Jillian’s farm is in the rolling hills of Buln Buln in West Gippsland. We recently caught up with her for a tour of her farm and a conversation that spanned everything from growing grass to raising kids and even how far an Alpaca can spit.
Jillian’s story has many elements, but we thought we would start by telling you about her commitment to the welfare of her animals.
When we arrived, she still had a lot of young lambs running around as she times their birth for the warmer Spring months giving them a better chance of survival and a far less stressful birth for the ewes. She has a house paddock that can be monitored all day and night with secure shelter and plenty of long grass. Jillian talked about the stress-free life she maintains for the lambs from birth to death. They are transported in familiar trailers in a small group, and she works with Radfords abattoir who have an exceptional reputation in the industry.
Jillian believes that happy, stress free animals is not only ethical but produces a much higher quality and higher yield. Her lambs are often significantly healthier and heavier, than others.
Jillian uses regenerative farming techniques: a way of farming that focuses on conservation, rehabilitation, and restoration. This requires a deep knowledge of every pocket of the farm, paying attention to important cues from the soil, the bugs and the grasses and weeds that grow. As we walked the farm, it was immediately obvious that the grass was lush and healthy, and the sheep and lambs were chubby and very friendly. They have access to lots of shade, fresh water and they are kept safe by Jillian, Zoe the Kelpie and their two Alpacas: Grumpy and Fernando.
One of the things she said that really stuck with us was on the topic regenerative farming and how it required attention to details that cannot be seen by zipping around on a quad bike.
“Slow down, go for a walk and enjoy the grass” she said. You can see by these photos just how enjoyable that must be. We will bring you more of Jillian and her farm in weeks to come.
