Week Three - Tread Softly
Yallamundi Farm
Find out how this certified organic egg enterprise is navigating the road to carbon positivity.
Imagine a farm nestled at the end of an unassuming dirt road in Queensland’s Darling Downs. It’s a place that’s looked after by third-generation family farmers who have been part of the community for more than 60 years. Welcome to Yallamundi Farm. A special piece of land where pasture-raised, organic hens roam and forage in the shade of thousands of olive trees.
The eggs these hens lay are still collected by hand from solar-powered sheds which could seem like a contradiction: it’s good old-fashioned care, combined with the latest technology. And that’s the Yallamundi way. In everything they do, they try to take the best of the old and the new, with the goal of making a positive impact on farming culture, the environment and the community.
The Yallamundi Way
At Yallamundi Farm, sustainability is at the heart of everything they have built. The pasture is arranged around a huge dam – rumoured to be an ancient meteor crater – that provides abundant water for the pasture. And, from the moment the first hens moved into their high-tech sheds, there was one goal for these farmers: to deliver Australia’s first carbon neutral egg to Aussie tables.
They reached that goal – ahead of schedule – in 2021 and were certified carbon neutral by Climate Active Australia. But they aren’t stopping there. Their goal is to reach carbon positivity by 2027. That means this egg farm will be sequestering more carbon into the soil than it produces.
So how will they do it?
A lot of time, effort and planning goes into achieving something as difficult and complex as carbon neutral status, let alone carbon positivity. There are audits, bureaucracy and expert consultations. And there’s also a lot to do on the land itself.
Yallamundi Farm already has more than 100 kilowatts of solar panels powering everything from the mobile sheds to the cool room where the eggs are stored after collection. They have completed an extensive tree-planting program. In fact, 30% of the farm is set aside for wildlife corridors which allow native animals and plants to co-exist with the hens.
They already grow much of the feed needed for the farm themselves and source locally wherever possible to reduce food miles at every stage. They use the hen’s nutrient rich manure to fertilise the soil and the mobile sheds that the hens roost in are frequently moved. This is another way that old and new are coming together. Traditional farming methods often used rotational grazing to allow the land to regenerate. In the same way, the hens at Yallamundi hitch a ride on board their mobile sheds and are taken to fresh pasture on a regular basis. This gives them new and enriching environments to explore, while allowing the land to regenerate.
With so much already achieved, you might think the farmers at Yallamundi have earned a break and a cuppa, but that’s not how they do things around here. To reach their ambitious 2027 target for carbon positivity, they need to get cracking. An extensive tree-planting operation is in the works, with thousands of mixed-species natives to be nurtured in the coming years. This will form the backbone of their push to increase the carbon sequestration of the farm and achieve a carbon positive certification.
It’s not just about eggs
On top of their environmental achievements, Yallamundi is also committed to social responsibility. They proudly donate a portion of their sales to the Doug Hall Foundation – a charity that supports many youth-focused educational initiatives Australia-wide. The DHF has done everything from supporting individual kids via scholarships to sponsoring amazing groups like the Young Indigenous Basketball Association. In the first half of 2024 alone, the DHF has helped 105 young people across 31 schools and 8 tertiary institutions!
Yallamundi Farm is a testament to what can be achieved when a passion for sustainability and innovation comes together. The way the farmers here combine the best traditional practices with cutting edge technology is inspiring. Their farm shows that if you have the vision and the will, it’s possible to achieve incredible things. They’re certainly doing their part to create a better, fairer, more sustainable world.
So, the next time you’re shopping for eggs, remember that the Yallamundi way isn’t just about quality and taste— it’s about making a difference…one delicious, carbon-neutral egg at a time. And your choice to pop a carton of Yallamundi Organics into your trolley can help farmers like these create positive change in the world we all share.
