Peachester Fresh

By Sonia Isaacs

MARK and Kayla Jones have been together for twenty years, and for the majority of that time the couple had held dreams of becoming farmers.

Surprisingly, the COVID pandemic held a silver lining for them, allowing the couple to sell their home and still remain in Peachester by purchasing land to produce locally grown quality lamb.

GC&M News spoke with the firstgeneration farmers who are embracing a new career, lifestyle and future by providing top quality lamb to the community from paddock to plate.

Can you tell us a little about yourselves and how you began farming?

We’ve lived in the area for 13 years and this is now our third year at our current property, with Mark working full time on the property and Kayla part time.

We’ve always wanted to be selfsustainable, and we did a lot of research, and learnt heaps in those first few years but we’ve still so much to learn!

We like animals, and we have sheep, pigs, and chickens, and we treat our animals just like our family. It’s important that we raise our animals ethically and that they live a good life – it forms part of our animal-raising

Can you tell us about Peachester Fresh, what type of farm it is?

We are producers of lamb. We don’t supply to wholesalers, rather we sell directly to consumers. Our supply depends on the amount of head we have, and what stage of growth they are in - so this may fluctuate depending on a number of factors. We are not producing on mass, and take great care to ensure that their growing conditions are excellent - which means the lamb is ready when it’s ready. There are a lot of rules to ensure quality within the industry, and it can be expensive to do it in the right way. We’re only a small scale production, but we produce nice, quality food for the community. We know our animals have been treated well and raised properly and that’s better overall for the environment. We began planting an orchard when we first purchased the property and we have a variety of fruit trees and rare native trees to attract beneficial pollinators to the farm. However, the orchard is still in its early stages and we’re still learning about what grows well here.

Can you tell us more about your animal raising philosophy?

In general we feel as though society has become disconnected from where their food is coming from, in a sense that not a huge amount of thought extends to where it was actually grown - rather that it simply comes from a store.

We raise our animals well, ensuring they have a full life and are not raised on artificial products. Instead we place great emphasis on soil care in our pastures. The best quality soil and grasses mean the best quality lamb.

Can you run me through a typical day?

No two days are the same and that’s what we love about it. Our biggest job is rotating stock and monitoring the animals. The size fluctuates depending on the stage of growth they’re at and we also take great consideration into the breeders we purchase from to ensure they fit within our animal raising philosophy. We reseed our pastures to ensure multi-species, lush pasture year-round - this is dependent on rainfall, temperature and season. There’s always something to do on the farm! What do you love about farming?

Again, no two days are the same! We don’t have to follow a certain structure to our day. Of course there are jobs to be done, but we have the freedom of choice in what we choose to do each day. We’re outdoors, it is hands on and we’re always learning new things.

It’s exciting being able to provide a good, quality product that we’re proud of. Where can we buy/how can we support Peachester Fresh?

We sell directly to customers, who can contact us via Facebook or email info@ peachesterfresh.com.au. We take monthly paddock to plate orders, including half and full lambs, and we can create smaller packs depending on customer’s needs. Packs are also available for collection from Reko markets. We keep our Facebook page updated regularly, with ordering and delivery dates.

Inclusive birth certificates now available

QUEENSLAND Parliament has passed the Palaszczuk Government’s new laws to modernise birth certificates to better recognise diverse Queenslanders.

Under the new laws, trans and gender diverse people will no longer be required to undergo sexual reassignment surgery to formally register a change of sex. A change of name will now also be able to be made at the same time as an alteration of sex.

For children aged under 16, the laws allow parents or guardians to apply directly to the registry where particular criteria are met, or for an application to be made through the Childrens Court.

Prior to altering a child’s record, the new laws require an assessment of the child by a developmentally informed practitioner who has an established, professional relationship with them. The Palaszczuk Government’s new legislation also provides better recognition of same-sex and gender diverse parents.

The Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath said “This historic bill belongs to those in the LGBTIQA+ community who despite facing the brunt of vitriol, discrimination and hate have chosen to stand up and fight for legal recognition,”

“I’m proud to pass these new laws that ensure every Queenslander can have their legal identity align with their lived identity, and these laws also recognise same-sex and gender diverse parents by acknowledging the undeniable reality that a child can have more than one mother and more than one father,” I want Queensland’s rainbow community to know your lives matter, your stories matter, and your struggles matter.”