On a tree farm in Central Victoria, Reign "Buck" Buckingham is rearing pigs.
There are a few things unusual about this.
Firstly, Buck is from Georgia in the United States and moved to Australia after falling in love with Australian Jade Lillie while in Barcelona.
Secondly, Buck doesn't know much about farming pigs, doesn't own a farm and has little-to-no funds to be a farmer.
So how is Buck doing it?
With these barriers, the idea of farming would be prohibitive to most, but in Victoria's Macedon Ranges there's a growing collective of people willing to help each other out.
"Actually, it just felt like, 'How am I going to get to this level where I have 15 different paddocks to move these pigs, in a way that I'm taking care of the land, and also taking care of the animals?'
"I just decided I wanted to be a farmer yesterday, so what am I going to do?"
The land was the first issue. Enterprise stacking, a concept common in Buck's home country, is gaining traction in Australia.
A local tree farmer saw the value of having other businesses on their property.
Buck acknowledged this was the biggest access barrier to farming.
"If you have 400 acres, and you're not using all 400 acres … maybe someone could come and do a market garden, or grow mushrooms, or run pigs, or have a little herd of sheep or something," Buck said.
Ethical farming
Buck is using the increasingly popular practice of regenerative farming.
The guiding principles are conservation and rehabilitation in farming systems. The regular movement of animals from paddock to paddock is a vital part of the process.
"It is all about the soil that you're on and what it needs, and the way you manage the animals," Buck said.
To adhere to this practice, and with help from online videos, Buck created Bertha.
Bertha is a movable trailer that provides a water source for the pigs and generates an electric current from solar panels to run temporary electric fencing.
"The basis of it is very simple and it was built for someone like me, who's new to farming, but is passionate and wants to get going," Buck explained.
"I needed something that people could get around easily."
Everything on the trailer was sourced for free or second-hand at a minimal cost.
Buck hasn't been doing this alone.
Amy Pagett is from a farming family but left the farm to head to the big city, it wasn't long before she yearned for a life back on the land.
After meeting Buck at the farm internship, Ms Pagett was keen to jump on board with Buck's vision.
"It's about getting out there and giving it a go, finding people around you that can support you, and learning on the job," she said.
"This isn't the only profession where you learn on the job."
And Ms Pagett acknowledges it has not been easy.
For now, the enterprise has 56 pigs and six piglets. The produce is sold on a subscription model on a two-month rotation. With about half their subscriptions filled, the business has enough money to keep it going.
"And that's great," Buck said.
"I'm stoked that at least we can keep everything running and keep the pigs fed and everything.
"At double that we'll be able to pay ourselves and also save for some larger infrastructure things that we need."
The big decisions
Prior to being a farmer, Buck worked as a chef.
"I fell into a cooking job and realised that I really loved cooking. It took me all around the world," Buck said.
"And I met my partner in Barcelona and we moved here in 2018 after travelling together for six months. And yeah, that's how I ended up here. I came for love."
Arriving in Australia, Buck's plan was to continue cheffing, but a knee injury, disenchantment with the industry and a need to feel better connected to the food Buck was cooking was part of the decision to try farming.
"We were in Mullumbimby and Jade was sick and tired of hearing me complain about, 'I don't want to be a chef anymore'," Buck said
It was partner Jade Lillie who made Buck think about what it is they want to do.
"So, I had this epiphany about a month later: I did still want to feed people," Buck explained.
And now, with land to work on, pigs, and subscribers to feed, Buck and Ms Pagett feel they can call themselves farmers with help from Bertha.
"I don't need nine years of building a farm up," Buck said.
"I can be almost an instant farmer with this one piece of infrastructure: One solid piece of infrastructure that does everything except for move itself.
"You always need a truck, but [I've got] one piece of solid infrastructure that does everything I need.
To learn more about Buck and Jade (and Bertha) as well as other innovative stories, watch Movin' to the Country on ABC TV, Fridays at 7.30pm or any time on ABC iview.
