On the afternoon of my first board meeting on 29 November 2019, I walked outside heading towards the Barn and Christmas party and turned around to see the huge plume of smoke rising from the headwaters of Mulloon Creek. I headed straight home and spent the next 72 days fighting fires at Jillamatong and at other properties around the Braidwood district.

Smoke rises over the headwaters of Mulloon Creek in November 2019.

MCNF’s Farm Manager at the time, Michael Fitzgerald, asked for assistance in the new year working with Cam Wilson and Sam Skeat to develop weed strategies, map out farm plans, tree planting and cattle plans. In June 2020, he took a new opportunity at a Fairfax property near Glen Innis and in July I was officially asked to be the interim General Manager at the farms. A few weeks later we had a one-in-50 year flood!

I'd like to thank the entire Mulloon team who faced challenging times with up to 30 vehicles bogged each week and chooks still needing to be fed and eggs collected. The entire Mulloon floodplain was fully rehydrated and the Mulloon and Sandhills Creeks were impassable, making it a long trip down the Kings Highway and then down Goulburn Road to get into the back of Duralla where most of the chooks were. Even the public road we usually use to drive into the farms collapsed. Hats off to the Palerang Council workers who kept going all night so that we could get our eggs out to stockists and ferry workers onto site to look after the chooks.

Bogged vehicles and soggy conditions after the August 2020 floods.

Under Roberto and Maria's leadership the entire team at MCNF have done an amazing job with everyone digging deep. This time last year we were producing 100,000 eggs per week, but this year our happy healthy chooks are rewarding us with 160,000 eggs per week. Big thanks to Harris Farm Markets and Tony Booth for continuing to receive and market most of our production.

With a bird flu outbreak in Victoria threatening to close down many egg operations we've had a massive program looking at our biosecurity procedures. We’ve also been talking with staff about what they like doing, what they want to do more of, and how they see the business could improve. This has resulted in a much more efficient operation and a plan of how to continue being a premium biodynamic, pastured raised, organic egg operation at the leading edge of the market.

We’re currently running a fantastic weed control project trialling different ways to treat serrated tussock, including over fertilising them. When you’re next driving to the Barn you may notice orange tussocks. These have been over fertilised not poisoned, with grass and clover growing up through them.

Our ongoing use of Biodynamics preparations continues to dramatically improve soil health. We are engaging Biodynamics expert Hamish McKay to run workshops for staff and ‘friend of Mulloon’. He is also training up MCNF employees Juan and Faith to be the Biodynamics team leaders. So far, they have made over 600 kg of Biodynamic preparations, enough to fertilise the entire Mulloon Rehydration Initiative. Juan and Faith are also in charge of the new recycling compost structures.

We have started sowing multi-species planting (over 20 species) to further build our soil and plant biodiversity and the chooks love the extra choice of plants to feed on. We look forward to seeing them seeing them jumping up to eat the sunflower seeds.

The installation of a number of leaky weir structures along Mulloon Creek as part of the Mulloon Rehydration Initiative is helping to rehydrate the old ‘Long Swamp’ and allowing us to grow grass all summer for the chooks.

Human resources has taken up a lot of our energies in the last twelve months and I'd like to especially thank Carolyn and Raymon for assisting and our new human resources manager Alison.

Other major projects during the year included: renovating Duralla homestead; staff volunteers helping to plant 200 shade trees; treating serrated tussock along the entire Home Farm road; digging a new gravel pit; designing new cattle yards; and designing a new Biosecurity shed.

Martin Royds (right) pictured with TMI’s Chairman Gary Nairn AO.

While taking on over 50 staff in three fields (production, research and construction) and 40,000 chooks was not how I intended 2020 to turn out, I've had a thoroughly enjoyable experience and feel it is set for continued success under the incoming General Manager Jim Steele.

Thanks to my dedicated staff back home who made it possible for me to undertake this role.

Martin Royds, Interim Farm Manager