Humane Habits For Down-to-earth Food

Sydney Morning Herald

Tuesday November 11, 2008

Ainslie MacGibbon

At the end of a windy, dusty road, Landtasia appears. An organic beef property founded seven years ago, it is situated in NSW's Southern Tablelands.

According to owner Richard Graham it is a place where "cattle are raised humanely on chemical-free grasslands ... without hormones, antibiotics or genetically modified feed". He calls it a ranch, saying it "better fits" the company's vision.

Formerly employed in information technology, he now runs 500 cattle on the 4249-hectare property. He is establishing an apple orchard with 5000 trees and 25,000 vines.

The organic apples, available from March next year, includes pink lady, granny smith, fuji, jonathan and golden delicious varieties. The grapes are pinot noir, chardonnay and viognier.

Landtasia has also set up an organic colony of 2.5 million bees. Honey is likely to go on sale in summer.

Graham has an open-gate policy. He wants his customers to care, so he welcomes their visits. "Organic certification alone isn't good enough; you've got to know the farm and farmer that produces your food," he says.

See landtasia.com.

© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald

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