradise for humans, plants and animals alike with a thriving community of like minded people creating community self sufficiency. I would love to explore syntropic farming more and expand into perennial/permanent agriculture including native food plants. Many hands make light work and whilst farming with my partner is genuinely rewarding one can accomplish much more if supported by a whole community of people.