Hazelcombe Farm Scything Workshop 2010

Dates: Friday 26th March to Sunday 28th March 2010

Location: Hazelcombe Farm, Totnes Valley, NSW (40 km north east of Mudgee)

Description of the Workshop

The course will cover:

• selecting the right blade for the job
• fitting your scythe to you for best mowing results
• peening with a jig, and introduction to freehand peening with hammer and anvil
• honing with the whetstone
• mowing techniques for different kinds of grass and weed
• how to avoid damaging the blade
• making hay, hay ricks and hay bales

Scything is of course the main focus. We will be passing on what we have learned from Peter Vido and family, and other master scythers from Austria, Germany, Denmark, Belgium and England.

However, we will also showing you where we are up to with ecological farming, and hopefully generate discussion and ideas about what can be done by farmers to prepare for the future:

• cell grazing (time controlled grazing) specifically for small farms
• Keyline farming - how to harvest water
• biodynamics practices
• compost making
• farm forestry - how to create a sustainable forest that will add value to the farm, the farmer and the community
• woodfired and camp oven cooking
• ecovillages - how do we rebuild our communities in the world that's coming

The main thought is to have visitors chat and exchange ideas and experiences AND network for the future.

Course fee: $100 per adult (meals included). Children free

Accommodation: Please bring along your own tents.

Facilities: We have composting toilets and very rustic "bush" showers, but please realise we are on water restrictions. Our aquifer, which supplies the farm with water, has not recharged despite the very welcome rain we have experienced since Christmas.

Meals: Meals will be simple, but wholesome with camp oven cooking and home made breads. If you have any special dietary needs, please let us know and we will try to accommodate.

The area: Plenty of other things to do in the area ... bushwalks (this area is adjacent to the famous Munghorn Gap (lowest point in the Great Dividing Range and the place where three major Aboriginal Nations met), mountain bike riding (bring your own bikes), music (one of the neighbours has a strawbale constructed solar powered sound recording studio www.sunpowerstudios.com.au) ... more likely just relaxation and chat. Fire restrictions allowing we'll have a bonfire on Saturday night.

Registration: Of necessity numbers will have to be limited so first in first served. Please contact us for registration with information of how many, when, what your interests are and whether you have any skills and/or knowledge you'd like to add to the mix. No animals please ... we've enough here already.

Arrival time: Any time Friday afternoon to set up camp. Dinner will be at 7 pm.

Departure time: After lunch Sunday afternoon (approx. 2 pm), although you are welcome to stay another night if you wish.