BUSINESS regeneration

Lessons from Grounded Australia 2025 and the Dan Kittredge Workshop in the Southern Forests

Regenerative agriculture is gaining significant momentum in Western Australia’s Southern Forests. In September, I joined two transformative experiences that captured this movement’s spirit of renewal and collaboration: Grounded Australia 2025 at Galloway Springs Farm near Bridgetown and the Nutrient-Dense Food Production Workshop with US soil health expert Dan Kittredge in Manjimup.

Words Chi Nguyen, Regional Development Officer, vegetablesWA

Chi Nguyen (vegetablesWA RDO) with Laura Bolitho (Southern Forests Food Council) at Grounded Australia 2025.

Dan Kittredge Workshop Day 1.

BOTH events shared a unifying message: the future of farming depends on deepening our understanding of living systems and reconnecting with nature’s design. They reminded us of the inseparable link between human, animal, and environmental wellbeing.

Grounded 2025: A Celebration of Living Systems

Grounded brought together people who are passionate about growing food and fibre that improve ecological, financial, mental and physical health, and through that, community wellbeing.

The festival explored practical pathways for land restoration and food system transformation, from agroforestry and soil carbon to community food networks and policy innovation. Farmers shared composting tips alongside chefs preparing local produce, while researchers demonstrated soil testing next to artists sharing stories of landscape and renewal.

The atmosphere was one of collective optimism. As one speaker said, “Regeneration starts not with inputs but with intent, the choice to care.” That message echoed through every conversation, meal and song.

I also enjoyed many meaningful conversations with people who visited our stall and shared their own journey toward more resilient and regenerative farming.

Nutrient-Dense Food Production with Dan Kittredge

A few days later, the Southern Forests Food Council, in collaboration with vegetablesWA and Wines of WA, hosted Dan Kittredge, founder of the Bio nutrient Food Association, for an intensive two-day workshop.

Kittredge’s message was simple but powerful: “Life will do its best with what it has; the farmer’s role is to remove limiting factors so biology can do the rest”.

Growers explored how mineral balance, microbial life and plant sap testing reveal the hidden story of soil health. Kittredge demonstrated how conductivity and Brix readings can assess plant vitality, encouraging participants to “treat every piece of advice as a trial, apply it, measure it and let the data guide your next step.”

Beyond the technical lessons, he emphasised observation — walking the paddock with curiosity and learning to read the signals of colour, structure and sap tone that plants reveal.

From Sustainability to Regeneration

Both events reminded us that sustainability is no longer enough; the challenge ahead is to move beyond maintaining systems and begin healing them. That shift begins with mindset — embracing care over fear, collaboration over competition, and curiosity over convention.

Real progress depends on shared purpose among farmers, researchers and consumers. While farmers lead the change, consumers shape the demand for nutrient-dense food and regenerative practices, but true solutions will always stem from practical evidence in the field and the health of our ecosystems.

The Southern Forests community continues to lead by example, trialling compost systems, testing biological inputs, and connecting local growers with global thinkers such as Dan Kittredge.

These initiatives are sowing the seeds of a future grounded in knowledge, empathy and ecological balance.

As the energy from Grounded and the Manjimup workshop continues to spread, one truth stands out: regeneration is not a passing trend. It is the next chapter in the story of Western Australian farming, written by growers who choose to care.