Beechworth Natural Farm diverted to garlic, getting more for less

Utilising organic and bio-dynamic practices, owner and farmer Patrick Mickan said although their former diversified crops looked fantastic, the switch to focus on garlic simplified things, meaning a less labour intensive farming practice.

The farm produces up to 10 tonnes of garlic per production hectare, with the entire property over 11 hectares, the landscape only allowed for a cleared production area of 1.6HA.

"It's quite a high value crop, so that's another plus compared to something like potatoes or pumpkin," Mr Mickan said.

"It's significantly more per kilogram, but obviously the yield is lower."

Previously the farm grew zucchinis, tomatoes, sugar snap peas, potatoes, and more with up to 40 different crops.

"It looks beautiful in the paddocks but the reality of managing that diversity and then marketing those different crops is difficult to do well," Mr Mickan said.

As a nationally certified organic producer, Mr Mickan said he favoured the organic method from a human health and nutrition stance.

"How we produce our food is pretty big for me, with a few health issues myself it questions the way we do things," he said.

"Not having any herbicides or pesticides, and synthetic fertilisers just changes how the plant feeds and the physiology of the plant, and it can increase the amount of nutrients."

The farm's high country location meant options to clear flat land were slim as ravines and creeks ran through, however this did protect the garlic growth during high rainfall periods as was experienced last year, Mr Mickan said, compared to flat land crops.

Moving into the future Mr Mickan planned further changes, hoping to move into add-value products, like garlic powders, dried garlic and pickled products, which he said there was a range of products garlic can be used for.