Events :

Horn Filling and Lifting on the farm - every year in April and October respectively

The next coming together: Hornfilling on Sunday, 3rd April 16.

This year we put down the filled horns, the bladder which we filled in spring and had the summer sun, and nettle as well. We'd like to make a cow pat pit, too.

We are looking forward to seeing you here .

As usual we meet at 12.30 starting with a shared lunch (please bring a plate). Click the buttom and/or for more information contact us or contact the group coordinator Marinus La Rooij, marinus2@clear.net.nz or 03 3317677.

Dinkel roguing on Sunday, 14th December, 8.00 am

Have a break from the every-day and help ensure the supply of seed for the 2015 sowing?

In every grain field there are rogue plants, plants of other cereals. They are present in small numbers, their seed not really affecting the bulk of grain harvested when it is used for milling. However, when saving seed for re-sowing, the ‘contamination’ steadily increases with each generation until it becomes a problem.

The solution ….. we walk the field as the grain comes into ear removing these ‘rogues’. We would love to invite you to join the action, to do some roguing with us. We are going to start at 8.00 amto avoid the heat but if you can join us later that's fine, too (we probably work for about 3 hours).
If you like we can have shared lunch afterwards.Full induction provided, along with sunshine, fresh air, good company and some Dinkel flour to take home. Please let us know if you like to come (please send an email to milmoredownsnz@gmail.com).
As more people come as easier and nicer for everybody ;-).

Dec 14, 2014

Rogues at Milmore Downs on the 6th December!

Fancy another day on the farm? Have a break from the every-day and help ensure the supply of seed for the 2015 sowing?

In every grain field there are rogue plants, plants of other cereals. They are present in small numbers, their seed not really affecting the bulk of grain harvested when it is used for milling. However, when saving seed for re-sowing, the ‘contamination’ steadily increases with each generation until it becomes a problem. Wheat with rye, husky oats in dinkel …

The solution ….. we walk the field as the grain comes into ear removing these ‘rogues’.

We would love to invite you to join the action, to do some rogueing with us. This year the dinkel needs attention, the main cereal to remove is oats. We plan to walk the crop on the 6thDecember, we can have a shared lunch at 12 noon, or for who likes to come later, we would start at 1pm. Full induction provided, along with sunshine, fresh air, good company and some Dinkel flour to take home. Please let us know if you like to come (please send an email to milmoredownsnz@gmail.com), so that we know how many 2kg Dinkel flour bag we have to pack beforehand, and so that we can give you a short note in case it rains or the grain is not ready for roguing (which depends a lot on the weather development).

Dec 06, 2014

Milmore Downs Grain Breeding

On our farm we work together with Demeter breeders in Germany developing barley and oat varieties suitable for organic agriculture. Results are of course quicker with an extra generation per year through the use of both hemispheres.

Tree Planting on Milmore Downs for CO2 Capture

Everybody of us has his/her own CO₂ footprint on our planet, smaller ones and bigger ones. Altogether we in the industrialized world produce far too much. But there are lots of possibilities to compensate them and to contribute to climate repair, one is to plant trees, but not everyone has practically access to land, and that's where we can help.

Are you motivated? You can visit our linked site www.carbon.org.nz and see the many advantageous effects of tree planting.

Contact us (at the moment only under our email address (milmoredownsnz@gmail.com) to realize your dream and contribution. Your motivation can make it happen that more and more trees grow for a better climate.

We tried to find out about the original cover in the valley and there are some very small pockets in gullies on the farms down toward Waikari. You can get a bit of an idea. We want to re-establish natives in that style – looking back toward the cover that was here before those hill became the 'Black Hills' due to a major fire set by an Oat/chaff mill in the 1870's. It burnt from Waikari to the coast!

Food for thought Amberley Library, every first Monday per month

Our group was conceived as a means of exploring the issues around our future. We hope to provide support for concerned individuals within our community to develop relevant skills, and our vision is to build a sustainable and resilient community, utilising local resources and appropriate technology.
Contact food.forthought@hotmail.com or 03 3143734 for more information.