A new breed of farmer.
An ancient method of farming.

Out the back of Daylesford in Central Victoria, where ancient volcanos rise above the patchwork of pasture and crops, is Brooklands Free Range Farms. It’s a small, family-owned farming operation producing outstanding pork, beef and other produce. Here, husband and wife team Jono Hurst and Natalie Hardy practice regenerative agriculture. It is a method that reflects and works with, the systems that exist in nature. And it all starts with the soil. Soil that is alive with billions of bugs, worms, insects and fungi. They work in harmony with the pasture and other plants that capture the energy of the sun, turn it into leaves, flowers and seeds to feed the animals. When the plants die or are eaten by the animals they go back into the earth and feed the living creatures in the soil. They, in turn, excrete nutrients that feed the plants. An unbroken loop that continuously creates more living soil. This is a big part of regenerative agriculture. 

Into that soil is planted deep-rooted pasture. Grasses like forage oats and leafy millet. Legumes like vetch. Brassicas like tillage radish. Things that pigs like to root about and dig up with their snouts. They turn the soil over, aerating it and sending grass and manure further down to feed the soil. After the pigs move on, the paddocks are sown again, ready for more pigs or cattle who also fertilise the soil with their dung. In doing so there is no need for artificial fertiliser. All the nutrients are made by that army of underground bugs is locked in rich humus. It doesn’t get washed into the creek. It doesn’t cause algae in the dams. Instead, Brooklands is a farm rich in a diversity of wildlife, from the kookaburras in the gumtrees to the dragonflies darting about the waterways. Part of this biodiversity is birds and insects that prey on pest species that might decimate the pasture such as red-legged mites. 

This means that the pasture the animals graze on is nutritionally dense. This helps them be healthy. And as Nats and Jono like to say, “Healthy soil, healthy farm, healthy animals, healthy people.” It is a virtuous circle.

Our Heritage Breeds

British White Cattle

British White Cattle are one of the oldest breeds of cattle native to the United Kingdom. Their survival as a pure breed wild cattle from ancient times has made them naturally resilient to many diseases, hardy with inherit natural grazing, foraging and mothering instincts with an extremely calm and gentle nature making them ideal for our regenerative and 100% Grass Fed Beef farming model.

Berkshire Pigs

The Berkshire pig, another rare breed is hardy, has good mothering capabilities and performs very well outdoors, especially when grazing on pasture and perfect for our regenerative farming model.  Our pigs produce darker meat than commercial pork and far more flavoursome than the pork found in your supermarket.  

Finn Sheep

Finn Sheep, originally from Finland and in Australia are considered as Endangered on the Rare Breeds Trust List.  They are predominantly used as a wool sheep. Their fleeces are lustrous, with a micron diameter of around 22-28 micron. The fleeces are in high demand for hand spinning and felting.

Regenerative farming is not a science. It is a way of life. You have to live it. We use nature to inform our farming methods. This involves an act of faith. There is an invisible army of bugs, insects, worms, bacteria and fungus that lives in the soil that transforms organic material into plant nutrients that feed the pasture that feeds the animals. We are here every day observing the climate, observing the pasture, observing the animals, watching them graze, hopefully contentedly. We look for the sheen in their coats, the demeanour and the way the animals interact with each other. You get to know when animals are happy and content. It is a holistic way of not only farming, but also of being.

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