{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/65885e0cfa5a340016e3e287/6992fb1ab1ca974bbcae2bb3?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"R2Kast 417 – Nikki & Ollie Lake on Buffalo, Diversification and Building Thorabella Farm","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/65885e0cfa5a340016e3e287/1772014813756-c9b9833d-aac1-41b9-94a3-0bc766e17d84.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p>Today we welcome Nikki and Ollie Lake to the R2Kast 🎙️ A farming couple who have built Thorabella Farm around direct sales, diversification and connecting people back to where their food comes from. 🌾</p><p><br></p><p>We spoke about starting from scratch, buying 40 acres and gradually building a mixed system with buffalo, Jersey cows and sheep. Buffalo became central to the business, both from a grazing and commercial perspective, with meat sold directly to customers through farm sales, catering and events.</p><p><br></p><p>A big part of the conversation focused on direct to consumer food systems. Why they believe consumers need to reconnect with food production, what changes when people buy straight from farms, and how transparency and face to face conversations shift understanding around meat and welfare.</p><p><br></p><p>We also discussed diversification, winning Diversified Farm of the Year, the realities of filming farm life for television, and the financial balancing act of making a smaller acreage work through value adding rather than scale.</p><p><br></p><p>Enjoy! 🙂</p><p><br></p>","author_name":"Wallace Currie"}