22 GOURMET TRAVELLERWhen Cathy Palmer found out about
the darker side of the dairy industry,
she decided to take the bull by the
horns. Instead of giving it up, she set
out to find a solution to the problem.
The former music industry executive
and her partner Dr Les Sandles (a
third-generation dairy farmer, who
like Palmer was becoming increasingly
disenfranchised with the state of the
industry) decided to see if they could
defy the inhumane practices and
founded How Now, a small farm
near Victoria’s Shepparton where
cows live alongside their offspring.
In order for cows to produce milk they
must produce offspring regularly – the
dairy industry typically kills these bobby
calves (the term given to newborn calves
that are less than 30 days old and not with
their mothers) as they are seen as surplus.
How Now challenges this, keeping these
calves for the mother cows to raise. “I
was determined to prove everyone that
told me you couldn’t have a cow-and-
calf dairy wrong,” says Palmer.
Palmer’s dairy farm has proved it’s
possible, and has been in operation foralmost three years, with no cow/calf
separation and no slaughter. Their
milk is stocked in independent grocers
across NSW and Victoria.
As one of just five commerical cow-
and-calf dairies, How Now is carving
out a new niche. “I am in a unique spot
where the vegans hate me, and the dairy
farmers hate me,” says Palmer.
The herd of cows and calves each
have names and have the ability to graze
and roam. “We’ve identified that 50 to
60 cows in the dairy is the sweet spot,”
says Palmer. Instead of growing their
farm, Palmer hopes she can continue
to bring more dairy farmers into the
fold. “I’m passionate about Aussie
dairy because it’s some of the best in
the world. I would like to continue to
champion it, and bring more farmers
into the How Now way.”
As for the cows, they have all settled
into their roles well, with new calves
arriving regularly. “They are very clever,
and organised,” Palmer says. “They all
take care of each other – they are just
mums. Once you see this, it changes
you forever.” hownowdairy.com.auKeeping it in the family
This micro dairy is paving a new ethical way to produce
milk, where kindness and family come before profit.Daily grind
Season in style, thanks to these salt
and pepper mills from Danish brand
Hay. They’re by George Sowden,
co-founder of design collective
Memphis Group (known for its splashy
colours) and the settings allow you to
adapt the size and coarseness of each
grind. From $75 each, hayshop.com.auGoing native
Did you know that Bendigo has
been named Australia’s first City
of Gastronomy by UNESCO? The
central Victorian district shares this
honour with places such as Alba in
Italy (the world’s “white truffle
capital”) and Hyderabad in India
(known for its biryani). The greater
Bendigo area is home to many
boutique wine and food producers,
such as Laucke Flour Mills, the oldest
family-owned flour miller in Australia.
Culinary highlights in the region
include Sonia Anthony’s tour of
female producers (which features a
stop with Aunty Julie, an Indigenous
elder who collects kangaroo seed to
bake bread as it was done 50,000
years ago) and the monthly Feast of
Stories where Karen refugees and
other migrants share dishes. The city
is also working with the traditional
owners, Dja Dja Wurrung, to restore
Indigenous ingredients to the region.News