Charlie Arnott
Charlie started his Regenerative Farming journey 15 years ago. Previously he and his family had been farming conventionally on their 5,000 hectare property “Hanaminno” for over 35 years, in an industrial high input/ high output farming business model, heavily reliant on pesticides, herbicides and man-made fertilisers.
After a series of epiphanies and through education Charlie found the Regenerative Agriculture movement, a movement which reflected his instinctive connection to the land and his ethos of producing quality food for his family and the world.
Today, Hanaminno is managed using organic, biodynamic and holistic grazing principles, and produces beef, lamb and pigs, pasture raised on 100% native and exotic species, raised sympathetically within the landscape and the resources it provides, proactively marketing products direct to their clients, focusing on providing clean healthy nutritiously dense food direct to butcher and families.
The animals are handled in a ‘low stress stock’ fashion, considerate of their individual and mob behaviour; they are 100% chemical free and are not treated with any hormones, vaccines or drenches.
Charlie believes the decision to move away from trying to get nature to do what man wants, and instead learning how best to collaborate with nature, is key to not only a prosperous farming business, but also to a farmer’s health, consumer health and the land’s health. The business is not certified organic, nor Biodynamic, however prefer being known as ‘Certified by Community’, given the transparency and openness to the public and clients under which the farm operates. Clients are considered ‘co-producers’ as they play a vital role in guiding the production of food through their feedback and connection with the farm.
Charlie and his team host and facilitate 2 day workshops at Hanaminno and across Eastern Australia, teaching farmers, gardeners and families the principle and practices of Biodynamics, and hold open community preparation making events on farm to foster the skills and experience for farmers to create a relationship with their landscape, and be self-reliant.
Charlie considers himself and his team sunshine and water harvesters, soil builders, pasture and animal nurturers, change facilitators, educators, community supporters and Nature partners. With a focus on putting the ‘culture’ back into Agri-culture. Charlie has received several agricultural industry awards for leadership, resource management and conservation, more recently the prestigious Bob Hawke National Landcare Award 2018. The award acknowledges a person who has demonstrated a remarkable commitment to caring for the land, champions better practices, and gives their time to share knowledge with others.