Why Certified Organic?
In Australia, anyone can claim their product is organic; a certifying logo is your proof that the product you are buying has integrity and meets high organic standards (it not only talks the talk but walks the walk).
To be labelled Certified Organic the farmer and land is audited annually to ensure compliance to the organic certification.
Being Certified Organic means that your food is chemical free. Being farmed without chemicals means that organic farming (by default) is better for the environment than most conventional farming practices.
However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is farmed in the most environmentally friendly way. For example, some organic operations rely heavily on the plough to control weeds which can release carbon into the atmosphere and reduce water holding capacity which contributes towards global warming and species diversity decline.
That is why we believe that you need to be both Certified Organic and Certified Regenerative to provide truly sustainable farming.


Why Certified Regenerative?
Like the term organic, the term ‘regenerative’ can be used by anyone.
We choose Southern Cross Certified Regenerative Certification because it is a results-based certification. Regenerative certification is achieved by the results of soil tests taken every year demonstrating a minimum soil carbon value, an increase in soil organic carbon or no reduction in soil organic carbon and minimum bacteria/fungi ratios in the soil.
Whilst the term regenerative means that farming practices impact positively on the climate and on species diversity, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the produce is free from chemicals. Farming operations following only regenerative principles are able to rely on herbicides to control weeds meaning that their produce is not necessarily chemical free.
That’s why we value being both Certified Organic and Certified Regenerative to achieve truly sustainable
Animal Welfare
Both native and domestic animal welfare is of the up most importance to us. We spend a lot of time with our animals and they become very familiar like family. We treat them with care and respect.
Our animal welfare starts with prevention…
We are a closed herd, meaning that we do not buy in other cattle. We raise all our own cattle other than purchasing carefully vetted bulls to ensure sufficient genetic diversity and health. Our dairy breeding program uses sexed semen which ensures that there are no unwanted bobby calves (male dairy calves).
We are also trying to use polled (hornless) genetics to remove the need to debud calves. However, this takes time and any calves that require to be debudded in the meantime are done by our vet using a general anaesthetic making it as stress free and humane as possible.
Many people think that because we are organic it means that we will not use antibiotics and as a consequence our cattle can suffer. This could not be further from the truth.
Initially, we try to manage the cause of sickness by prevention. Ensuring we have the best possible diverse genetics and providing a quality diverse diet, consequently we actually have very little sickness in our animals.
However, if an animal is sick, we will treat them with homeopathic (organic approved) natural medicines first. If this does not work then we will (under the advice of our vet) treat the animal with antibiotics. The animal treated with antibiotics is placed in a quarantine paddock for a minimum of three weeks. The animal in question is then not allowed to be sold in our organic system and is sold into the conventional system.

Integrity, Traceability and Accessibility
We believe in Integrity by actually doing what we say we are doing (Walking the walk). One of the main ways you can be assured that we are doing this is through our Organic and Regenerative Certification.
Please follow the link below to our current Certification Certificates:
Organic & Regenerative Certification
Our cattle are fully traceable. We are a closed herd, meaning that we do not buy in other cattle, we raise all our own cattle from birth (other than purchasing bulls). This means that we have full control and traceability of where and how our cattle have been raised.
The Proof is in the Pudding…
There is no better proof then seeing how your food is raised first hand. We what to provide open and accessible relationship between you, the consumer, and where your food is produced. We welcome you to have a look for yourself.
If you wish to visit our farm, please contact us to arrange a suitable time.
Other activities
Conservation: In addition to our own planting activities, we are very pleased to sponsor our local Landcare Group. The sponsorship is to provide 100 trees a year to be planted by groups of school age children. The location and the groups planting these trees is at the discretion of the local Landcare group.
www.mountrolandlandcare.org.au
Education: We have had the pleasure of being part of the Farmer Time program. This program links schools (many inner city) with farmers so the children can see, learn and ask questions about where and how food and fibre is grown.
farmertime.com.au