By Sue Neales (The Australian) |
Goulburn Valley farmer James Rovers has never been to Ethiopia or eaten African injera flat bread made from teff flour.
But this month the Numurkah grain grower started harvesting the biggest crop of Ethiopian teff grass ever grown in Australia, as demand for the ancient grain skyrockets along with the new health craze for plant-based superfoods, The Australian reports.
Mr Rovers, 28, admits it’s been a fast learning curve, with high-quality teff seed hard to obtain, difficult to grow and, as the smallest grain seed in the world, more complicated to harvest than his usual wheat and canola paddocks.
But surveying his thick, billowing crop of green grass covering nearly 45 hectares in northern Victoria, the innovative farmer is proud of his teff experiment.
“There’s a bit of hype starting to come around teff, just like quinoa a few years ago; others farmers are starting to ask me about it. I think it has real potential (as an alternative crop),” said Mr Rovers, as daughter Elsie, 3, hid in the tall, soft grass.
“I’m trying to diversify from wheat and canola; if everyone else is doing the same thing, you have to be prepared to take a risk to stay ahead of the game.”
Read the complete story at The Australian
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