Landcare in Focus - February 2012 Edition

1● ● ● ● W HEN Landcare was launched in a small Victorian country town in 1985, it was little more than an idea. But it sowed the seed for something big – a movement that would not just go nationwide but spread beyond Australian borders. It’s a story... More

1● ● ● ● W HEN Landcare was launched in a small Victorian country town in 1985, it was little more than an idea. But it sowed the seed for something big – a movement that would not just go nationwide but spread beyond Australian borders. It’s a story Forbes farmer Philip Bruem likes, not just because of what Landcare stands for but because he’s hoping to one day be able to relate a similar success story about the Australian Year of the Farmer (AYOF). It’s almost six years since Mr Bruem found himself lamenting the growing divide between city consumers and agriculture with friend Geoff Bell, now AYOF’s managing director. Frustrated by the lack of appreciation of farmers’ contribution and determined to do something about it, they began exploring the potential for an event that would highlight the importance of agriculture. That idea for an “event” turned into a full year of events and a plan to have 2012 gazetted as “Australian year of the farmer”. “No formal application was requir Less