THE SOUTHERN
Part of the Farmer Group Rural Newspapers Covering Victoria Published since 1986
JUNE, 2018
MACHINERY BUYING GUIDE PAGES 12-17
SHEEP AND WOOL SHOW PREVIEW
PAGES 22-24
www.farmernews.com.au
HFF CONFERENCE AND TRADE SHOW
PAGES 26-27
Hard work equals success for LamBacon entrepreneur AS far as she is aware, Toni Barton is the first person in Australia - and most probably the world - to produce lamb bacon. Made using belly flaps, the meat is cured, smoked, packaged and eaten – just the same as a traditional piece of bacon. The difference, however, is that lamb bacon contains no pork – and therein lies the success of Toni’s whirlwind rise to the top of agricultural entrepreneurs. Now, Toni is at the tip of a potential $2 million iceberg, with her product, LamBacon, recently contracted to supply 1500 supermarkets nationwide. It has been a whirlwind ride, especially considering that five years ago Toni was like every other urbanite; raised on a dairy farm, she swore the rural life was not for her. High heels, executive meetings and leadership were part of everyday working in financial services in Manhattan. Now, Toni is more comfortable in work stained jeans and RM Williams. “I was on Wall Street when the Global Financial Crisis hit,” she said. “I saw a lot of things that made me question my sense of purpose. “Ultimately, I was working for a company that contributed to people’s loss – I didn’t want to do that anymore, I wanted to be a part of something I was proud of.” Returning to Australia, Toni sought solace in the great outdoors, deciding that a few acres were exactly what was in order. “I wanted to buy five acres; I wanted a patch of land to grow veggies and live that wholesome kind of life people talk about,” she said. Instead, her eye was caught by 200 hectares in Nulla Vale, just outside of Lancefield. “I loved it - but I thought if I’m
DETERMINED TO HELP:
Sallie Jones is determined to do her bit for Victorian dairy farmers. Not only is Sallie half of the brains behind Gippsland Jersey, she is also helping to break down the stigma around mental health by donating milk profits to a special fund, and also releasing a calendar in her father’s memory. Sallie is pictured with the other half of Gippsland Jersey, dairy farmer Steve Ronalds. For the full story, turn to page 4 of the Southern Farmer.
Trust only Bondioli & Pavesi and Bima for
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“The complete agricultural driveline solution”
BY RHYLL McCORMACK rmccormack@ nemedia.com.au
People want to know where their food comes from, what the story is behind it – there are a lot of consumers who want to know their farmer, but not a lot of farmers who want to know their consumer. - TONI BARTON going to quit my job, I need to be doing something that makes it viable – so I bought 40 Australian White ewes – the Wagyu of sheep - and took the plunge.” Although she jokes about knowing nothing about sheep in the beginning, Toni has always known that for any farm to survive, it takes work. Watching her mother and father rise for milking at 4am each day taught her more than how to make a good cup of coffee – it taught her perseverance is best matched with knowledge. So Toni threw herself into her business, For the love of Lamb. She spent years learning about healthy soils, rotational grazing and animal husbandry. She spent months working in a butcher’s room, learning how to process and pack a carcass.
Continued page 3
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