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in conversation with
PATRICE NEWELL
PHOTO: GIDEON WARHAFTA
former television presenter, Patrice Newell has
been running Elmswood Farm, a 10,000-acre
property in the NSW Hunter Valley, since 1987.
She is a researcher, an advocate for sustainable farming,
and the author of several books, including her most
recent, Who’s Minding the Farm?Q
: (^) How has the drought affected your farm, your
community and the mental health of farmers?
A
: When the Millennium drought ended in 2009 we
restocked with cattle, enjoyed the beef boom, had
a few bumper olive oil crops from our 6000 trees,
and began to focus on growing a beautiful hard-neck
purple garlic we call ‘Glamour’.
A decade later we sold most of the cattle again to
ensure we maintained good grass cover. The kangaroos
appreciated it. We had 700 breeders in 2000. Now we
have 14 head of cattle. It will be a Bex-and-a-lie-down
day if we have to get rid of all our cows because I use
them for manure and compost.
We haven’t had a commercial olive harvest in two years
and couldn’t plant garlic in 2019. Garlic needs water and we
don’t have water to irrigate. Our green manure crop failed
for the second year running and the soil just wasn’t prepared.
Most of the Upper Hunter has a profound water
shortage and much of the landscape has been overgrazed.
Consequently, there’s financial, employment, and personal
difficulties throughout the district.
Simon Webster talks to biodynamic farmer and author Patrice Newell.