Symphony Farm, at Tilba on the far south coast of New South Wales, is an integrated beef, pork, chicken and egg farm, run by Mandy and Graham Thompson with their five children, Brohdan, Denham, Huon, Heath and Sarah.
Mandy and Graham were raised on farms, and realised early on that conventional farming practices are not what people, animals or the planet need. Mandy’s father was inclined towards natural farming practices on the family’s diverse thirteen acres, and it was here that Mandy learned the benefits of recycling systems, compost and closed loops: ‘everything was balanced and healthy’, she says.
Graham was also introduced to the benefits of natural farming practices, for the health of people and the land, at an early age. Working on conventional farms as a teen forced him to question if there wasn’t a better way to grow food. Now he follows his instincts when dealing with problems on the farm, and farms without chemicals.