Thank you to the more than 450 people who came together on Friday, February 20 to make GROW 2026 such a joyous day.

Through GROW, we explored how we can better look after ourselves and our community, our animals, our farms and backyards, and our environment. 

Across 45 sessions we learned with 48 presenters and the hundreds of others who shared their wisdom and their curiosity through positive and energising discussions, whether from the audience in a hub marquee, out in the paddock or under an umbrella on the lawn, cool drink or ice cream in hand.

GROW puts community – sharing and connecting – firmly at its centre. It is by the community, for the community – the content crowdsourced and the event crowdfunded through pay-what-you-can ticketing and donations.

Thank you to the dozens of individuals and small businesses who contributed through speaking, exhibiting and donating goods, funds, expertise and time. Thank you to Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group committee for governance, insurance and support. And thank you to our volunteers – friends and family – who looked after everyone on the day.

We acknowledge and express respect for the Taungurung people, who are the Traditional Owners of the land on which we gather for GROW, and acknowledge and express respect for the Dja Dja Wurrung people, traditional owners of the land a stone’s throw away across the Campaspe River.

It was our privilege this year to welcome Dja Dja Wurrung representatives to GROW to share some wisdom about cultural fire, called Djandak Wi by the Dja Dja Wurrung people, and how its use has promoted abundance and healthy Country.

We pay our respects to leaders and Elders past, present and emerging, for they hold forever the memories, traditions, culture and hopes of all Taungurung and Dja Dja Wurrung people.

We express our gratitude for the sharing of this land, our sorrow for the personal, spiritual and cultural costs of that sharing and our hope that we can walk forward together in harmony and the spirit of reconciliation.

In farming – as in most things – solving problems, coping with adversity and celebrating wins is better together. When the days are difficult, our instinct can be to shut the gate and tough it out. Go it alone.

We know, in our hearts, the opposite is true.

Through coming together we can harness our collective energy to support one another to try new things and feel safe to fail, building resilience to try again.

Thank you

Donna Coutts, on behalf of the GROW team