From Hailstorm to $1M Bottling Line: The Business Story Behind a 70-Year Apple Orchard

From Hailstorm to $1M Bottling Line: The Business Story Behind a 70-Year Apple Orchard

Nick Russo is the third generation of his family to run Bellevue Orchard, a 40-hectare apple and cider operation 45 kilometres from Melbourne's CBD that his grandfather Angelo started in 1953. In this conversation with Romey, Nick shares the full business story behind one of Australia's most interesting urban fringe farms. From the 1998 hailstorm that forced the family to choose between selling the property or installing an apple juicing plant, to a million-dollar bottling line, five revenue streams from the same kilo of fruit, and the real pressure of carrying significant debt while interest rates work against you. Romey closes with a frank debrief on why farm businesses struggle most in the transition from small-medium to medium-large, and why stress testing every idea before committing capital is the single most important thing any farm business owner can do. Not sure if you're ready to start your farm journey? Find out exactly where you stand. Get your free Farm Readiness Scorecard at https://farmreadiness.culturedestates.com [https://farmreadiness.culturedestates.com] #FarmChange #BellevueOrchard #NickRusso #RegenerativeFarming #FarmBusiness #AppleOrchard #FamilyFarm #FarmEntrepreneur #DirectToConsumer #GreenWedge

From Lawyer and Podcaster to Regenerative Farmer: Matt Wong's Unplanned Journey

Matt Wong did not plan to be a farmer. He planned to hire one. Three years later, he is the one fixing pumps in 40-degree heat, moving cattle, and running a 150-acre regenerative property outside Melbourne with a co-ownership model he built from scratch. In this conversation with Romey, Matt shares the full arc of how a successful lawyer, business owner, and host of the Discernible podcast ended up with mud on his boots and a water problem he cannot stop thinking about. COVID was the catalyst, but the pull toward something more real, more physical, and more purposeful had been building long before that. Matt and Romey cover the Dunning-Kruger curve as an honest map of the farming journey, the valley of despair that hits when your plans collide with what the land actually wants to do, the case for intelligent outsiders making better regenerative farmers than multi-generational operators in some instances, and why the network effect is worth more than any single piece of machinery. Matt also talks about Joel Salatin and Polyface Farms, the autodidact farmer, the physical transformation that comes from 14-hour days outdoors, and what he would say to any lawyer, doctor or office worker who has ever wondered whether this kind of life is actually for them. Subscribe to Farm Change for more farmer journeys, on-farm visits, and regenerative farming conversations from across Australia. https://farmchange.substack.com #RegenerativeFarming #FarmChange #MattWong #Discernible #LeavingTheCity #FarmLife

How One Farmer Rebuilt Soil Health and Tripled Lamb Revenue in Victoria

What happens when a sixth-generation farmer inherits degraded land with a soil pH of 4.5 - and decides to fix it without a single bag of synthetic fertiliser? John Stewart of Macedon Ranges Lamb shares the full story: from a superphosphate addiction that was slowly bankrupting the land, to a thriving regenerative lamb business selling 900 animals a year at three times commodity value, direct to consumers at farmers markets across Victoria. In this conversation, John unpacks the science behind soil recovery, the economics of vertical integration, and the very practical decisions - rotational grazing, multi-species pasture mixes, biological inputs, low-stress animal handling - that transformed a struggling 202-hectare property in the Macedon Ranges into one of the most compelling regenerative lamb businesses in Australia. This isn't theory. John talks about real numbers: what going backwards looked like ($100K+ in extra feed costs during the worst drought in 150 years), what recovery looked like (soil pH from 4.5 to 6.5–7 without lime applications in recent years), and how the direct-to-consumer model changes everything about farm economics. Whether you're a farmer considering a regenerative transition, someone dreaming about leaving the city for a rural property, or simply a curious eater who wants to understand where premium lamb actually comes from - this episode is full of hard-won, practical wisdom. Key topics covered include: why superphosphate is like a drug for soil; how biological inputs (fish, kelp, worm juice, bacteria) unlock dormant nutrients; rotational grazing with smaller paddocks; Coopworth composite breeding for fertility and meat quality; the White Suffolk and Charolais terminal cross system; lamb survival rates of 95-96% vs an industry average in the 70s; pricing lamb at $700-$750 per animal vs $250-$300 at the livestock market; and why the Macedon Ranges is one of Victoria's best-kept secrets for anyone wanting a working farm close to Melbourne. John's farm: https://www.mrlamb.com.au/ Farm Change Substack: https://farmchange.substack.com Subscribe to Farm Change for more conversations with farmers, growers, and land stewards doing things differently across Australia. #RegenerativeFarming #LambFarming #MacedonRanges #FarmChange

From Food Company CEO to Regenerative Farmer: Stuart Granger's Story

Stuart Granger spent 35 years at the top of the food industry - including as CEO of George Weston Foods, one of Australasia's largest food manufacturers. Then he walked away to move cattle three to five times a day on a regenerative property in Victoria's Macedon Ranges. This is why he did it, and what he's learned. In this episode, we sit down with Stuart at Lemah Park, a 150-acre regenerative farm nestled between the Macedon and Cobaw Ranges, about an hour northeast of Melbourne. Stuart runs Red Angus cattle and Ryeland sheep using adaptive multi-paddock grazing - no pesticides, no artificial fertilisers. The results are measurable: thriving insect diversity, healthy soils, and cattle with coats that, as our host puts it, simply glow. Stuart talks candidly about what a career feeding millions of Australians taught him about the food system - and what it didn't prepare him for when he arrived on the land. He reflects on why profitability is the wrong first metric for a regenerative farm, what five-year average cash flow actually means in practice, and why soil carbon is the number he watches most closely. We also explore the research happening at Lemah Park: a completed Deakin University biodiversity study comparing regenerative versus conventional grazing across the fence, plus two long-term projects with Melbourne Water/RMIT and the federal government's national farm soil health assessment. For those dreaming of making a similar move, Stuart offers a clear-eyed take: know what you're getting into, start with humility, don't copy someone else's system, and - crucially - you don't need to own a farm to get started. 🌱 Lemah Park: https://www.lemahpark.com.au 🌱 GROW Regenerative Farming Festival: https://growfestival.au 🌱 Farm Change on Substack: https://farmchange.substack.com   Subscribe to Farm Change for more conversations with the people growing, raising, and reimagining food in Australia and beyond.   #RegenerativeFarming #FarmChange #MacadonRanges

From Brunswick Painter to Permaculture Farmer - Matt Daniele's 30-Year Journey to Peace Farm

How does a working-class kid from Brunswick become a permaculture farmer in the Yarra Valley, with no farming background, no land, and no plan? Matt Daniele's answer spans 30 years, a shiatsu vision in Melbourne, solo hiking in Tasmania, WWOOFing on organic farms across England and Costa Rica, and co-founding Australia's first certified organic heirloom seedling nursery at CERES. This is one of the most honest, grounded conversations we've had on Farm Change. Matt doesn't romanticise the journey. He traces it step by step - the Italian family values that shaped his relationship with land and food, the trades career that funded his freedom, the moment a mountain ash tree hit him like a bolt of energy in a dark Tasmanian auditorium, and how a soccer game led to a career at CERES Brunswick that changed everything. If you're thinking about a tree change, a career pivot into farming, or just wondering whether it's possible to build a life around permaculture without a trust fund or a farming family - this one's for you. 🌱 Topics covered: → Growing up Italian in Melbourne -  backyard gardens, big families, Brunswick → Leaving school at 16, buying property at 25, the Italian family way → How CERES Brunswick sparked a life-changing interest in organic food → Solo hiking in Tasmania and the moment permaculture clicked → How The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho shaped his thinking → Completing a Permaculture Design Certificate at Southern Cross Permaculture Institute → WWOOFing in Devon, Wales and Costa Rica - learning by doing → Co-founding Australia's first certified organic heirloom seedling nursery → Teaching horticulture to people with disabilities at CERES → Finding Peace Farm in the Yarra Valley through a letterbox drop 🔗 Links Peace Farm (Yarra Junction): https://peacefarm.com.au [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbTNyNDByblp0RTJtSHd4MnRBUTcwRW1oaGsyUXxBQ3Jtc0trVzluZ01wRnBhU1ExVW5QNDJxbGNzbWh4T0VhX25PdldSbUo0cWtPUmhNblh3aDZtd0Uxa3FJdElPNWR4T3dXVXlheTJRbFFlZjc5VDVmR0FxMGFuZTU1am1KZ0FDR1JtbjZBN1VPNThvYnZoVU5kUQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fpeacefarm.com.au%2F&v=n0Pmfc214_0] CERES Community Environment Park: https://ceres.org.au [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbGYtUmVYd2QyYTU5bm12b0F3VkRDODJjX09jZ3xBQ3Jtc0ttLXV5cVJZdktIOHBCeTJybEpGb25kRXRTdGVYdzdUTVdNcjd4NjZFOEFYcWd3X1dsTnNZR01QRXgtLVVsVEVzMHF3dXUzdzE2Ujc4WGtKbzhFY0gwU1ozVjc5MzJlV3BMQzdJNVU3akp1T2xyeEc2QQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fceres.org.au%2F&v=n0Pmfc214_0] Yarra Valley ECOSS: https://ecoss.org.au [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbGtDQUpESFotbnMyaTNSWUpXUkNPTU82V0pDd3xBQ3Jtc0tuN3RadXFBclQzMlRWRDNFYzlOWXpVVkZVTFQxTDBGNTMtd0QzVU9BVDNDUkc4dWdrYXpjcjhQLWdYOElPd0NQYlU4VThNS0JHamVrX0RqZHdDbEJrbDMzempnMjNTelZuNlN4WUl3TkZGdE9pQXJIVQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fecoss.org.au%2F&v=n0Pmfc214_0] Farm Change Substack: https://farmchange.substack.com [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbjFOQWdMU1hIdFpvWTJJS1JUbFNZVGZ2dlpwUXxBQ3Jtc0tscHQ0TnZYUHlGYk9TeWhQS1hXV2xIX0JyVW1ZaWdVeUMzVTd6Ti1sdXlSR3Zxdk5uSF81a0JOYk1iNHloUVpEOUtZaWkxWnR2c2R5b1V6OVpJVFBDb0pEOWRZcnRRd242N0tXdWdKeGFoRTRHRjJnOA&q=https%3A%2F%2Ffarmchange.substack.com%2F&v=n0Pmfc214_0] 📬 Subscribe to the Farm Change newsletter for stories, ideas and resources from people rebuilding Australia's food systems → https://farmchange.substack.com [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa0hHVi1raHFia1VBM0NQZ3pZOXhBR3NpWGU1UXxBQ3Jtc0tsa0hleUEzNEI1dW5JTHRpNG5CdFRydzNJRzJ1Q1IwZlp0THN0SU9pQ2lVNGowQU9qNGNHaFcwWnJKZ19oNm9wcWJNaENVTm14MlpXMTV5S2Nmb0hmc1ZHLTF5bHhWaWJOU0tEeTctZDE3dWxqdUJBMA&q=https%3A%2F%2Ffarmchange.substack.com%2F&v=n0Pmfc214_0]