permaculture

[logboy <logboy@burnett.net.au>]

I have been glued to the emails of late re trademarks etc. The
discussion group gives us a little contact with what is going on out
there in the real world...
We, Megan and husband Wil , have owned,worked and enjoyed a 540acre
property outside Murgon in the South Burnett,of Queensland Australia
(250km from Brisbane) for the past ten years. We have come a long way
with permaculture plans but have been hampered by servere drought, lack
of  labour , and at times money (aren't we all!!).  Traditionally we
have farmed beef cattle at low stocking rates, have an olive grove, and
a freerange pig enterprise that is getting off the ground. We are
organically certified. Perhaps doing this to gain better prices for
produce, to justify  and promote our ways in a traditional farming
community (in the heart of Joh Bjelke Petersen country- Queensland right
wing Premier for 20 years)  and to see produce going to mainstream
people who are appreciating  food without the poison.

We are now seeing most of the componants of our farm fitting together .
We have worked out what will grow and what won't to an extent- through
trial and error. Our summers are very hot and, more often than not, dry.
Winters are very cold and frosty and dry. Our interests include working
with traditional machinery,  old farm skills, preserving old functional
buildings, eco -forestry, traditional food preparation  - and too many
more for one lifetime.

Anyway,  I could rave on forever but my main question to the group is
has anyone any solutions to our labour needs apart from WWOOFers- who
are great but infrequent and not always interested in anything but a
cheap holiday . We have been in the scheme for 6 years but can't always
rely on the help and get a lot of people that just want to ride horses.
Paying someone is a unreal notion for our situation. We have the
accommodation, food, facilties etc to have someone here permamently on a
share farming or WWOOFer basis if anyone would like to contact us. My
question may be naive but we are very much out of touch with other
permaculture people here although we live and breath it ourselves. We
are very open to suggestions  comments about any aspect of what we are
doing  from anyone anywhere!!!!!

Thank you

Megan Seiler