In October, Crookwell potato farmer Garry Kadwell made national news as the delicious Harvey Norman 2020 Producer of the Year.
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For 15 years, the awards have recognised the best in Australian produce.
Judge and chef Matt Moran visited the Kadwell farm and he said he'd never tasted better potatoes: "This product is an absolute standout."
"The farm has a beautiful story, in an area that's been growing potatoes for more than 100 years," he said.
Lesser established but also from the Upper Lachlan Shire were Pia and Luke Winder from Tathra Place Free Range they were awarded the Unearthed Next Gen Producer.
Tathra Place is near Wombeyan Caves around 40 kilometres from Goulburn. Their main business is pork, duck, beef, chicken and quail which are produced ethically in chemical and pharmaceutical free ecosystems.
Delicious Harvey Norman Produce Award judge and chef Peter Gilmore praised the farmers holistic approach.
"Luke and Pia are the most passionate young farmers I've come across in a long time," he said.
"They approach things with a strong emphasis on sustainability, crop rotation and soil health. They have a holistic plan for the future, and it's encouraging to see this raw passion translate to consistency, reliability and quality," Mr Gilmore said.
Over the past five years, Mr Winder with his wife and three sons have worked to create clean and healthy animals in an environmentally friendly way.
He said their regenerative program closely mimics that of the American farmer and activist Joel Salatin. In particular his multi-species stacked system.
"Our animals are the tools in the regenerative system responsible for re-building topsoils, increasing organic matter, and sequestering carbon," Mr Winder explained.
He described their farm as a place in which the animals do most of the work. The idea is simply to replicate animals in nature in order to recycle biomass and regenerate the soil.
"We have achieved this by creating ecosystems with multiple species of animals, plants and insects choreographed with aggressive rotation and rest," Mr Winder said.
In their multi-species production are Angus cattle, Bresse chickens, Wessex Saddleback and Tokyo crossed pigs, Pekin and Aylesbury crossed ducks, Japanese quail, and Maremma dogs.
"The animals are essentially doing all the work," he said.
"We can operate with very small inputs whether it be electrical or petroleum energy, or feed inputs because the animals are supplementing so much of their diet with grass," he said.
Mr Winder and his family have extended an invitation for people to visit their farm and view their operation.
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