GROUNDED FESTIVAL 2026

SPEAKERS

Our 2026 speaker lineup is growing. From soil mentors to innovative growers, agroforesters, ecologists and advisors, expect a powerful mix of local and international voices.

Alison is an ecologist and professional environmental photographer with a focus on fungi. Her work spans both northern and southern hemispheres where she is actively involved in fungal research, education and conservation. Her writing and images appear in both academic and popular literature, and she is author of seven books. Alison especially enjoys working on the ground with farmers, horticulturalists, land restorers and others to explore ways to rebuild fungal ecologies in soil.

Amelia is an award winning educator who habitually (and proudly) disrupts the status quo to nurture the most disadvantaged children in the nation. Her relational leadership across Victoria and Tasmania is innovative and she enjoys implementing co-created and accessible pilot programming. By providing a safe and positive food culture during the seed to plate journey, Amelia demonstrates that tending to living world connections can increase well being and therefore engagement. A highlight includes her trauma informed pedagogy and system navigation skills guiding 24 Carrot Gardens/Material Institute to harvest sustainable and impactful collaborations with organisations, decision makers and staff at the coalface alike. 

For the past 35 years Andrew, a fourth-generation farmer, and his wife, Jill, along with the extended Stewart family have re-developed Yan Yan Gurt West Farm into a prime lamb and agroforestry enterprise. The farm produces meat, wool, native flowers and various tree products from the integrated, multi-purpose agroforestry system.  The property has gone from 3% woody vegetation to 19%. Now the next generation is involved in the property in different ways. Andrew is a co-founder of the Otway Agroforestry Network and along with Jill, was part of a team who ran a Master TreeGrower course for farmers in Uganda.  In 1999 Jill and Andrew were awarded the Australian Forest Growers, Victorian, Tree Farmer of the year award.  As a member of the East Otway Landcare Group the Stewart family was awarded a Certificate of Recognition for outstanding contributions to Landcare in Corangamite. The Stewart family won the Bob Hawke Landcare Award in 2020.

Jason & Belinda Hagan are third generation farmers working the land with their two children and small team on their farm in Tooborac Victoria, about 1 hour north of Melbourne.

They started our lifelong careers in Agriculture, in industrial agriculture; high input, high output and the focus on profit at all costs. After a family health issue & passing of a close family member in a short amount of time we began to question many aspects of lifestyle, food, industrialised systems; the cost to the environment, animals, food….It was to be a pivotal point in our lives and became a catalyst for lifestyle, values and career changes.  This is where the story of McIvor Farm Foods began. 

They call themselves ‘soil farmers’ who manage Berkshire pigs (and more recently – cattle) across their property on a keyline system integrating cell grazing, Natural Sequence Farming and Holistic Farm Management with the key focus on regenerating the land to create a healthier land, happier animals and better choices for people.

The paddock to plate concept is at its peak with an on-farm butchery and all hand-crafted pork products plus a range of smoked goodies and dry cured meats.  Their beautiful ‘by-products’of soil farming!

Carmel is the Executive Manager of Agribusiness Sustainability at the Commonwealth Bank and a Director of Soils for Life. She leads CBA’s work supporting growers in issues related to ESG and sustainability, such as developing the CBA Agri Green Loan and partnering with Ruminati for the benefit of customers.
Carmel is an advocate for the profitability and resilience benefits for farmers from natural capital enhancements and low net emissions farming. 
She holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics Hons I from the University of Sydney and has been with CBA for 22 years.

Carolyn is an environmental scientist, a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a member of the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand. She leads the Mulloon Institute, an innovative not for profit focused on large-scale restoration of agricultural landscapes across Australia in partnership with rural and First Nations communities, NGOs, rural stakeholders and Government. Carolyn recognises that partnerships, collaboration and capacity building are key to delivering practical on ground solutions that support transformational change in the way landscapes are perceived, valued and managed.  She also recognises the challenges that the financial system and environmental regulations pose to progress toward food and water security for Australia. Carolyn builds strong relationships to collaborate and solve challenging environmental problems. She has been a lecturer in the Masters of Sustainable Development program at Macquarie University and has presented the work of the Mulloon Institute in a variety of international forums.

Ceilidh Meo is Leading Soil Steward at Apulia Grove Olives; a successful small scale, mixed farming business in central Victoria. She is the 2025 Victorian recipient of the Agrifutures Australia Rural Women’s Accelerator Grant. When not actively engaged in farm tasks, Ceilidh designs and delivers educational and outreach programs to build confidence in small scale farmers to grow more successful small farms. Her current passion is turning Apulia Grove into a co-operative business to further develop the stacked mixed enterprise opportunities available, and to take this remembered business model to the broader agricultural sector.

Clara Coleman is a leader in the sustainable farming movement, a second-generation organic farmer, founder of Real Farmer Care, podcast host, farm consultant, writer, TEDx and keynote speaker on four season farming practices. From 2016 to 2023, Clara led and operated the farm business at her family farm Four Season Farm in Maine.

Craig Michael is Head Distiller and Co-owner of Bellarine Distillery, holding a Bachelor of Science and a Diploma in Distilling from the Chartered Institute of Brewing & Distilling. The distillery’s gins and whiskies rank among Australia’s most awarded, including Australian Best Single Malt Whisky 2024 (Melbourne Royal ADSA), Gin Distillery of the Year 2023 (Melbourne International Spirits Competition), and 96 points from Halliday for their flagship gin ‘Teddy & The Fox’. Bellarine creates refined, flavour-led spirits with sustainability at their core, with their whisky crafted from organically grown barley sourced from Chris and Sam Greenwood’s regenerative farms

Set on a hillside in Birregurra, Victoria, Australia, Brae is a contemporary restaurant and guest suites on a working organic farm – a place to be immersed in nature and eat from the land.

On opening Brae in December 2013, chef and owner Dan Hunter realised his vision of a restaurant as an authentic reflection of his values and ambition – a place where he is committed to a sustainable method of farming, cooking and hospitality.

At Brae, he and his team grow organic food and use only ethically-grown produce from Brae Farm, the surrounding land and local farmers to offer a unique Australian cuisine built around an immense respect for nature, place and seasonality.

Brae has held Australia’s highest ranking of 3 Hats from the Good Food Guide since 2014. The restaurant became the first in Australia to be certified by the Sustainable Restaurant Association in 2024. Dan was named the Melbourne Food and Wine 2024 Chef and Restaurateur Legend. The restaurant reached number 44 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2017 and in 2021 ranked at number 57. Dan was The Australian Financial Review’s Top Chef in both 2016 and 2017; Good Food Guide’s Chef of The Year in 2012 and 2016; and Gourmet Traveller’s Chef of the Year in 2016. His debut book, Brae – Recipes and stories from the restaurant, was published by Phaidon in 2017 and is available to purchase at the Brae website.

Professor David M Watson is an ecologist committed to evidence-based strategies to boost biodiversity and is based at Charles Sturt University where he leads the Environmental Programme at the Gulbali Institute. His current research programme encompasses historic biogeography, landscape ecology and wildlife monitoring across arid, temperate and tropical systems.

Dave completed his PhD in the USA, studying birds in Central American cloud forests, returning to Australia to teach ornithology and set up his research programme in regional NSW. Mistletoe has long been a focus, revealing those ecological interactions and landscape features essential for maintaining diverse and functional ecosystems. Research highlights include establishing the Australian Acoustic Observatory, demonstrating the role of mistletoe as an ecological keystone and discovering a swag of undescribed species on isolated tropical mountains.

As a board member of the Great Eastern Ranges and a founding member of the Slopes-to-Summit regional partnership, he works with landholders, Indigenous partners and philanthropists to connect people to country. 

Deb and her husband Fergus farm beef on a 160 acre farm in beautiful South Gippsland. They are passionate about caring for the environment and the decarbonisation of the economy. They actively campaign to protect the natural world. On their farm, they have planted over 19000 trees, fenced watercourses and planted mixed pasture species. They have minimal inputs to the farm preferring foliar sprays and using biological fertilisers. Most years make sufficient hay and silage to supply total fodder requirements. Deb has worked as a senior secondary teacher and is a frequent writer of letters and opinion pieces for newspapers.

Dheepa Jeyapalan is a dietitian and public health practitioner interested in the connections between food, community wellbeing, and environmental sustainability. Her work has taken her through academia, international NGOs, and VicHealth’s food systems team. At Regen Melbourne, she helps bring together different voices working toward a more regenerative, resilient, and equitable food system for Greater Melbourne, while grappling with a city’s responsibility to support nourishing food systems in the regions that sustain it.

Felice Jacka OAM is Deakin Distinguished Professor of Nutritional Psychiatry and Director of the Food & Mood Centre at Deakin University, and founder of the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research. She is an ISI Highly Cited Researcher (2020-2023), putting her in the top 0.1% of publishing scientists worldwide for impact. In 2021 she was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her services to Nutritional Psychiatry. She has written two books for commercial publication, including the very popular children’s book “There’s a Zoo in my Poo”. She works with international organisations such as the World Economic Forum, and has had a significant impact on policy globally, as well as clinical practice in psychiatry. Her research has been regularly featured on multiple major media platforms, including TIME Magazine, the OPRAH Magazine, New York Times, and many others, as well as international documentaries and Australian television series. 

Felice has led the field internationally in establishing the role of diet in mental and brain health across the lifecourse. She leads a team of 50 researchers and staff at the Food & Mood Centre, with multiple studies of various aspects of diet – fermented foods, different dietary strategies, pre and probiotic formulations, polyphenols – and their impact on mental and brain health. She leads studies focused on the prevention of mental disorders in children, real world trials of diet and exercise support for serious mental disorders, and FMT (poo transplants) for major depressive disorder. She has a particular interest in the human microbiome (gut, oral, skin) and how it contributes to mental health. More recently her focus has included food systems, regenerative farming, soil microbiology, and the relevance of all of these to mental and brain health.

Gavin Fisher is a 3rd generation dairy farmer on the family farm in the North Island of New Zealand.

The farm has been certified organic for over 26 years. Gavin says this does not describe his  production system practices, it merely means he meets certain organic market regulations that enables him to add value outside the farm gate by giving access to local and international premium organic markets.

Gavin has been extensively planting trees on the property for 46 years including lots of fruit, nut and citrus trees. Gavin has hosted hundreds of groups on farm sharing his ecological food production methods he applies and travelled nationally and internationally presenting.

The farm sells eggs and other produce through Gavins brand  “Off The Planet Organics” .

With over 12 years of experience working in Landcare, Geoff has a rich history of managing projects focussed on sustainable agriculture and conservation land management across the region. Currently working with Warrnambool Coastcare Landcare Network focusing on working with community-based organisations and land managers delivering on-ground projects and activities. Other parts of the role include educational activities and participating in climate adaptation and other reference groups. Prior experience includes working as a media and marketing professional in the newspaper industry and through his own marketing enterprise.

Georgia is currently the Program Manager at Farmers for Climate Action, working to improve the uptake and understanding of climate-smart agricultural practices across Australia’s landscape and within decision-making forums.

She is passionate about ensuring that all Australians have access to sustainable, affordable, and nutritious food, whilst ensuring that our environment is prioritised within the food and agriculture system.

She is currently also the President of Next Gen Gunnedah, a community organisation focused on connecting and mentoring young leaders within the north-west of NSW within their various industries.

Georgia holds a Bachelor of Food and Agribusiness from USYD, and a Graduate Diploma in Regenerative Agriculture from Southern Cross University, and has been involved in industry programs such as the National Farmers Federation Diversity in Agricultural Leadership Program.

Graeme Hand is a regenerative agriculture practitioner, advisor and Holistic Management educator who works with producers to improve farm outcomes through better management. Drawing on over 30 years of hands-on experience with livestock and cropping systems, he helps farmers make sense of the links between inputs, risk and profit.

Graeme is known for translating complex financial and ecological concepts into clear, practical insights that can be applied immediately on farm. His engaging, down-to-earth style and real-world examples make his sessions relatable, informative, and useful for producers at every stage of their regenerative journey.

Graeme Sait is a globally respected author, educator, and founder of Nutri-Tech Solutions (NTS), a pioneering company in organic and regenerative agriculture, offering cutting-edge inputs and world-class education.

He is the author of two books and hundreds of published articles, and he writes the widely followed Nutrition Matters blog. Graeme also created the acclaimed Certificate in
Nutrition Farming®—a five-day intensive that has trained over 47,000 farmers and consultants across four continents.

His popular Nutrition Farming Podcast has attracted over 500,000 listeners in 72 countries, and his recent “How to Do It” video series delivers hands-on demonstrations of regenerative techniques in action.

Helianti Hilman is a celebrated Indonesian food biodiversity advocate, entrepreneur, and founder of Javara, an award-winning company working with thousands of smallholder farmers & food artisans across the archipelago. For almost 2 decades, she has championed the preservation of Indonesia’s indigenous food heritage by transforming rare, ancestral ingredients into premium global products. Through her culinary storytelling and product innovation, Helianti bridges traditional wisdom with modern gastronomy, empowering rural communities while elevating Indonesia’s biodiversity on the world stage. At Grounded, she shares her journey of sustainable food systems, cultural resilience, and the power of nature-based culinary creativity.

Hugh has been a professional forester for 50 years, working in the public and private sectors in Australia, South America, Asia and Africa. Since 2009 he has worked as an independent forestry consultant, on the economics of the forest sector, environmental auditing, carbon accounting and auditing, community forestry in Indonesia, and research on trees on farms with Meat & Livestock Australia.

For the past 30 years, Hugh has been involved in landcare and catchment management in Victoria in various roles, and has partnered with family to redevelop ‘Yan Yan Gurt West’ into a prime lamb and agroforestry enterprise.

Iain Field is the passionate farmer leading the team behind Leap Farm, a sustainable livestock and goat dairy enterprise on Tasmania’s Lower East Coast. Dedicated to sustainable agriculture, they focus on producing ethical, high-quality meats and cheese while prioritising environmental stewardship. By focusing on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare, the Fields have created a thriving, resilient farm. Their commitment to sustainability and education inspires others to embrace argoecology farming methods, ensuring a positive impact for future generations.

Imogen is an agroecologist, science educator and creative innovator, passionate about enriching and revitalising Australia’s food production systems through championing healthy soils and landscapes in our farming ecosystems.

She offers consulting and extension services for land managers across soil and landscape ecology in farming systems and has extensive experience in methodology development for measuring natural capital on farms.

She also develops fun and interactive projects which blend participatory games, creativity and science learning. These experiences encourage play, curiosity and discussion around a concept or idea and are perfect for field days, learning programs, conferences or Festivals. Projects can be tailored to farmer extension, students and the general public.

Jack is an honorary Strategic Advisor to the Conservation Ecology Centre and for the past decade has led their adaptive management and applied ecological research program across the Otway region.

Jack currently sits on scientific reference groups for Zoos Victoria and the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (formerly DELWP) and was a member of the Expert Panel which recently reviewed the Victorian Wildlife Act 1975. Jack is a Director for Bush Heritage Australia and Saltwater People. 

Jack completed a PhD at the University of Western Sydney where he studied the predators of the Blue Mountains.

Jade is an independent multispecies forage/cover crop consultant and researcher, working in Victorian grazing systems. Jade founded ‘Healthy Farming Systems’ in 2020 and aims to help farmers trial, adopt, and manage multispecies cover crops on-farm. She has worked as a researcher with AGF seeds as well as Southern Farming Systems looking at nitrogen use efficiency. She is the 2022 Victorian LeadHER delegate and a 2015 Youth Ag Summit Delegate.

Dr Robinson is an interdisciplinary researcher working at the nexus of microbial ecology, ecosystem restoration and human health.

Grounded in systems thinking, his work explores how ecological and cultural processes interact to shape resilient futures. Jake contributes to global initiatives, including the UNFCCC and Grounded Minds Consortium and leads science-driven projects that bridge research, public engagement and imagination infrastructure.

He is passionate about making science accessible to everyone and is the author of InvisibleFriends (2023), TREEWILDING (2024) and The Nature of Pandemics (2025). He hosts two podcasts (Interconnected and Naked Thinking) and a new YouTube channel.

James is the CEO and Co-founder of Farm My School. He lives and breathes environmental conservation, preservation and regeneration. Combined with his passion for and extensive experience in the sustainability sector, he has seen a fruitful history of partnering with schools on education programs. Over the last 20 years, James has dreamed, designed, developed and implemented education programs to engage people of all ages with their surrounding environment. James was recently awarded the Jamie Oliver, Food Hero Award – Food Entrepreneur of the Year, 2024.

Farm My School is a not-for-profit organisation which collaborates with schools to transform their underutilised grounds into regenerative farms that nourish, educate and connect communities.  Inspired by a vision of a healthier future for our communities and planet, we’re redefining how farming and food production can shape education, inspire, and foster stronger connections within communities.

Farm My School’s unique approach goes beyond farming – it’s about transforming the way we educate, engage and consume food.

Jo Lawson is Brae’s Head Gardener. Jo joined Brae in November 2022. For the six years prior, Jo ran her own commercial market garden – growing and selling organic herbs, fruits and vegetables as The Green Acre, in Apollo Bay.

Jo has a wealth of experience in biodynamic and organic market gardening around Australia, the USA, and Italy. She knows The Otways well and has a deep understanding of our mild climate and the challenges of growing heritage and unusual varieties here, adding to our ability to supply consistent quality and quantities of organic produce year-round.

Joshua Gilbert is a Worimi man with extensive experience in Indigenous affairs, environmental sectors, and sustainable agriculture, advocating for Indigenous identity and truth-telling. Pursuing a PhD on Indigenous modernity through agriculture, he has just launched his book, “Australia’s Agricultural Identity: An Aboriginal Yarn.”

Josh is recognised internationally for his work, announced in the inaugural 50 Next: People Shaping the Future of Gastronomy cohort. He serves on the board for Indigenous Business Australia, the NSW Aboriginal Housing Office, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, BlakDance and the Australian Conservation Foundation and is the Aboriginal Co-Chair of Reconciliation NSW.

Dr. Katie Ross is an independent writer, researcher, and learning designer, living on the homelands of the Menominee people in central Wisconsin. She is very curious about how land and waterscape restoration can be profound points of agency to cool our climate, regenerate local and continental water cycles, grow nutritious food, foster biodiversity and, importantly reconnect with ourselves, each other, and what is ultimately the nourishing stuff of life. Knowing how stories hold, transmit and transform paradigms, Katie is keen to share and explore these stories of regeneration. Check out her most recent work on her Substack ‘below + above’. 

Lachie Barclay is a beef, lamb, grains and oilseed producer and co-owner of Mingawalla Ag based at Beeac in South West Victoria Australia. Passionate about sustainable land stewardship, Lachie focuses on building resilient soils, improving pasture performance and strengthening herd genetics to deliver premium beef outcomes. He combines practical, hands-on management with data-driven decision-making to enhance productivity and long-term profitability. Committed to innovation, Lachie actively explores new approaches to grazing management, infrastructure development and environmental improvement. Grounded by family values and community connection, he is dedicated to leaving the land in better condition for the next generation while operating a strong, future-focused agricultural business.

Madonna Thomson is a member of the Jagera People and the grand-niece of the late Senator Neville Bonner.

With over 25 years’ experience in cultural heritage & natural resources management, she specialises in Indigenous engagement, governance and community-led land management across Southeast Queensland.  Madonna has worked closely with Traditional Owner clans within SEQ to develop regional engagement protocols and framework aimed at strengthening culturally grounded governance and partnership models. She is a co-founder and Chairperson of the BushTukka & Botanicals Indigenous Enterprises Cooperative Ltd (BBIEC). BBIEC was created by Indigenous enterprises to advance Indigenous agriculture, native botanicals research and sustainable land stewardship initiatives for the benefit of all Australians. 

Maggie manages export and sustainability for her family business See Saw Wines. See Saw Wines runs 130ha of certified organic vineyard, dorper lambs, 600 tonne winery and a tasting room. She is also a 2025 Nuffield Scholar investigating how greater value can be created for primary producers from Sustainability and ESG requirements coming from supply chains and regulation. During her travels, she has explored successful models of collaboration and innovation across diverse industries and countries, identifying strategies to overcome fragmentation, minimise duplication, and enhance value creation at the farm gate.

Matthew Haggerty is the Company Director of Natural Intelligence Farming, Farmer, son of regen farming pioneers Ian and Di Haggerty and founding member of the Alliance for Human and Planetary Health. His mission is to help bring quality food, fibre and beverage to the world whilst also creating ecological and social benefits.

Michael Taylor is a sixth-generation farmer in the New England Tablelands of NSW, Australia, which he operates with his wife, Milly, and children, Remy, Lydie and Nina. As a 2024 Nuffield Scholar and the 2022 ABC Rural Australian Farmer Of The Year, he focuses on future-proofing his diverse family farm – Taylors Run – while building on his family’s agroforestry legacy. 

Taylors Run farm focuses on producing regeneratively grown, high-quality ultrafine Merino with provenance. Michael is an active member of the wool industry, Farmers for Climate Action and Landcare, supporting grower groups such as the Ultrafine Merino Growers. Through these groups and his relationships with Italian wool processors, he is committed to bridging the gap between growers and customers through education and traceability.

Mike, with partner Wendy, have lived on their property at Pennyroyal for over 40 years where they started and managed Otway Greening Ecological Restoration Nursery. An important asset for rural revegetation, Otway Greening has been at the forefront of introducing the growing of local provenance species for clients across the region.  In 2024, they passed the legacy of Otway Greening on to new owners who have progressed the importance of seed collecting and growing plants with provenance in mind.  Mike and Wendy continue to support and mentor them in their horticultural journey.

Mike is a founding member, past president, current board member and peer group mentor of the Otway Agroforestry Network. As a regular trainer for the Network’s Master TreeGrower Course, Mike is passionate about teaching and inspiring new members and future leaders of the Network.  He also co-founded, and is a Life Member of the East Otway Landcare Group and continues to be an active volunteer at the amazing Bambra Wetlands restoration project.

He loves training professional and hobby plant growers in his pioneering seed collecting methods, as well as helping the revegetation industry unlock the many secrets in the seed germination realm. Mike continues to inspire land managers across the country with knowledge and confidence in helping restore and renovate biodiversity on their patch.  A memoir/growers guide, Planting the Seed, which traces Mike and Wendy’s journey, will be published in 2027-28. 

Murray has a decade’s experience working in regenerative food systems, which builds on a previous decade in entrepreneurial environments. He has dedicated much of his time to advancing regenerative food and farming internationally, having worked across Europe, Brazil, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.
Murray started his career at UBS Investment Bank in London, subsequently entrepreneuring in the creative industry, operating two talent management organisations.
A key life turning point directed him towards the sustainability arena. Early on, Murray recognised the critical nature of food systems and the growing evidence base that regenerative food systems can deliver for ecology as well as across economic, social, and human dimensions.
Prior to Sustainable Table, Murray spent 7 years at systems change organisations in Amsterdam, working at the intersection of system innovation, venture and finance.

Nicole Masters is an agroecologist, coach and author. Since 1999, she has had extensive practical experience in regenerative soil and land management, alongside coaching and training the trainers. Together with her team, she collaborates with food producers and supports organizations that impact over 30 million acres. She excels at identifying and solving challenges through proactive management, deep ecological systems thinking and human centric approaches. Her dynamic presentations and deep expertise make her an influential voice in the field of agroecology.

DR PAUL HORNE is an entomologist and since 1996 has run IPM Technologies Pty Ltd, based in Hurstbridge, Victoria, Australia.

A strong focus of his work has been the implementation and adoption of IPM strategies. For many years Paul delivered a lecture series on entomology and IPM at La Trobe University and now runs online courses in entomology.

Paul has written several books on insects and IPM. He has published over 70 scientific and conference papers on insects and IPM, as well as many articles in industry literature. He has received awards from the Australian Vegetable industry and the World Potato Congress for his work.

Philip Mulvey has 40 years of experience leading teams of dedicated scientists, technicians and managers working on challenges in environmental geoscience and degraded landscapes. His work has spanned all types of mines, the design, management and decommissioning of landfills, contaminated sites across Australia, New Zealand, the UK, the Middle East and Oceania, as well as the restoration of degraded agricultural land and efforts to reverse desertification.

His goal is to inspire both external collaborators and internal teams within the companies he has co-founded, including Environmental Earth Sciences International, Ryzo (Carbon Count) and 3D Ag, to find innovative ways, directly or indirectly, to rehabilitate 10 percent of the world’s degraded land by 2034, based on 2009 measurements.

Specialties: nurturing, repairing and sustainably using degraded land through systems-based landscape management.

As former Chief Financial Officer of Forico, Rayne van den Berg led a multidisciplinary team to develop Forico’s first three Natural Capital Reports – some of the first of their kind in the world – to articulate the value of nature in a financial reporting format.

Currently, Rayne has founded the Capitals Coalition’s Australia hub, Value Australia, and is leading the Global Forestry Natural Capital project, which is convening 18 of the world’s largest sustainable forestry owners, with custodianship of more than 28 million hectares across 38 countries, to measure, value and prepare harmonised Natural Capital Accounts.

Rayne also led an extension project with Farming for the Future and the Commonwealth Bank to incorporate the economic benefit of shelter belts on agricultural land into rural land valuations.

Based in South-West Victoria, Rebecca is a beef producer focused on regenerative farming practices. She manages 116 hectares in Paraparap and Deans Marsh.  Rebecca is interested in best practice farming methods aimed at improving productivity, environmental outcomes, and long-term sustainability. She brings a practical, on-the-ground perspective to conversations about what resilient and regenerative farming looks like in action in our region. She has studied Regenerative Agriculture at Southern Cross University and hopes to continue further study/research in the field. Other passions include beekeeping and native revegetation.

Over the past 30 years Robert has been working to transform the food and agricultural system in Australia. As a former organic dairy farmer and market gardener he’s become known as a practical and hands-on social entrepreneur and thought leader working at the coalface of food systems change. In 2004 he founded Food Connect, a dynamic multi-farmer food distribution enterprise with an innovative community-based distribution system. In 2009, the Food Connect Foundation was launched to grow the fair food movement across Australia. In 2018, he co-founded the Food Connect Shed, raising over $2 million from the community through an equity crowdfunding campaign to buy their rented warehouse. Rob is a well known speaker in the good food and farming movement, and lives in magan-djin/Brisbane with his family.

Robert is a member of the advisory board of Sustainable Table, sits on the Members Council of Regen Farmers Mutual, is a co-founder of the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance, and a founding member on the board of Open Food Network.

Rowan is a forester amongst farmers: a teacher, author, and practitioner of growing trees for conservation and profit. His focus is on helping farmers use the science of forestry to create the forests they want.

Widely known as the originator of the Australian Master TreeGrower Program, Rowan is also a local farmer and a co-founder of the Otway Agroforestry Network. More than 10,000 visitors have toured his Bambra Agroforestry Farm (close to the Grounded Festival site), which is set up as a 42-hectare outdoor classroom for farmers, scientists, students and tree lovers, and a living laboratory for his own learning.

With his family, Rowan has just completed building their new farmhouse for which almost all the timber was from trees they had planted and milled on the farm. His latest book is “Heartwood – the art and science of growing trees for conservation and profit”.

Sallie Jones is the co-founder of Gippsland Jersey, a premium milk brand created to return fair value to dairy farmers. Raised in a value-adding farming family in East Gippsland, she understands firsthand the resilience behind every litre of milk. After a career in public relations, Sallie returned to regional Victoria to help build dairy businesses including Aphrodite Dairy and later Gippsland Jersey, founded during the 2016 dairy crisis. Her work champions farmer mental health, fair prices for farmers  and community connection. Passionate about rural wellbeing, Sallie uses storytelling, marketing and bold ideas to strengthen the dairy industry and the people behind it.

Siobhan Toohill is a trusted advisor to business, government, and the social sector through range of governance roles. This includes helping guide the establishment of the Australia’s nature repair market as a member of the Government’s Nature Repair Committee; and director of the Mulloon Institute known for its regenerative farming research and advocacy.

Siobhan is respected as a pioneer in corporate sustainability, having led sustainability functions in listed companies for 20 years including as the first Chief Sustainability Officer at a major Australian bank. Across these roles she’s led sustainability strategy and implementation, with responsibility for climate, net zero and transition, natural capital, sustainable finance, human rights, Indigenous engagement, social impact, and strategic philanthropy.

Simon Schulz is the founder of Schulz Organic Dairy, a third-generation organic and biodynamic farming enterprise in regional Victoria. He launched the brand at 21, driven by a belief in “real” dairy—milk as close to the cow as possible. Today the business employs nearly 70 people and supplies award-winning organic milk, cream, butter and cultured products nationwide. Simon now leads a regenerative transition, planting multispecies pastures, expanding shelterbelts, reducing waste through refillable packaging, and building a robotic dairy. Passionate about ecological stewardship, he advocates for transparent, values-led food systems that reconnect farmers, landscapes and communities for future generations across Australia.

Steven Chen, MD is the Chief Medical Officer of Alameda County Recipe4Health, a nationally recognized “Food as Medicine” program embedded in Federally Qualified Health Centers that prescribes regenerative and/or organic produce paired with health coaching to treat, prevent, and reverse chronic conditions and food/nutrition insecurity. By intentionally sourcing food from local regenerative/organic farms, Recipe4Health creates a health multiplier effect that generates co-benefits to human health, economic health, ecological health, and health equity.

Stu Whytcross is a registered grain grower with more than 25 years’ experience producing high-quality cereal grains on his family’s farm in Barellan, Riverina NSW. As Founder and Director of Voyager Craft Malt, he champions the vital role farmers play in beer and spirits production—linking paddock decisions directly to flavour, quality and sustainability outcomes in the glass. Stu works to strengthen traceability and input transparency across the grain-to-glass supply chain, collaborating closely with brewers and distillers while connecting them with passionate growers. Through education and industry leadership, he supports regenerative farming systems and advocates for provenance-driven beverages that deliver environmental, community and economic value.

Dr Susan Orgill is a passionate advocate for healthy soils and resilient farming systems. An applied soil scientist with over 20 years’ experience, she works closely with farming businesses to understand soils as living, dynamic systems and to enhance soil function and natural capital uplift that support profitable farm businesses. As Chief Scientist at Impact Ag Australia, she brings deep expertise in soil health, carbon farming, and climate‑smart agriculture. A recipient of Landcare Australia’s 2025 General Jeffery Soil Health Award, Dr Orgill is driven by delivering real value to farmers through innovative, science‑backed, market‑ready soil management.

After completing an Ag Science degree in the 1970s, Ted spent the next 50 years working in the business world, well away from agriculture. He and his partner purchased a neglected 36 Ha plot in Murroon in 2024 and set about the huge cleanup effort, hoping to ultimately implement regenerative agriculture practices. Eighteen months into this adventure he is beginning to understand something of what that will take, and how much he still has to discover. 

Custodian of Tarndwarncoort homestead near Birregurra, Victoria. A pocket-sized 21ha of woolgrowing and heritage buildings, Tarndie (for short), is the home of Polwarth sheep and plugged into a variety of farming systems through neighbouring family operations.

After 185 years of one family adapting to climate and market, Tarndie is now a small farm-based yarn company with a focus on bringing woolcrafters together to learn, stay and connect. Working with his partner Jason, and parents Wendy & Dave in the farm gate shop, online and at yarn markets around Australia, Tom has come to see wool is valued in many different ways. www.tarndie.com

Tony is a soil health consultant with a plethora of experience in the agricultural sector as a dairy farmer, researcher and business entrepreneur. Tony has been involved in research throughout southwest Victoria, supporting farmers with knowledge and implementation for improving soil health. He is also the co-founder and director of Camperdown Compost.

Vince is a sixth-generation sheep farmer on the Lachlan River in southern NSW. Over three decades, Vince has instigated many changes on “Moorlands”.  Now Bio-Dynamic Demeter certified, this organic management is paired with Holistic Grazing and an obsessive pursuit of repairing the landscape to a “functional ecosystem”.  Beyond planting around 80,000 native trees and shrubs, including native aquatic plants, there has been an extensive effort to save threatened species like Superb Parrots and the Southern Pygmy Perch. Vince has a degree in Ecological Agriculture and been heavily involved in Landcare. His Texel lambs are direct marketed and won a National ‘Delicious’ Produce Award in 2024.

GROUNDED FESTIVAL 2026

THE HOW-TO TENT PRESENTERS

Meet the experts and facilitators you’ll find in this year’s How-To Tent.

Brenna is a mother, botanist, video-microscopist, holistic management educator and budding ecohydrologist fascinated by the way that humans can co-create life and intact water systems. She is currently undertaking a PhD about the outcomes of regenerative agriculture on the small water cycle. She is committed to the regeneration of landscapes, biodiversity, and the water cycle through listening to and sharing with people and local communities. Brenna is delighted by biology, the natural world, and the relationships that create and inform our ecosystems and life. She lives on a farm bounded by the Loddon River with her beautiful, crazy and loving family. Brenna is seriously excited by the potential of holistic management to bring contentment and agency to people’s lives and the restoration of our agroecological landscapes.

Courtney Young is a farmer, co-founder of Woodstock Flour, and Farmer Learning Manager at Soils for Life. She grew up on the South Coast of New South Wales, where her family was involved in oyster farming, and is now based in Rutherglen, Victoria.

She studied environmental science before committing to a career in agriculture. At Woodstock Flour, Courtney is passionate about supporting organic and regenerative farmers, building local food systems, and producing healthy, delicious food.

Dan Miller is the Founder and CEO of Steward, an online lending platform for regenerative agriculture. Steward combines Dan’s background in finance, real estate, and technology with his passion for agriculture, stemming from his maternal family, which has been farming on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in the USA since the 1880s.

Dan was previously co-founder and president of Fundrise, the first and largest real estate crowdfunding platform, and his education in the field began at Western Development Corp., his family’s real estate organization.

Dan was born and raised in Washington, D.C. and lives in Ibiza, Spain with his wife and two young children.

An award-winning regenerative farmer, (2017 NSW Individual Landcarer of the Year, _2018 National Landcarer of the Year professional speaker and author from Boorowa on the south west slopes of New South Wales. He was the founding President of the Boorowa Community Landcare Group in 1989 and served on the committee for 15 years. David has been a regenerative farming practitioner since 1999. The Marsh family have been managing holistically since 1999. David holds a Master’s Degree in Sustainable Agriculture (U.Syd, Orange Campus 2001). He won the Central West Conservation Farmer of the Year in 2004. He was a founding member and co-ordinator of Alliance for Regenerative Landscapes and Social Health, ARLASH.com where since 2014 he has published blogs on many land-related issues. In 2017/18 he recorded a series of interviews with Charlie Arnott on regenerative farming that have been available on the internet. He has hosted many groups to Allendale and spoken to farmers and at conferences in all Australian States and Territories except the Northern Territory.  A further podcast on the Regent Narration Ep 200 The Land Does it for You.

He has sat on NSW Sustainable Grazing on Saline Land Committee; NSW Native Vegetation Advisory Council; Lachlan Catchment Management Authority; Soils for Life Board; current member Growing the Grazing Revolution Board (Mid Lachlan Landcare).

Emma-Kate (or EK for short) is currently the Executive Director of the Food Connect Foundation drawing on over 30 years’ experience working in community, business, social enterprise, climate change activism, food justice and bottom-up economic development.

She joined Food Connect in 2009 as General Manager, and at the same time, co-founded Food Connect Foundation, and in 2018 Food Connect Shed – Australia’s first community-owned local food hub.

EK holds a Bachelor of Justice Studies, is a Fellow of the Yunus Centre for Social Business at Griffith University, and past-President of the Queensland Social Enterprise Council.

Gillian Sanbrook is an ecological beef producer from Holbrook Australia. She is the custodian and manager of Bibbaringa, a 1000-hectare property.

Formerly worked as a rural journalist in Western Australia and South Africa. She spent 21 years at Pooginook Merino stud working in the family business. There they build a vibrant Merino and wool marketing business. We changed to using the principals of Holistic Management in early 1990’s and initiated client education, wool marketing and a processing company with clients.

Since 2007 at Bibbaringa she has transformed an overstocked degraded property to now a vibrant functioning ecosystem. She used the principals of Holistic Management, tree planting, Natural Sequence Farming and Biodynamics to build a profitable business both environmentally and economically and established an educational facility in the Woolshed for regenerative farming and art. 

Gillian has combined her passion for regen Ag and art and initiated Earth Canvas a project involving leading Australian landscape artists and regen Farmers. The aim to get people to look at the landscape from a creative perspective. The first project was a travelling exhibition of field days, art exhibitions that finished at the Australian National Museum in Canberra.  Earth Canvas is currently working on a project “Country more than Mapping” with Wiradjuri people and Landholders along the Murrumbidgee River. 

As a farmer and consultant, Glen has been working in regenerative farming for over 25 years. He has a passion for agroecology and regenerative farming as a way to heal our land and communities. He is an accredited Field Professional educator with the Savory Institute, and has worked across Australia with farmers as well as travelling overseas researching and investigating regenerative farming and agroecology.  Along with training, educating, and sharing his passion for agroecology and regenerative agriculture, he and his wife run farms near Armidale on the Northern Tablelands of NSW, applying the principles themselves and supplying healthy grass fed meat to their local community through Tarinore Farm. www.southernblue.com.au

Graeme Hand is a regenerative agriculture practitioner, advisor and Holistic Management educator who works with producers to improve farm outcomes through better management. Drawing on over 30 years of hands-on experience with livestock and cropping systems, he helps farmers make sense of the links between inputs, risk and profit.

Graeme is known for translating complex financial and ecological concepts into clear, practical insights that can be applied immediately on farm. His engaging, down-to-earth style and real-world examples make his sessions relatable, informative, and useful for producers at every stage of their regenerative journey.

Graham and his family breed beef cattle in an intensive cell grazing operation on the 9,200 hectare “Bokhara Plains” just out of Brewarrina in northwest NSW. They focus on functional, low input adapted genetics and increasing profit per hectare as well as a strong focus on regenerating the land base. 

Graham has been studying and practicing Alan Savory’s holistic management principles for 25 years, including travelling abroad with a Nuffield Scholarship to investigate the success stories of HM in low rainfall environments.

Graham is also General Manager of SLM Australia, a large scale international investment model successfully developed along HM principles.

Ian Congdon is a farmer, flour miller and co-founder of Woodstock Flour, based in Rutherglen, Victoria. He grew up on his family’s certified organic farm in Berrigan, New South Wales, and has a background in environmental conservation.

He co-founded Woodstock Flour in 2016 to add value to grain grown on the family farm and to support a more resilient, regenerative agricultural model. Ian manages milling operations and works to source and grow high-quality organic and regenerative grain.

Gemma and Jake discovered a soil health focus for their farming business during the challenges of navigating succession planning and the 2019 drought. KLR Marketing was their first access point and they went on to complete Executive Link with RCS together. They farm with Gemma’s parents in an equal 4 way partnership near Young NSW co-grazing sheep and cattle together in a large flerd. Finding management accounting and a community of like minded people in regenerative ag has helped refine their life and farming directions including a registered soil carbon project. 

Kate Mirams and family are on journey implementing farming practices for soil health, and pasture diversity, creating thriving farm life and increased productivity and profitability of their herd of 300 dairy cows.

Kate is curious about what is it to be a good ancestor; how to show up in life, in farming and in community; how to use our creative forces to expand possibilities for all of life.

Kate loves winding up the strip fence to give the cows a bit more grass, worms, birdsong, dancing and doing the hard yards for community projects.

Kate worked in extension and community development, and is a board member of the Macalister Demonstration Farm and a Soils for Life Farmer Advisory Panel member.

Michael Gooden is a fourth-generation farmer based in the Riverina, NSW, where he and his family run ‘Willowlee’, a 100% grass-fed Angus seedstock and trading operation under Old Man Creek. Passionate about profitable, resilient farming systems, Michael focuses on soil health, livestock performance, and people. He is the current President of Vic No-Till and a board member of the Australian Holistic Management Cooperative, actively supporting farmers to adopt regenerative practices that improve business outcomes and landscapes. Through practical experience and peer-to-peer learning, Michael champions the philosophy of farmers helping farmers, building stronger communities and more sustainable agriculture.  

Oscar Gordon is a sixth generation farmer raised on his family farm ‘Birkenburn’ outside of Bungendore, NSW. Currently working on a regenerative angus breeding operation in the Southern Highlands of NSW, Oscar is passionate about working on and with our Australian landscapes. As a practitioner learning from and with Koori Country Fire Aboriginal Corporation, Oscar has a particular interest in how as stewards we can work with fire, water and livestock to proactively manage our landscapes and farming operations. His passion for all things farming led him to complete a diploma of regenerative agriculture at SCU in 2022 followed by being the recipient of the Macdoch Foundations (Re)Generation fellowship in 2024 for REGENERATE in Denver Colorado. 

Rebecca Gorman runs a beef cattle operation near Gundagai NSW using Holistic Management principles and thinking. She is a former journalist and loves nothing more than debate about ideas and wicked problems. She is passionate about the role that farmers can play in the repair and regeneration of landscapes. With her husband John Sevior she is an active supporter of organisations that help in this goal. She most recently helped establish the new policy advocacy organisation The Regenerative Food and Farming Alliance.

Over the past 30 years Robert has been working to transform the food and agricultural system in Australia. As a former organic dairy farmer and market gardener he’s become known as a practical and hands-on social entrepreneur and thought leader working at the coalface of food systems change. In 2004 he founded Food Connect, a dynamic multi-farmer food distribution enterprise with an innovative community-based distribution system. In 2009, the Food Connect Foundation was launched to grow the fair food movement across Australia. In 2018, he co-founded the Food Connect Shed, raising over $2 million from the community through an equity crowdfunding campaign to buy their rented warehouse. Rob is a well known speaker in the good food and farming movement, and lives in magan-djin/Brisbane with his family.

Robert is a member of the advisory board of Sustainable Table, sits on the Members Council of Regen Farmers Mutual, is a co-founder of the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance, and a founding member on the board of Open Food Network.

Sarah Whinney is a co-owner and director of Chatsworth House Pastoral in Western Victoria, where she and her husband Tom manage a 3,300-hectare sheep and cattle grazing business with a strong focus on soil health, biodiversity and natural capital. Their vision is simple yet powerful: bringing together people, plants and animals for a better future.

Sarah grew up on a sheep and cropping property in Western Victoria, where she developed an early connection to agriculture, landscapes and rural communities. She later studied Ag Science and Commerce at the University of Melbourne before beginning her career in agribusiness banking with NAB, later returning to the land to farm with her family.

Today, Sarah and Tom are working to profitably regenerate the landscape at Chatsworth House through rotational grazing, low-stress stock handling, and ecosystem-focused management, building resilience in both the land and their farming business.

Alongside their farming enterprise, they also host gatherings and events at the historic Chatsworth House, creating a place where people can celebrate special occasions and/or learn and connect with the land.  Sarah is passionate about demonstrating how farming can regenerate landscapes while supporting thriving rural families and communities.

Tanya Massy is a farmer, agroecologist and storyteller living on Ngarigo country in the Monaro high country of NSW.  

With a lifetime steeped in farming ecologies and communities, she brings a unique set of skills, creative spark and emotional insight to supporting food and farming enterprises. Tanya has a Masters in Agricultural Science, is a graduate of Integrity Soils’ CREATE program and is part of the 2025-2026 Integrity Soils coaching team supporting a global cohort of farmers, leaders and changemakers.  

She currently combines the hands-on work of farming alongside her family, with the bigger picture task of catalyzing systemic change as the Investment Partnerships Manager at Sustainable Table.

Born and raised on 50,000acres of sheep and cattle property in NW Qld, Tony started and ran a helicopter mustering and contracting business for 8 years in 1990. He then bought and developed 70,000 acres of cattle property into an intensive grazing business from 1992 to 2008 running 6-9,000 cattle both on and off property.

Between 2002 & 2017 he started, developed and exited a number of businesses, before consulting and implementing principles with RCS from 2017-2019, and managing a property in NSW implementing principles and regen tools between 2019-2023.

2023-2026 has seen Tony consulting with RCS implementing Principles, Business structure, People and succession.

Beyond that, Tony is happily married with four awesome young guns. His passion is reconnecting people to the intelligence and principles of Nature and the rewards that are available from working on our internal world to be able to collaborate with Her and others around a profitable business structure.

GROUNDED FESTIVAL 2026

FACILITATORS

Meet the wonderful tent hosts for 2026. Incredible speakers in their own right, they will be facilitating all the sessions at GROUNDED.

Anthony is a fifth generation Australian man living on ancient lands among the oldest continuous cultures on earth. He is creator and host of The RegenNarration podcast, now in its tenth year travelling Australia and the world, widely published writer (with new Substack column), a Prime Ministerial award-winner for service to the international community, sought after MC, speaker and facilitator, river adventure host, Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia, and Warm Data Lab Host Certified by the International Bateson Institute.

Dani Valent works in the overlaps between food, people and connection. One of Australia’s most respected communicators, she is a longtime freelance journalist and restaurant critic, award-winning cookbook author and host of the Dirty Linen and Producers food podcasts.

Dani writes food news, features and restaurant columns in Melbourne for Good Food, and contributes to publications including Gourmet Traveller and Qantas magazine. She was named a Legend by the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival in 2022 and was honoured for her Outstanding Contribution to Hospitality in the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards 2023.

Jennifer Robinson is passionate and driven to see small-scale farming thrive in Tasmania. Jen is the dedicated CEO of Sprout Tasmania, who advocates for the people in this vital sector of agriculture. Coming from an operational management background, working in both the private sector and higher education at UNSW before moving back to Tassie with her family, Jen has relished in being immersed in this incredible industry, being able to see first hand the amazing work farmers do and how dedicated they are. Jen has a deep love for Tasmania and its people and gains immense pleasure in sharing their stories and being their collective voice to drive change in the food system.

Joshua Gilbert is a Worimi man with extensive experience in Indigenous affairs, environmental sectors, and sustainable agriculture, advocating for Indigenous identity and truth-telling. Pursuing a PhD on Indigenous modernity through agriculture, he has just launched his book, “Australia’s Agricultural Identity: An Aboriginal Yarn.”

Josh is recognised internationally for his work, announced in the inaugural 50 Next: People Shaping the Future of Gastronomy cohort. He serves on the board for Indigenous Business Australia, the NSW Aboriginal Housing Office, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, BlakDance and the Australian Conservation Foundation and is the Aboriginal Co-Chair of Reconciliation NSW.

Kate Mirams and family are on journey implementing farming practices for soil health, and pasture diversity, creating thriving farm life and increased productivity and profitability of their herd of 300 dairy cows.

Kate is curious about what is it to be a good ancestor; how to show up in life, in farming and in community; how to use our creative forces to expand possibilities for all of life.

Kate loves winding up the strip fence to give the cows a bit more grass, worms, birdsong, dancing and doing the hard yards for community projects.

Kate worked in extension and community development, and is a board member of the Macalister Demonstration Farm and a Soils for Life Farmer Advisory Panel member.

Kylie created the brand Magners Farm in 2017 based in mid Co. Tipperary. The farm now supplies regeneratively farmed produce across Ireland. Their eggs and pork can be found in Michelin starred restaurants, five star hotels and specialty grocers. She is also the author of Soil Sister, Farming for our Future, a Break EU Fellow in 2022 and winner of the 2020 EU Horizon Teagasc Newbie Farmer of the Year for Ireland. Kylie is also an accomplished horsewoman and has ridden horses all her life. She successfully competed at national events and worked for Olympic gold medal winners in Australia and Japan.

Over the past 30 years Robert has been working to transform the food and agricultural system in Australia. As a former organic dairy farmer and market gardener he’s become known as a practical and hands-on social entrepreneur and thought leader working at the coalface of food systems change. In 2004 he founded Food Connect, a dynamic multi-farmer food distribution enterprise with an innovative community-based distribution system. In 2009, the Food Connect Foundation was launched to grow the fair food movement across Australia. In 2018, he co-founded the Food Connect Shed, raising over $2 million from the community through an equity crowdfunding campaign to buy their rented warehouse. Rob is a well known speaker in the good food and farming movement, and lives in magan-djin/Brisbane with his family.

Robert is a member of the advisory board of Sustainable Table, sits on the Members Council of Regen Farmers Mutual, is a co-founder of the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance, and a founding member on the board of Open Food Network.