GROUNDED Live - 2025: Ian & Di Haggerty - What’s it Like being Western Australians of the Year, & Farmers?

In this episode of GROUNDED Live, we continue sharing unedited sessions recorded at GROUNDED Festival 2025 on farm in Bridgetown, Western Australia.

Across Australia, some of the deepest knowledge about landscapes is held by elders — farmers and First Nations people whose lived experience stretches across decades and across Country. Too often, that wisdom isn’t given a platform. So when we learned that Ian and Di Haggerty had just been named 2025 West Australians of the Year, we knew we wanted to hear from them directly.

The Haggertys farm around 65,000 acres in WA’s Wheatbelt, running mixed cropping and sheep enterprises for both meat and wool. They’re well known for their Natural Intelligence Farming approach — a system grounded in biology, ecological function and working with, not against, landscapes.

In this conversation, we wanted to explore not just their farming philosophy, but also what it means to suddenly find themselves with a public platform:

•  What does recognition like this allow them to say?
• What conversations does it open?
• And how does it feel to carry local, ecological and intergenerational knowledge into national discussions about farming and the future?

It’s an insightful, humble and generous session from two people who’ve spent their lives learning from the land — and now have a bigger microphone to share it.

Settle in and enjoy Ian & Di Haggerty on GROUNDED Live.

GROUNDED Festival is a cross between a food festival, a farming conference and a field day. It combines science and technology with ancient wisdom, provides a respectful place for lively discussion, an audience as interesting as the speakers and an excellent menu of local food, drinks and music, all on a beautiful, regeneratively-managed farm.

GROUNDED is also Australia's only annual, roaming food and farming festival, held in a different farm location every year, so each festival is a unique, unmissable event celebrating local expertise and culture with an inspiring line up of speakers.

In 2026, with the support of the local Upper Barwon and Central Otway Landcare Networks, following successful festivals in Tasmania and Western Australia, GROUNDED FESTIVAL will be held at leading regenerative farm, Yan Yan Gurt West, in the Victorian Otway Ranges, two hours from Melbourne in an area renowned for regenerative agroforestry, tourism, local hospitality and great food and wine.

Tickets are on sale now - head to the GROUNDED website for information on speakers, the location, and to secure your spot today.