FEELING DRY? BEER’S THE ANSWER
AS farmers and producers in NSW endure the worst drought in living memory, one rural farm-based brewery has sown success.
Pioneer Brewing, about 33km northwest of Orange, grows its own grain to create homegrown brews delivered to locals straight from the land.
Husband-and-wife duo Pete and Tamara Gerber are the brains behind the business.
“When it first started we were just testing, trying beers out of a small shed and all the local farmers would come along and try the beers. It grew in popularity and in a way gave us the confidence to expand,” Ms Gerber said.
The farm-based brewery is also set up to be environmentally friendly. They only use rainwater and the grains used in the brewing process they use are fed back to the couple’s sheep. They also use solar panels to help reduce electricity costs.
Community connection is at the heart of their operation, sharing equipment, crops and beers with neighbouring farms. Locals know they can drop by for a cold beer whenever the shed door is rolled up.
The couple also tries to alleviate the stress for struggling farmers, organising events to help get them away from the land.
“There are people who are doing it extremely tough out there,” Ms Gerber said.
AN ex-union boss has been sentenced to two years in jail for corrupt activity relating to the building of his plush Queensland home by tradies paid for by Mirvac.
Former CFMEU Queensland senior vice-president David Arthur Hanna, 55, was told in the Brisbane District Court yesterday that the two years would be added to the time he’s already serving in jail for unrelated rape and other offences. His trial heard Mirvac’s subcontractors billed about $161,000 of work at Hanna’s Cornubia house to a shopping centre development.