Paul and Sue Graham

Farmer rating (pending assessment by the PFA): AA
Supplying Food Connect since: 2004
Farm visited by Food Connect: Yes

After a long drought it has been raining constantly at Paul and Sue Graham’s property just south of Killarney. Their four hundred acres has been transformed from a parched and yellow place into green, lush rolling hills. At present they have forty head of Angus cross cattle grazing their property, but with the good season, are planning to increase this to about one hundred head. The dams that were dug into the dust during the drought are now full. This, in turn, has attracted various water birds who spend their summer days feeding and swimming around. The warm night air is now filled with the excited croaking of frog song. Things are looking up for this third generation farming family and their various wild residents.

In addition to cattle, the Graham’s grow sweet corn, zucchinis, broccoli, silverbeet, potatoes, pumpkins, melons and citrus. To meet the needs of his family of four, Paul also hires his services out as a fencing contractor. Sue pitches in by working three days a week at the local school.

Paul emphasised that he prefers not to deal with the supermarkets that were always ripping him off. Furthermore, he does not like a system where the people consuming his food are faceless and placeless. In light of this, he is enthusiastic about the more direct link between himself and people consuming the food his family has grown. Some time ago a bus load of fifty Food Connect subscribers visited his farm, where he was able to put “names and faces to the people” he is dealing with. Moreover, his enthusiasm for our community supported agriculture system of food production and distribution goes beyond these reasons. Paul believes his involvement with Food Connect has positive consequences for the ecological sustainability of his farm. He explained that when selling his crops to the mainstream food market it was expected that he harvest his crop at a certain time, even if it was too wet to get it out of the ground. Harvesting in very wet conditions can seriously degrade the structure of the soil, which then affects the ability of that soil to store water and grow food. In terms of Food Connect, he said, “There are no such hassles, they actually understand when it is too wet to dig the crops up”.

Click here to visit the Graham’s website.