Case Study: Enviroganic Farm, NSW

Sonya Dowling is a fully trained nurse who chose to leave that career behind. In 1999, after becoming disillusioned with ‘conventional’ farming and wanting to work together as a team, she and her husband Angus established ‘Enviroganic Farm’, producing organic chickens on 1000 acres at Murringo, 30 kilometres from Young. They chose organic chickens because of the growing organic meat market and this type of agriculture didn’t require huge tracts of land. Starting out with just 50 chickens per week their business has expanded to the capacity of supplying 4400 chickens a week. Sonya and Angus also have a growing family of four children under the age of seven.

What gave you the motivation/inspiration to follow your dream?

We had an opportunity to explore something for ourselves when Angus’s father handed over the reins of the farm. I was constantly concerned about the adverse impact of chemicals on the environment and on health, and after extensive market research we discovered a large demand for organic chickens, but there were very few providers. Enviroganic Farm fits with our vision and values. We started with very little knowledge. I arrived home with half our first batch of 20 day-old chicks dead because we hadn’t known how to manage the temperature. We started small with a makeshift tent for brooding. This was later replaced by a corrugated iron shed but again we struggled to keep the temperature stable and often in the morning we’d find chicks unconscious or dead. The shed hosted 150 chickens which allowed a kill of 50 a week. We would hire a small processing plant. Angus did the killing while I eviscerated and packed. It was really hard work, although starting from scratch meant we now understand all aspects of our production.

Currently we have eight custom-made state-of-the-art poultry sheds and produce 3200 chickens a week. We employ part-time and full-time staff. I manage the marketing and distribution and Angus oversees the production. We moved the office from the house a couple of years ago so we could ensure we have a family life as well. Our main markets are Sydney and Melbourne, although we do have distributors in other states.

'Organic' is a term that is often misunderstood and use loosely. Many people think ‘free range’ or ‘chemical free’ means ‘organic’, but it doesn’t. Only ‘certified organic’ goods are bona fide. Our certified organic chickens are fed certified organic grain and have free access in and out of the shed onto our certified organic pastures. As well as the compulsory annual audit, we can be audited without notice at any time to ensure we meet the high certification standards.

At what point did you realise that your dream was actually possible and what was it that made you think you could really do it?

Our greatest achievement was when we personally delivered our first 50 birds to Canberra in a hired refrigerated van. We were so proud despite the fact it should have taken us two hours to process them and it took all day! We still sell to that first client, who now takes 600 chickens a week.

When you were a child, what did you want to ‘be’ when you grew up?

I grew up on a thoroughbred stud near Armidale in the New England area and have always loved the land. I used to dress up as a nurse and that was one of my ambitions. I spent two years in Sydney before moving to Orange to complete my schooling. As an adult I realised horses had to remain a hobby and, after nursing for a couple of years, I realised my heart wasn’t in it and I wanted to do something with agriculture. While I was at boarding school I fleetingly met Angus, who was a Boarding Master there. Nine years passed before we bumped into each other in a pub in Sydney and we became engaged five months later.

How did your childhood influence you in later life?

I chose to study nursing as I wanted to work in the bush and thought it was something I could fall back on. I was brought up with good country values such as a strong work ethic, and my parents always worked well as a team. Even though they are now divorced they are still good friends.

Who are your role models?

Apart from my husband Angus, I always find it refreshing and inspiring to read about people who do things for humanity like Fred Hollows and Victor Chang.

What does success mean to you?

Starting up our organic business from scratch hasn’t been easy and there was opposition locally from neighbours and from some of our family, which we’ve had to manage. We have four small children and want to feel financially secure but happiness and reaching our goals for the business, humanity and the environment are also big motivators. There have been plenty of times when we have doubted what we are doing. However, we appreciate the control of our own destiny and not having to answer to anyone. It is also very satisfying to know that our trade name is held in high regard within the organic industry as a provider of a product of consistent high quality and an excellent personalised service.

What has been one of the biggest barriers you have had to face, what happened, and how did you overcome it?

It has been a roller-coaster ride. One of the biggest hurdles has been the drought. Sourcing certified organic grain in the good years is hard, but with the drought it is a double whammy and costs have doubled in the last 12 months. Fortunately we have developed some good networks which supply us. Processing can also present challenges if the birds aren’t packed and presented to our high standard. Because our chickens are processed in Sydney, it can be difficult to monitor that part of our production, so we have had to employ someone to hand-check every bird before it is sent out. Logistics is another problem area. We had someone once who didn’t read the docket properly and an order of frozen chickens was sent to Canberra instead of Perth. The unfrozen chickens arrived in Perth after a few days on a truck, very green and smelly! We constantly need to follow up and we never assume anything. My nursing background really taught me how to be organised, document everything and be extremely thorough.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time? What is your vision for the future?

By the end of 2008 we hope to have doubled our production. The demand for organic meat is incredible and even with the drought, demand continues to grow. In 10 years we’d like Enviroganic Farm to hold the major market share in all states, with efficient high-quality production systems. We also hope to export. Our chickens are currently processed in Sydney, so ultimately we’d love to build a local abattoir with a boning and packing room to streamline our business and explore other potential organic meats.

Source: Rural Women’s Network