AQJ 147: From City Careers to Farming Life – The Story of Bellasato Farm

Dan and Leanne Cordner are the owners of Bellasato Farm, where they raise naturally grown, heritage breed chickens on chemical free pasture in North Queensland. The couple, along with their two young girls began farming life just four years ago, leaving their career jobs – Dan was an engineer and Leanne a microbiologist – in favour of working the land. Leanne struggled with chemical sensitivities in the big city, and Dan felt like he didn’t see his family enough due to long work hours. Driven by a desire for a better lifestyle and improved health, they decided to take their passion for food and knowing how it was grown to another level.

This is the story of a family farm where things are done differently. Dan and Leanne are farmers who are working for a ‘new normal’ in agriculture that is fair to soil, water, animals, and people.

On Bellasato farm, the chickens live a happy life – running around in grassy fields, scratching in the dirt and chasing bugs, nibbling edible plants grown just for them, and playing their part in regenerating the soil on the farm. The family’s maremma dogs keep an eye on the chickens 24/7, and are also an invaluable part of the team.

Small farm life sounds idyllic, but it’s not without challenges… flooding, snakes, hard work, and long days are all part of life for the Cordners. But they feel the lifestyle changes they’ve made are totally worth it. They get to spend much more time together as a family, Leanne has completely healed from her chemical sensitivities, and their chicken has won the state-wide Delicious produce awards twice!

Listen in and be inspired by this couple whose major lifestyle changes resulted in the healing of a chronic illness, a better life for their family, and a career that gives back to the land and community around them.

Useful Links:

Bellasato Farm on Instagram and Facebook

Article on Bellasato Farm by “Will Work For Food”

“Farming Democracy”, by Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance (the book mentioned in the podcast that includes the Cordner’s story)

Episode 94: Joel Salatin – Regenerative wisdom from the world’s most famous farmer

Photo credit: Honey Atkinson

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