Orchard keeper Ingrid Phyland encourages women interested in a trade to pursue career

IT wasn't exactly an epiphany. Truth be told, it was a phone call.

It's just the call came at the ideal time, when Ingrid Phyland had only been a mother for a matter of months.

Now she had friends who wanted to turn her into an organic orchardist in her spare time. Fortunately, the organic gig was in Harcourt, Victoria, just around the corner from her home.

Ingrid had just dropped off her eight-month-old son for his first day at daycare when she found herself sitting in a nearby café doodling the word 2021 on a blank piece of paper.

It was there pals Alex and Yoann made their life-changing call.

"I felt like I had a really blank slate," Ingrid said.

"Alex and Yoann - her friends turned colleagues - just happened to contact me that day to tell me 'we're thinking about applying for this lease at this orchard in Harcourt, are you interested in joining?'.

"(At first) I said 'I would, but I just feel like I've got too many things going on with looking after a kid' - but then I couldn't really let it go."

And while she had studied garden design at university and had had the odd job opportunity to get her hands dirty, the Harcourt Organic Farming Cooperation - more specifically The Orchard Keepers - was her first serious foray into life on the land.

Within a year Ingrid, Yoann and Alex were joined by Rachael, Brian and Megan and together the keepers took control of 4000 trees bearing 120 different varieties of fruit on the property.

"Between the six of us, going into another season, it feels a lot like we have the capacity to run it well," Ingrid said.

"Now, although all the trees are dormant, we aren't. We're busy doing the pruning, while one of the team is currently spraying - just a copper spray.

"Even though we're organic we do have to spray some things, but they're certified organic pest control. We've also done a whole lot of planting, replacing some trees that weren't doing so well.

"So we've replaced some of those with some new peaches and nectarines."

IT'S an interesting setup at the Harcourt Organic Farming Co-op, where the one property now supports five different businesses.

While Ingrid and pals run the orchard, there's someone else running the nursery and the dairy while the actual owners - Katie and Hugh - run the property right alongside them all.

And for Ingrid it's the best setup she could imagine when taking the leap into a new career.

"Even just for me, taking the leap has been easier because I'm doing it with other people," the newly-minted orchardist says.

"We all do have some part-time work as well, so it doesn't feel like this huge leap or huge risk.

"I guess it feels a lot safer doing it as a group, so if it's something new, or you're a little bit uncertain, taking opportunities as a group can be really good."

Reflecting on the success the keepers have had during a coronavirus-riddled season, Ingrid said the team was looking forward to the future and they weren't letting silly things such as traditional farming setups get in their way.

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"There are different models around now in farming which means you might not have to give them a go alone, so being creative is really good as well," she said.

Originally what you'd term a "conventional" apple orchard, Katie Finlay - who was one of four girls - inherited the Harcourt property from her father Merve, who had run the orchard for 60 successful years.

"Since Katie took the orchard, she and her partner Hugh have done a lot of grafting, converted it to an organic orchard and increased the varieties here," Ingrid said.

"As I was saying before, there's now 120 different varieties of fruit here."

It's not just the structure of the well-run property though that is unusual in the world of conventional farming.

"Katie tells the story that if (Merve) had had a son, she would have never had the opportunity to get into a career as an orchardist," Ingrid said.

"So they largely mentor us and live here, constantly giving us advice."

ONE of the great things about the changes Katie and Hugh made to the orchard - for Ingrid that is - is the company.

"Sometimes farming can be a little bit isolating, and even when you're out there pruning there might not be that many people around, but you can usually hear (or see) the other businesses hanging around the co-op)," Ingrid said.

"It's a community here which is really nice.

"And now, working together, the six of us orchard keepers, is a great thing."

Together The Orchard Keepers are also doing their bit for the future of food security.

"Farmers have always been distant parts of the project, like looking at food access or trying to create more local food systems," Ingrid said.

"And I guess this opportunity came up, when I had realised for a long time now that the bottleneck of our future food security is around making sure small farms continue to be sustainable.

"This is a small organic orchard here in Harcourt, a lot of the orchards here haven't survived over time.

"There hasn't been someone to take on the family farm or people have been forced to sell the family farm for whatever reason.

"And the number of small farms has got less and less.

"I guess I feel really passionate about, and am up for the challenge of, ensuring this farm survives and we're interested in experimenting and looking at different models so it's something people can stay in for a long time."

And while she's enjoying this run at a new career, Ingrid confesses she wished she had done it just a little bit earlier.

"If you feel your heart calling you to farming - or whatever - look for opportunities and give them a go. Trust yourself and take a leap," she said.

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