In the lush fields of Fernvale sits Woodland Valley Farm, which can only be described as chicken heaven.
Fabian Fabbro and Jodie Viccars took on the property in 2016 with the purpose of regenerating the land and waterways. Although they purchased the old dairy farm while working their regular jobs, in 2019 they jumped on in, focusing solely on the farm.
With a commitment to regeneration they introduced 120 Hyline Brown hens along with 30 head of Speckle Park cattle. They call this combination of poultry and cattle their ‘regeneration team’ – ideal for rotational grazing and for delivering incredible fertiliser to help restore the land.
After selling the eggs at the farmers’ markets and seeing how well they were received, they increased their flock to 1,800 hens and 400 ducks with four mobile laying caravans that are moved weekly.
This team effort is helping to nurture the property back to being an oasis of biological diversity, recently winning Woodland Valley Farm the Tweed Sustainability Award for Regenerative Agriculture 2021.
The poultry are completely pasture raised – they have sunlight, grass, and dirt, and are never caged or restrained in any way, allowing chickens to behave as chickens like to do.
‘The nutrient profile is exponentially higher than supermarket eggs. They also have nice vibrant yolks as nature intended them to be,’ they say.
‘The food miles are another big factor. The farthest our eggs travel is to Mullum Farmers Markets, so 31 kilometres, and they are collected daily.
‘It’s not ideal for eggs to sit at many different travel points before reaching the shelves. As time goes on the egg degrades, the taste and nutrition decrease as does the physical component of the egg.
‘We have always sold exclusively at farmers’ markets; it is a much better way to engage with the community. People who shop at the market are really passionate about food and supporting local food security and we love to be a part of that.’
Fabian and Jodie’s passion is to regenerate their land, and the chickens with their eggs have delivered a financially viable way to continue this invaluable work.
You will also notice the packaging they use is 100 per cent recycled post-consumer PET – reclaimed global waste. It is fully recycled and fully recyclable and they encourage customers to return their cartons to be restocked.
