Mulloon Creek Natural Farms (MCNF) welcomes our new Farm General Manager, Tom Redfern. This is a change of direction for Tom, after working in cotton and broadacre dryland farming. Tom, his wife Bec and three children moved into Guilfoyle House in January 2026.
Tom has strong alignment with Mulloon Institute’s regenerative agriculture mission, proven farm management capability, and the leadership qualities required for this critical role. His most recent roles are as General Manager of Operations at Faulkner Farming and General Manager of Bellevue Pastoral Company.
Previous experience as a biological agronomist and managing a 400ha avocado farm adds to Tom’s experience. He is also technically well qualified, with a Bachelor of Farm Business and a Master of Sustainable Agriculture from the University of Sydney.
“It is great to be working with livestock again and with like-minded individuals who are keen on regenerative agricultural practices”, says Tom.
Mulloon Creek Natural Farms has seen several changes in staff and direction in the past few months, and we’re working on transitioning into a more stable and local workforce.
Tom’s approach is to develop control systems for information in an open forum management style.
Tom notes that the region has experienced its driest period in some time, with Jan-Feb receiving around one-third of the average rainfall. The floodplain paddocks are demonstrating the benefits of landscape rehydration works along Mulloon Creek, with pasture stable at the moment.
The cattle enterprise is about to enter a new phase with Halter virtual fences being implemented across the Farms. This is a very exciting new development that we hope will improve grazing management and hence landscape function. We are not ready to throw away the pliers yet, but virtual fencing could be a game-changer.
Pictured at top: Halter collars going on the cattle.
Pictured right: Isobel with gorgeous new chicks as part of our egg operation.
The poultry enterprise is seeing the standard challenges we all face in agriculture: production challenges, weather and the like. Nevertheless, the team are optimistic we are managing those issues as best we can. Drawing on some significant external advice to boost the capacity of the team and support the continued production of the renowned Mulloon eggs.
MCNF is working with local charities such as Braidwood Life Centre and St Benedict’s (Queanbeyan) to support people doing it tough. Donations of eggs have also been given to Braidwood Central School and St Bedes Catholic Primary School to go towards their breakfast cooking at the Braidwood show and the cooking classes in school. Building relationships with the local community continues to be a focus for Tom and his team.
With the Mulloon Farms being used for education and training, we are also excited to be able to teach the next generation of regenerative farm managers.
Mulloon Institute’s STREAM team are also working on the Farms, measuring the changes in grazing practices as well as the impacts of the landscape rehydration works. This information all contributes to the process of developing a farm management plan that will guide the development and production systems on our farms over the coming years.
Pictured right: Dry ridges on the Farms
