THE Gina Rineharts of the world aside, most farmers farm to live.
By the same token, most of them also absolutely live to farm.
In NSW, however, Trentham Cliffs farmer Britt MacNamara has a slightly different take on the agricultural industry – she farms to holiday.
This accidental market gardener is using three of the five acres in her block to pump out a range of crops, such as zucchini, squash, capsicums, jalapenos, sweet bullhorns, and tomatoes – lots of tomatoes, including rounds, cherry and romas.
And every year Ms MacNamara sets the profit aside for the next family holiday.
Which might explain why her children Porta, 16, Remy, 14, and Zali, 13, are such willing helpers – and the mainstay of all her planting programs.
Husband Carl works full time off the farm (although he is required to be on hand for his fair share of the tractor work).
“The market garden is all mine, the kids are great with the planting, and do help with a few other things, but picking and packing is all on me, if we want holiday money I need to just get on with the job,” Ms MacNamara says.
She started the farm in 2016 after her father-in-law suggested she do something with the land they had. So many people around them were doing market gardens, he said, that might be something to consider.
“So our neighbours threw seedlings at us, we started planting and, hey presto, we were market gardeners,” she recalls.
And market gardeners with a little touch of pizzazz. Ms MacNamara’s little blue ute, the landmark permanently parked at her front gate, is an eye-catching addition that lets passing traffic know there is a freshly picked roadside stall there around the clock.
The blue ute is also featured on most of Ms MacNamara’s social media work and has become something of a signature for her on just about everything connected with her holiday enterprise.
“Once the decision was made, we got going pretty well straightaway, and very early on we did a zucchini trial for Out of the Box in Mildura and six months later we were on board as a supplier and we have been with them ever since,” Ms MacNamara says.
“I reckon one of the biggest challenges wasn’t the decision to start, it was the process of working out what would actually grow well for us – and what wouldn’t.”
Eggplants, for example, were an early casualty because Ms MacNamara just couldn’t be bothered with the legions of bugs the glossy purple-black aubergines attracted. Way too much trouble.
Sweet bullhorns replaced sweet chilis but squash has squeezed its way back into the rotation.
Ms MacNamara doesn’t do farmers markets, she pretty well sees that blue ute at the front gate on the highway as her farmer’s market, with all sales run on an honesty box program.
A move she says has been close to 100 per cent success.
“We’ve lost a small amount of money and the odd bits and pieces of stock, but virtually everyone plays the game, just happy to get freshly picked produce without having to go into town,” she says.
“We have found what they appreciate most is easy access to locally grown and owned produce.”
Ms MacNamara is also a supplier to the Coomealla Club, the RSL and Trentham Estate, as well as local restaurants, which also value being able to share the local fresh food story with their customers.
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