cyber attacks on the food industry don't usually affect small producers

 

Cyber attacks on many business. Including primary production are being taken seriously because of the threat to food supplies. Major abattoirs, egg producers, grain and vegetable growers have been hit. Small producers have been left alone – usually because our production, distribution and financial systems are not computerised.

Farm sustainability and regeneration

 Long term farm sustainability and economic production can only  be maintained if farms reflect natural ecosystems. The concept of regenerative agriculture is alien to many, but in Australia, farm management has frequently adapted to changes in commodity prices,  markets, climatic and natural resource conditions. Natural ecosystems are extremely resilient and utilise only renewable inputs. Over thousands of years they  have shown high productivity, an ability to maintain environmental quality and  adaptivness to any natural disturbance. By weaving together the elements of  microclimate, annual and perennial plants, water and soil  management with human  needs, environmental and hollistic farming systems have been shown to be energy efficient and high yielding. An accepted definition of sustainable farming, is an integrated system of plant and animal production having a site-specific application that will, over the long  term: 

• satisfy human food and fibre  needs;
• enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon  which agricultural economies depend; 
• make the most efficient use of non-renewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls;
• sustain the economic viability of farm operations; and
• enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole

It seems like a bit of a mouthful, but it really isn't too hard and it's exactly what we do at  the Freeranger Egg Farm. The Australian Government's  involvement in natural resource management policy has increased since the 1980's,  as the scale and complexity of land and water degradation and loss of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes has been recognised. Landcare has been a useful tool  in promoting incremental changes to natural resource management which boost the  farm system. However, Landcare has limitations as a tool to achieve significant  outcomes in biodiversity conservation and controlling off site impacts. Landcare  has raised awareness of resource management issues in the rural community but  the widespread adoption of more ecologically sustainable farming practices is  constrained by a diversion of financial resources into job creation rather than  on-ground work, a lack of skills and appropriate management technologies.
Our  property is ecologically important because it is a vegetated link between the  Grantville Flora & Fauna Reserve and the Bass River and forms part of the  only riparian forest left on the river.
Farm  activities were designed to minimise off-site and on-site impacts. All creek  lines are vegetated to maintain water quality run off into the Bass. A study  backed by the Federal Government's Envirofund program found that free range  farming practices are viable and have minimal impacts on the environment.
The  study, carried out on five properties in the Port Phillip and Westernport  Catchment Authority area showed  that properly managed free range egg farms have many benefits - including long term sustainability.
The Freeranger Farm was  one of the participants and we believe that low density production is the key to  sustainability. "It doesn't make any real difference whether you are running  cattle, sheep or chickens, if the stocking rate is too high you will run into  trouble" is our philosophy.
It's hard to justify European farming practices  in many parts of Australia - they simply don't work with our soil types and  climate. The current drought is a clear example of the stupidity in trying to  maintain exotic pastures and growing crops which require huge and unsustainable inputs.
Apart from the massive problems of erosion and salinity, the inputs needed to maintain unrealistically high production levels create unhealthy nutrient loads and reduce farm viability over the years.
The report demonstrates that stocking densities have a direct impact on feed costs.  Supplementary feed inputs rose significantly as stocking rates increased.
Once the results were produced in table form it was easy to see that a free range egg farm with a stocking rate of 9 Dry Sheep Equivalent (DSE) per hectare, produced an egg laying rate of 70% with feed consumption of 26 kg per bird per year. A farm with a stocking rate of 75 DSE per hectare produced a lay rate of 65% with feed consumption almost double at 48 kg per bird.
At current prices that's an added cost of nearly $10 a year for each bird - which doesn't sound much until you multiply it over the whole flock. The Freeranger Farm is at the most productive end of the scale.
Pasture management here has been aimed at increasing the amount of native grasses in the vegetated cover. The report shows that soils on the farm are acidic and have relatively low nutrient levels.
We regarded it as counter productive to try to change the soil balance to favour exotic grasses and a management style was chosen with a preference for adapting farm practices to fit the natural soil types on this farm.
Microlaena stipoides is one of  Australia's most important native grasses with a widespread distribution in the  eastern States. Its bright green colour, drought and frost resistance as well as  shade tolerance make it superior to any non-native species as it has evolved for  thousands of years in the dry and unpredictable Australian climate.
It is  easily out-competed by exotic grasses in neutral or alkaline soil conditions,  preferring acidic soils like those at Grantville. During the trial, lime was  only applied to small test sites. The majority of the pasture had no inputs  other than chicken manure from the free-ranging hens and native grass coverage  increased by about 25%. There was also a high level of activity by earthworms and dung beetles.
We appear to have at least two types of dung beetles on the property because there is evidence of activity all year round and some species are known to be dormant over winter.
The farm is a member of the Western Port Biosphere Reserve.

Deep Ecology
 management practices reflect our view that our activities must have minimal negative impacts. We are a part of the environment, not apart from it.

Rural difficulties caused by incompetent bureaucrats, Councillors and Greenies

 It’s hard enough making a living on the land, but its made even more difficult when dealing with incompetent Shire Councillors and staff together with a handful of vocal greenies who are unable to articulate their specific problems.

Bass Coast Shire Council is trying to bully State Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny to expedite approval of draft amendment C181 as a planning overlay which it claims will protect large areas of native vegetation around Western Port.

The areas in question are already protected from the threat of sand extraction by the Regional Sand Extraction strategy Lang Lang to Grantville. Gazetted in 1996. Please contact your local Councillor and demand that the Shire meets its legal obligations. Any of you who support the fringe individuals calling themselves Save Westernport Woodlands, call them and suggest they read the sand extraction strategy before they create a wasteland. The Freeranger Eggs farm is part of the wildlife corridor identified in the Sand Strategy and is a vital link between the Grantville Nature Conservation Reserve and Bass River.

Egg farmers' lament

 The start of winter always reminds us of the major difficulty faced by free range egg farmers. The only way to keep up constant egg production is to have hens locked in climate controlled sheds with full lighting. Genuine free range farming of hens makes it difficult to maintain egg supplies for regular customers and impossible to have spare eggs for occasional buyers who suddenly decide they want to try real free range eggs laid on farms where hens are always free to roam on pasture and only go into sheds to lay their eggs in nest boxes and for protection from predators at night when it's dark..

Egg cartons delivered

 A local friend delivered 1200 egg cartons yesterday after picking them up in Dandenong, They should last us a while before we need to restock. The days have gone when we trucked  cartons on pallets and kept a year’s supply in the shed.  Now, age and health issues have slowed us down so we have cut flock numbers and it’s not economic to buy large quantities. We still print our labels on the farm.

Red tape, taxes and charges kill many enterprises

 Government charges and red tape are killing many operations, large and small. The combination of local Government rates. Land tax and endless compulsory levies  cause many to give up and shut their doors.

Egg production in Australia - More free range farms needed

 A published overview of the Australian egg industry by Food Standards Australia New Zealand says that Egg production initially started here when producers began going beyond just providing for the immediate family and commenced supplying local areas. Over time, increasing flock sizes were needed to meet demand from growing urbanisation in Australia . This has now grown into an industry producing 6.98 billion eggs with a gross production value of approximately $1.37 billion in the 2023-24 financial year (Australian Eggs 2024). Sadly there are only one or two producers such as us at Freeranger Eggs, satisfying local demand for genuine low density free range eggs. There needs to be at least one close to every township.

June 7 - Phil Westwood's birthday and World Food Safety Day

 

Phil Westwood has made it to 80 today despite a few health challenges ( a severe stroke, atrial fibrillation, edema and a bout ofCellulitis.) That limited his activities around the farm over the past 10 years or so leaving Anne to do all the work. Recently there have been disappointments with local Bass Coast Shire Councillors and a few rabid individuals masquerading as environmentalists trying to overturn a landmark achievement in the Regional Sand Extraction Strategy Lang Lang to Grantville which protected vital native vegetation and identified key biolinks for the wildlife corridor.

The Grantville community, led by Anne and Phil lobbied the Victorian Government to restrict the destruction of native vegetation, wildlife habitat and groundwater resources. The actions from Grantville Action Group Inc. resulted in The Regional Sand Extraction Strategy, Lang Lang to Grantville which protected the natural environmental values by ensuring that cumulative impacts were considered as part of landscape-scale planning rather than allowing ad hoc decisions. The State Government approved the Strategy in 1996. However Shire Councillors and Save Westernport Woodlands individuals don’t like the strategy and are determined to destroy it.