Aaron Natoli

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About Aaron Natoli

Aaron is a consultant specialising in the agricultural industry, including food security, provenance and sustainability. He is also focused on connecting consumers with food producers to improve viability of industry.

AG Academy

Federal Agricultural minister David Littleproud announced back in July this year that “thousands of Aussie kids are about to get a first-hand account of agriculture” under an Australian Government program rolled out by state and territory farming bodies.  WAFarmers is rolling out of the Western Australia based program called the “AG Academy”. It is aimed at engaging year 6 students on a project learning basis about the what, where, why and how of farming in Western Australia. The 250 minute learning component is being prepared by Edith Cowan University and is mapped to WA based curriculum. ECU are also developing the resource in concert with agricultural industry participants and co-operation with industry peak bodies to provide real world content. Through the 8 tasks of the AG Academy students will: REVIEW what they know about AG DEFINE what AG is and how it relates to them ENGAGE with commonly purchased products [...]

By |2020-11-18T13:46:06+08:00November 18th, 2020|Experience, News|0 Comments
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Project aims to find genes that make canola heat tolerant

The aim of a five-year Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) research project now underway is to identify the genes that make canola heat tolerant. Field trials for this research were planted in New South Wales and Western Australia in 2020. The long-term objective of the research is to provide heat-tolerant germplasm to plant breeders. And your next question is, so what? Why would that be important? As climate variability emerges as one of the biggest threats to food security, heat stress had been identified as a major issue. This is also an increasing global concern, with average temperatures projected to rise in coming decades. Dr Sheng Chen, lead researcher at The University of Western Australia’s (UWA) Institute of Agriculture continues. “Plant breeders may then incorporate this germplasm into new commercial varieties, and help the industry maintain productivity as mean temperatures rise.” “Canola is particularly sensitive to high temperature stress. [...]

By |2020-10-19T16:35:08+08:00October 19th, 2020|News|0 Comments
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WAFarmersFirst Milk gets a new face!

https://www.facebook.com/gwn7news/videos/1578473372340727/ Food You Can Trust and WAFarmersFirst were featured on GWN7 News last night. It was a great acknowledgement of our website and program, but the main event was WAFarmersFirst Milk. WAFarmersFirst milk is re-branding with WAFarmers' own Jess Wallace the brand ambassador and face of the new era. In Jess' own words: "I think its such a strong message that you don't have to be a farmer to support farmers." The milk gives 40 cents per 2 litre bottle back to the industry in a tangible way for consumers to support farming in WA. Next time you are at the supermarket, try WAFarmersFirst Full Cream and Hi-Lo milk and support farming in WA!

By |2020-08-24T16:07:18+08:00August 21st, 2020|Dairy, News|0 Comments
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Broccoli actually contains more vitamin C than oranges ?

I know right? ??? So yeah, broccoli is a brassica. That's the family of vegetable it belongs to, which also includes cabbage, cauliflower and kale. Western Australia grows A LOT OF brassicas. Broccoli contains antioxidants and vitamins such as vitamin C. Its thought to prevent cancer, reduce cholesterol, and reduce allergic reactions and inflammation. But wait, there's more! Broccoli also contains high levels of vitamin K and calcium which are important for bone health. Its also high in fibre which aids in digestion, prevents constipation, and maintains low blood sugar. So yeah, I guess you could say its good for you! If you haven't already... do yourself a favour and give broccoli a try today! Source: Sinha S. 7 health benefits of broccoli. The Times of India. 2014.

By |2020-10-23T13:47:04+08:00August 20th, 2020|Food Security, Fruit & Vegetables, News, Produce|Comments Off on Broccoli actually contains more vitamin C than oranges ?
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Extra “cool” facts about the influence of temperature on wine!

Did you enjoy yesterday story about wine? ? Cheers! No seriously, put the glass down. Would you like some more wine...facts...that is? Well, here is the vintage for you and some extra "cool" facts about wine. Did you know that temperature influences the flavour of wine! Temperature affects the sugar-acid balance of grapes, thus the cooler an area is, the higher the acidity giving the wine improved balance. In comparison, warmer regions lead to higher baume (that is the scale of how dense the wine is) and higher alcohol content. Grapes grown in warmer regions ripen faster and are sweeter in flavour. Have you noticed this when tasting wine? Let us know what you think! ?

By |2020-10-23T13:46:58+08:00August 19th, 2020|News|Comments Off on Extra “cool” facts about the influence of temperature on wine!
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Food connects us all (and nothing connects like food)

We eat it, we share it, and some like Jessie, grow it.     So when a food producer takes time out of the farm schedule to produce something OTHER than what they grow, you know it has got to be special.   WAFarmers Board Member Jessie Davis has been busy over the weekend.   In addition to farming she somehow found the time to make sausages with friends and family!       Over the weekend, Jessie got together with her family and friends in an annual tradition of making Italian SAUSAGE.   Good work Jessie! And thank you, we will all be over to your place in a few weeks to try the goods!   Do you make anything at home that brings joy to others?   If so, we would love to hear about it in the comments below.

By |2020-08-03T19:23:17+08:00August 3rd, 2020|News|0 Comments
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Cooking with Paola: Kids In The Kitchen

At Food You Can Trust, we are all about encouraging all members of the family to cook at home from locally sourced produce. That is why we have started our own cooking show called "Cooking with Paola: Kids In The Kitchen". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKmeFbX8fV8 In this web series, we will explore how to make tasty dishes at home from local produce that everyone can follow. In today's debut episode, we look at how to make a beef stew with a french twist. Enjoyed our dish? Have other feedback? We'd love to hear from you here at Food You Can Trust.

By |2020-07-07T09:23:14+08:00July 6th, 2020|Fruit & Vegetables, Livestock, News, Produce|0 Comments
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Jessie Davis talks the challenges of farming

In today's video, Food You Can Trust Brand Ambassador Jessie Davis talks about the recent wind damage to her crop. Western Australia broadacre farming operates under a Mediterranean climate. There is no irrigated farming unlike other states such as Queensland, NSW and Victoria. WA’s Grain Growers are regarded as the best Dryland farmers in the world, often dry-seeding well before the season breaks. Thankfully, Jessie Davis got a concentrated period of rain on Wednesday. A good 20 millimeters! Wind damage is something you can't avoid in farming.   You'll get to see first hand the devastating effects this can have on the plants and how Jessie will help mother nature repair the damage. So sit back and relax while you watch and learn from Jessie!  

By |2020-06-19T15:57:47+08:00June 19th, 2020|Food Security, Grain, Learn, News|0 Comments
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Brix testing

We received a question in our DM’s about brix testing. So, just what is brix testing? According to bionutrient.org, “Brix is a scale based on the amount that light bends when it passes through a liquid. Thus, if one were to place one's hand in a pond and measure the amount it appeared to bend, and then place it in the ocean, it would appear to bend a different amount. That differential light bending is the best tool currently available to consumers to determine the value of crops that are purchased or produced. The brix chart is the scale that anyone can use to determine poor, average, good or excellent in a foodstuff. So how does Brix relate to quality? Centuries of wine making and work with other fruits and vegetables always show direct relations between high Brix and high quality, expressed most simply and directly as superior taste. So [...]

By |2020-06-19T16:13:37+08:00June 9th, 2020|News|0 Comments
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