Food Tank, OzHarvest, Aquna Murry Cod, Woolworths, and the Australian Conservation Foundation present
Voices of Australian Farmers: A Love Story
One night only – February 20, 7.30pm
Farmers from around the nation will take to the stage in Food Tank and OzHarvest’s premiere of Voices of Australian Farmers: A Love Story, hosted by former actor Rachel Ward at the Adelaide Fringe for one night only.
Fresh off the sold-out success of A Night Honoring Our Farmers, led by Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu at Climate Week NYC, Food Tank is bringing Voices of Australian Farmers: A Love Story to the Adelaide Fringe Festival in partnership with OzHarvest, Aquna Murray Cod, and the Australian Conservation Foundation and Woolworths.
Rooted in love of land, love of soil, and love of community, this magical evening directed by State Theatre Company South Australia’s Shannon Rush blends unscripted farmer stories with live music and delicious tasting moments that bring each story to life.
Hosted by director/actor turned regenerative farmer Rachel Ward (The Thorn Birds), it’s an intimate celebration of the people who care for the land and feed us, day in and day out. It follows the sold-out 28-performance run of Food Tank’s immersive original musical about the climate crisis, WeCameToDance, at the Edinburgh Fringe—featured on Good Morning Britain, the BBC, and praised by The New York Times.
Featuring farmers from all over Australia, Voices of Australian Farmers: A Love Story guides the audience through a one-night-only of stories woven together with live music and food tasting from the featured farms in a celebration of love; love of land, community and the systems that feed us. Hope and resilience echo throughout these stories, told by the farmers themselves through theatre-inspired storytelling, entirely unscripted.
At the heart of the show lies the radical question of what it means to farm in Australia in 2026 with community and the future of food in mind. For regenerative farmer Rachel Ward, talking to farmers from across the nation is a chance to hear real stories and “highlight a new farming narrative” that gleans hope for the future.
“I’m still in the honeymoon phase of farming,” Rachel says. “Everything is stimulating and novel. My admiration for good farmers, their skill base and how they eek a living is ripe. It’s a livelihood in transition, often in crisis and many farmers are choosing a new path towards better land health, animal welfare and delivering more nutritious food. Change is exciting and precarious. They all have stories to tell of that adventure. It’s relevant to us all because we all eat and we all want good health and our farmers are a critical part of that. Time to highlight the new farming narrative.”
Based in North America, Food Tank is based on building a global community for safe, healthy, nourished eaters.
Co-founder Danielle Nierenberg says, “For more than two decades, I’ve had the joy and the privilege of listening to food producers around the world. Their work is extraordinary—even when it goes unseen—and it sustains families, communities, and all of us. Voices of Australian Farmers: A Love Story is a celebration of their commitment, their creativity, and their resilience. It’s also an invitation to stand with them, to learn from them, and to help build a food future that truly values the people who nourish us.”
OzHarvest founder Ronni Kahn adds, “We’re thrilled to partner with global non-profit organisation Food Tank, Aquna Murray Cod, Australian Conservation Foundation and Woolworths to bring you something truly special at Adelaide Fringe. This is a chance to hear the stories of Australian regenerative farmers who are rebuilding our soil, restoring ecosystems, and pioneering a sustainable food system.”
Voices of Australian Farmers: A Love Story is not just about farmers growing food, it’s about growing hope with powerful voices and practises that mirror their deep connection to community and land.
Blending storytelling, live music, visuals, theatre and tasting in a multisensory spectacle, Voices of Australian Farmers lets farmers do the talking.
Venue: The Garage International @ Dom Polski, 230 Angas St, Adelaide
Event: 20th February, 7.30pm
Duration: Approx. 70 mins
Creator: Food Tank co-founder Bernard Pollack
Director/Dramatrug: Shannon Rush
Production Manager: Isabelle Strada
Music: Jamie Hornsby
Visuals: Mark Oakley
About Food Tank:
Based in the US, Food Tank is the world’s fastest growing global non-profit community working towards positive transformation in how we produce and consume food. As one of the food and agriculture movement’s most dynamic conveners, we educate and collaborate with local partners to amplify on the ground solutions.
Food Tank Arts incubates and explores arts-driven food and climate change initiatives. Our previous work includes the sold out run of WeCameToDance (Edinburgh Fringe, 2021), Catalyst Coffee (Climate Week NYC, 2025), A Night Honoring Our Farmers: Food and Agriculture Storytelling in partnership with Niman Ranch and the Broadway Green Alliance (Climate Week NYC, 2025) and Voices of Australian Farmers: A Love Story (Adelaide Fringe, 2026).
The Farmers:
Rachel Ward – NSW
Rachel Ward is an acclaimed Australian actress, writer, and director who is also a regenerative farmer in New South Wales, committed to land stewardship and sustainable agriculture, and pioneering paddock-to-city distribution through her new retail venture, Farm Thru.
Mat Ryan – Aquna Murrary Cod, NSW
Mat Ryan is the founder of Aquna Murray Cod, an Australian farmer-turned-aquaculture pioneer who helped bring native Murray cod back to Australian tables through a green-rated farming system, growing what began as an experiment on his wheat farm into a producer supplying thousands of tonnes of fish to leading restaurants nationwide.
Georgia Beattie – Bulla Park VIC
Georgia Beattie is a farmer at Bulla Farm, growing seasonal produce with a focus on regenerative practices and direct-to-community food systems.
Hannah Greenshields – The Food Farm, NSW
South Australian born Hannah Greenshields and Tim Eyes are the co-founders of The Food Farm, first-generation regenerative farmers on the NSW Central Coast growing seasonal produce with a focus on soil health, biodiversity, and community.
Uncle Derek – Goolwa Pipi Co, SA
Derek Walker is a Ngarrindjeri Elder and commercial fisher from South Australia, leading the harvesting of pipis (kuti) in the Lower Lakes and Coorong as Managing Director of Kuti Co. He works in partnership with Goolwa PipiCo to sustainably hand-harvest pipis from the MSC-certified Lakes and Coorong fishery while supporting Ngarrindjeri livelihoods and stewardship of Sea Country.
