Chris Eggert nominated for Australian Organic Farmer of the Year

Chris’s farm which he runs with his wife and parents is situated just outside of Wauchope on the mid north coast of NSW. They produce organic milk, eggs, beef and compost.

The family have been farming here for four generations. Chris and his wife, Ann, have three sons, Lachie, Jimmy and Billy, who are keen to become the fifth generation on the farm.

Crop rotation, time control grazing and application of various inputs to create healthy soils, cows and chickens are the main driving forces behind the production of our organic products.

They milk approximately 180 to 200 cows of mixed breeds, producing 1.3 million litres of milk a year. In 2010, they started a new enterprise of organic pasture ranged egg production and now have approximately 2,500 chickens.

They are selling the beef direct which has been processed at a local abattoir and butcher.

The major focus of the farm’s operations is on recycling nutrients and improving the soil.  

Instead of hosing down the yard every day, they put down hay to collect the cow manure and then turn this into compost to fertilise the farm, saving lots of water and turning a problem waste into an invaluable resource.

This means they can minimise external inputs and also minimise wastage of on-farm nutrients.

Chris said he was bit embarrassed to be nominated for Australian Organic Farmer of the Year, although he’s very pleased.

“I didn’t expect to make the final,” he said.

“There are a lot of really good farmers out there.  We have been organic for 18 years, and I just think it’s a great way to farm.

“It’s different from what we were taught when we were growing up.  You learn from other farmers, it’s good for the environment and makes us a healthier society by producing really good-quality food, not laden with chemicals,” said Chris.

“It improves the soils, the waterways and the air quality.  It’s not always easy to get it right but it can be done.  I think it’s the way of the future.  We supply milk to Norco and they have been to the farm and now we’ve been nominated,” he added.

The Australian organic industry is generating a huge amount of interest at the moment, particularly due to a massive $30million organic initiative from Woolworths. 

A 20% increase in demand for organic fruit and vegetables has prompted Woolworths to announce a new $30 million fund to help farmers improve the quality, range and volume of organic products.

The Woolworths Organic Growth Fund will offer grants and interest-free loans over the next five years to Australian organic fruit and vegetable growers looking to expand their operations or join the burgeoning organic industry.

Recently certain products have been under the spotlight for fraudulently claiming they are “organic”.  Australian Organic’s bud logo stamp of CertifiedOrganic is the one they can trust, as it is industry-monitored.

Organic products, which are thought to have higher nutritional value and lack of preservatives, are incredibly popular in Australia, with demand growing consistently year on year. The 2018 Market Report compiled by Australian Organic reveals that the nation’s organic industry is worth a massive $2.4billion.

The total value of exports is now in excess of $700 million per annum with exports growing more than 15 per cent annually (compound growth rate).