Coffs Harbour cracking venture for Troy Blackman

Lush, rolling countryside kept green with an annual rainfall of 2000mm (80 ins) a year.

Troy Blackman, 28, had long dreamed of owning such a business “a long way down the track” but in the space of just five years he has acquired three properties - “Waterfall”, “Two Rivers” and “Oakleigh” - at Upper Orara covering a total 243ha.

He came from a conventional farming background at Horsham, in Victoria’s Wimmera, and while he was a big fan of organic production methods he wasn’t an “airy-fairy hippy”.

The mainstays of his organic business are a herd of 145 stud Charolais females and 1350 laying hens and both groups spend their lives eating grass on Mr Blackman’s  paddocks.

First, the cattle in small mobs are rotated around the paddocks eating down the grass followed by the free-range laying hens which are housed in three portable chicken coops (caravans)

The caravans each hold 450 hens which are free to roam as they wish, protected from predators by electric fencing.

They lay their eggs in the caravans which are moved to a fresh paddock every week.

The eggs are sorted and packed on farm for sale.

As well as selling stud Charolais bulls Mr Blackman also processes two animals each week (weighing around 500kg) at Casino abattoir and has the bodies cut into meal-ready portions, sausages and other products by a local butcher.

Charolais cattle were chosen because of their ability to fatten on pastures and Mr Blackman uses Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) when selecting new sires to keep raising the fertility, growth rates and performance of his Orara Waterfall stud herd.   

Both the organic beef and eggs are marketed under Mr Blackman’s Waterfall Produce brand direct to consumers as well as to local restaurants, cafes and stores. He also regularly attends three regional farmers’ markets.

Mr Blackman is looking to expand beef sales into Brisbane and Sydney.

A dozen 700g eggs sell online for $7.50 while the beef cuts range in price up to $27.60 for a 600g portion of scotch fillet. A 900g pack of sausages costs $13.68.

Mr Blackman holds open days every month to give people a chance to visit the farm, see for themselves how the animals are treated and ask questions.

“Transparency is a big part of what we do here,” he said.

Social media is also harnessed to promote Waterfall Produce and engage with public.

His partner, Hannah Newnham, is now doing a chef’s apprenticeship with the aim of opening an on-farm commercial kitchen to become a truly paddock to plate business.

The area’s picturesque and tranquil countryside is a drawcard for tourists.    

“We take a biodynamic approach to farming. We rotate the paddocks between chickens, cattle and fallow times for best practice soil health,” Mr Blackman said.

“When we made the move to the north coast I developed a mission statement using biodynamic and organic principles. This is still in place today and all decisions go through this as a filter.

“This biodynamic approach to compost and soil management allows for high microbial pastures and strong biodiversity.

“t’s a triple bottom line approach. The cattle and chickens are happier, the produce is of excellent quality and the health of the farm is improved.

“We use flowform (infinity loop) based systems to brew compost teas that are spread on the pasture, as well as making our own compost from waste of our beef production, chickens and debris from the farms. This is then spread back on the pasture once composted.”

Drones are used for checking livestock, mapping land and pasture and also photography and videography for promotional wok.

“My vision of the future of the industry is responding consumers as their provenance demands increase.

“We are always evolving and becoming more sustainable as finances and technology permits.

“We host school groups and have public open days on the farm. Being transparent with consumers as to production methods and how food is grown is the key to the future,” he said.

The Farmer of the Year will be announced at the NSW Farm Writers Christmas lunch on December 11.