Suncroft Boer Goats & Free Range Eggs. | Agriculture

Suncroft Boer Goats & Free Range Eggs.

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25.01.2022 An example of the delicious offerings of Absolute Cravings... using some of our eggs! Seriously, how delicious does this burger look!? Today is a pretty exciting day for them too... they're reopening their cafe! It's a truely amazing space, relaxing atmosphere and the best part is Giina and her team are always so welcoming and warm. - Sarah.

24.01.2022 Well.. we’ve been doing some night work this week. This photo could go either way but it’s been that cold that getting out of bed early enough to catch the sunrise hasn’t been high on my priority list! When we’re doing work that involves getting hands on with the ladies, health work, bigger trailer moves etc it’s always best and the least stressful on the hens to do so at night when they’ve gone in to roost. They’re settled, easy to pick up and it’s generally quicker and simp...ler for us too. This week we’ve had some late evenings and long days... in single digit temps which wasn’t too fun Markets tomorrow. Eggs, chevon, limes and mandarins. website will be able to take orders again this arvo (collecting goat meat this morning!) - Sarah.

24.01.2022 Thank you!! One side of the sign has been beautifully drawn up. Loving it! One down, one to go... what will the other side look like I wonder?

23.01.2022 Sorry it’s been a fair while. All hands on deck with some late nights and lack of oamph. Photos below all have captions.. all from this last couple of weeks. Enjoy! Can’t half tell I’m feeling it sorry but feeling the exhaustion from getting the jobs knocked off. Progress is happening! Markets tomorrow with the usual chevon, limes, eggs and mandarins.. cleaning out the storage freezers to bring everything in tomorrow. - Sarah.

21.01.2022 Morning! Back at cotters this weekend. Limited eggs whilst the new flocks start to lay. Final weeks of goat meat. ... Keeping on a roll with a weekly update... We’re back at Cotters Markets again with a very limited supply of eggs including trays and trays of medium/pullets (2.5 doz per tray). They’ll size up to 600’s soon! Just a patience game till then. I’ve been told by numerous sources that the smaller eggs have more yolk to white.. I could google but why do that when we can get our hands dirty!? Regarding goat meat.. the upcoming weeks will be the final ones that we will have it available. Without going into explanations just now.. when our license expires at years end (or we sell out and the freezers are empty) that is it for us in selling goat meat. Sarah.

20.01.2022 Guardian Marcus has come to inspect today’s two new editions to the farm.

18.01.2022 Here at Cotters markets all set up and ready to go... pop in and say hi as I’m back on the stall today . - Sarah.

18.01.2022 Now that we’re in, set up and ticking along I can update for what we have today today. Eggs aplenty I hope... mainly smaller 600’s as we introduce new flocks.. best value in 2 for $10 or a tray of 2.5 dozen! Larger eggs are going out quickly.. Goat meat is limited to a few mainly bone in cuts, no dice today. We anticipate restocking the goat meat Sunday 30th of August (Sunday week). ... We will update this page when we have it in our freezers! Otherwise no limes or mandarins until further notice.

16.01.2022 Stickering on labels today ready for tomorrow just now. Much about what we do is required by law. Storage and transport temperatures, collections, records (everything imaginable) all the way down to our unique egg ID stamp on each egg.. all are requirements by Safe Food Qld under our license. Essentially is a form of quality assurance that we are collecting, handling, storing and packing the eggs in a safe and proven manner.. so every time you see the printed ‘fun’ on each egg... think of us two (or maybe more!?) years ago having the discussion where Nathan was adamant of ‘how awesome would it be for people and kids to pull the eggs out the carton and see the word fun stamped on them??’ With me reluctantly agreeing at the time wondering what I was in for .

16.01.2022 Grading equipment has been moved! We’re extending our production line for a number of reasons... mainly time. That one massive limiting factor on a farm. This is our exisiting set up, just manoeuvred into another part of the egg cottage.. put back together enough to allow me to spend the arvo candling, stamping, grading and packing them up ready for Cotters markets tomorrow! Just a quick heads up.. I won’t be there myself, but my amazing brother-in-laws will be there covering for us.. bit of a job ahead but Mark’s an expert hand at it.. and Adrian is one damn fine cook so for any suggestions, advice or inspiration on all things eggs, limes, citrus and goat meat.. here’s your chance! - Sarah.

15.01.2022 Better late than never yes? Tomorrow is the local goat club agm.. it’s a brilliant little club with some wonderful, very knowledgeable people amongst it. I know, why join and get involved in a club in this age when we have social media at our fingertips constantly, the internet one click away and goodness only knows what else that I don’t know about! A good question!... A local club represents just that, locals - local interest, local knowledge and local support. Want to learn what others are doing? Get involved. Want to learn about the local area and how goats are kept, managed and what they’re marketed for? Again, a local club is a great place to start. I agree times have changed and they’re not what they once were, but to be able to step away from the norm for a few hours and just simply interact with like minded people is a real joy in this day and age... too often the interaction with people gets limited to involving technology and the simple pleasure of sitting, chilling and discussing all the crazy things goats do is something not to be dismissed. The more involved the more it can cater to what it’s members want to learn and see.. who knows what could happen? If you’re interested in learning more - give the contact below a bell.. wouldn’t try the email this late! Anyhow - I’m back off to work prepping for Sunday markets! Happy evening everyone x - Sarah.

14.01.2022 Goat meat... only good for curry you ask? Certainly not is the answer! Most especially when cooking with prime farmed meat. A fellow producer decided to think outside the square and use slow cooked goat meat for some home made sushi rolls.. darn thankful for the invite because it’s not something that I would have thought to do and I can confirm they were delicious! To top off the delightful chevon goat sushi rolls were oven baked vegetables and locally made goat milk feta f...rom Ebuta Goat Dairy. - Sarah.

11.01.2022 The sign says it all... anyone want to have a go at drawing some chickens, eggs or creative writing?

11.01.2022 So with the 'offical' pinned post up.. now I can get into the more chatty one! Things have been quiet on here I know.. we've had a lot going on as usual. Coming to the pointier end of making some decisions.. which I'll update on as we going along these next few weeks. I guess a more exciting (undesired!!) event on the farm is the arrival of 7 little squirmy puppies... Yes, they're super cute! Yes, they're promising to be a lot of fun - read that as work and worries once the...y're up and about I say undesired as we're looking at reducing goat numbers which means, we're unable to justify keeping any of these munchkins. This wasn't a planned, wanted litter. The mother, Honey, has brought to our attention how adept she is at manoeuvring/contorting herself through fences and boundaries that keep everything else in check! She arrived late one evening around at out place where the males are.. always kept on seperate properties which failed this time. Sad thing is that the boys were earmarked to go in for the 'snip' very soon, but alas not soon enough apparently. So for the next 8-10 weeks we have an extra 7 mouths to feed... and homes to find for 6 at this stage. Expressions of interest welcomed with preference given to working homes as guardians for goats, sheep, small acerage farms etc. They will be kept near/with the mob here up until weaning where they will either then be available for their new homes OR will get their own 'mini' herd of goats to start cementing in the bonding of them to our goats until they find a suitable home with goats. Maremmas are a special breed of dog.. they can be the most amazing guardians in a herd/paddock situation, as well as also I've seen some become amazing guardians to the entire family on small acreage with a myriad of animals. Either way, what is most important with this breed is TIME.. the time to introduce, guide, monitor and encourage into the various situations that they can successfully be incorporated into. All I know is that they'll start opening their eyes up in the next week or so.. and then the work will start! The handling, monitoring and keeping track of them! Feel free to share if you know of anyone looking to add a Maremma to their family or operation.. 4 males, 2 females available. Mother (Honey) is a silent shadow.. very quiet and dedicated to her job, incredibly sweet in nature, hence the name. She isn't a barker generally (the other 2 females we have are though ). Father is either of 2 males... southern lines, with one of italian import which sounds impressive I know.. whats most important is that both work well and dedicatedly to their herd as well. Both have wonderful natures.. always up for a talk and a pat. We always put a lot of time into our dogs as youngsters.. handling them daily (as these pups will be too!) in the environment we wanted them to work in - down the paddock with the goats. - Sarah.

10.01.2022 That moment when for once I was all packed up for markets before dark, ready to head home without the need of headlights and the realisation hit home that the transport we use (an uncle!) has arrived to unload.. ok no worries.. it’ll just go into the big storage shed tonight and I’ll deal with it all come Monday right? Haha not quite! All the feed had taken up the spare space in the shed... and the shed here is like many a farm shed - full of incredibly valuable items that a...re too important to throw/sell/giveaway that you just might need one day .. not to also mention the two currently not running utes (2 will make one apparently one day?) and a spare engine!? ANYWAYS so with a quick discussion, 3 vehicles (all in running order might I thankfully mention) were moved and verandah fixtures were consequently shuffled around to fit all four pallets of packaging under the house. Improvisation on a farm is something not to be underestimated! See more

05.01.2022 Cotters Markets this fine morning! Always colder on the inland side of Mt Elliot with a cool 11 degrees when loading up.. needless to say the heater is on in the car!

04.01.2022 Thank you everyone for your support last weekend. Missed seeing some of the familiar faces but the farm had me busy and hands full... thank you to my brother-in-laws for covering for me! As much as I coped endless teasing upon return to collect the stall contents for my ‘day off’ . I ended up spending most of the day on fences.. then moving chooks. Our days are most definitely not like that normally! In the end we clocked up a 22 hr work day . Very much NOT the normal but ...it’s what ended up happening.. not something I want to do again anytime soon either.. but the jobs had to be done so there it is. On a more enjoyable note - the paddocks are holding well with the exception of a couple that have been over grazed.. it’s a case of step by step as we keep making changes and improving equipment and set up to assist with rotations. The goats are loving them as you can see. Another hectic week ahead but we’re coming up to down time next week thankfully. - Sarah.

04.01.2022 Following up from the other evening when moving Shiny. A video as I was manoeuvring it down past the goat yards (and didn’t hit anything either!) It’s dark.. and noisy and my phone died not long after in true to type form for me. There was some talking in there I promise... All I can tell myself is that we all have to start somewhere and it can only be up on my video taking skills from here! ... Work hours have been long this week so I’m hoping to find some more oomph and energy once I get a break to get up some better photos later this week.

03.01.2022 And be there we will! At weeks end and glad to be just quietly.. the good news is that goat meat is FULLY restocked! We’re stoked to say that there’ll be plenty of dice and roasting cuts available come Sunday morning, along with plenty of eggs too. It’s promising to be a good morning out and about. - Sarah.

02.01.2022 Pretty lovely photo yes? Grass, dog, blue sky and water. It is.. I’m grateful for the grass.. for being able to be out doors and enjoying the sun. Doubtless you’re often wondering why I’m always on fences and moving goats? I can’t remember if I’ve explained or not in the past, but nonetheless I’ll do so again now. We’re located in the tropics, so seasonal rain (generally!) and warmth. It makes parasites a huge issue, hence the end goal to keep moving them on a weekly basis. ...Another huge driving factor, and the main reason of fencing is a soil bacteria, Melioidosis. Melio’ loves goats sadly.. there’s no preventative vaccine with confirmation only via blood test.. no treatment, no preventative other than management. It does not in any way affect our end consumable products.. the impact is in the loss of animals. They can contract it via open wounds through contact with mud or water or as we appear to be experiencing, ingestion through drinking from puddles - no matter if we have fresh drinking water on hand.. they still gravitate to water bodies on surfaces. This dam here may have the bacteria in it.. that one over there may not.. it can be that patchy from what I’ve been told. They can ingest and have cysts that remain and don’t affect them until trauma or stress and then they can go down. It’s quite frustrating. It wasn’t until the 14 days of rain in Feb/March 2019 that it became an issue. Since then we’ve had steep learning curves.. we’ve had stuff ups and mistakes that were gut wrenching. We’ve also invested steadily in infrastructure and changed our methods. To a large extent.. running a commercial mob of more than a handful makes it almost impossible to keep them out of the mud come wet season (how do you keep a mob of goats fed and dry for an extended period??) Consequently we’ve discussed going away from goats.. we’re currently in discussion on changing our operation going into next year - both of which has been incredibly difficult and emotional for me. We’ve had a fair handle on it for months now but it’s still something that I’ll keep discussing with people and exploring options of what next as the wet season will be here again soon. Long story short... not everything is as smooth and gentle as it may appear on the surface! - Sarah.

02.01.2022 Maybe not quite goat or egg related.. but an appreciation of a declining craft - leather carving. Some would know of my Mum whom is the chief goat minder on the ‘top farm’ Hillside Vineyard. Well.. when she’s not minding my gremlins (goats!) she’s now taking back up her leather crafting tools! Her first belt carving in many years (not completed yet)... she’s adamant it could be better, but for a first time run to get the feel back - I’m thinking it’s pretty darn good! Nonetheless, craftspeople like her were once an integral part of agriculture in Australia, when everything was made here. Who knows, maybe there’s a goat halter or harness on the horizon??

01.01.2022 As previously mentioned, by years end we will cease selling goat meat. There are a myriad of reasons... mainly a lack of time, but for now this is the direction we are heading. As a result of that and the drying conditions we’ve also decided to decrease herd numbers. ... We have a number of younger maiden does, older does and also young males that are available for sale. If interested, feel free to message for further information and photos.

01.01.2022 Carrot cake - my absolute weak spot! I’m such a softie for it that I crumbled this morning and got one from Belrowes News & Mini Mart after delivering eggs. Yes I could be biased BUT it was delicious! Icing was spot on.. not too rich but just right. We absolutely love knowing that small businesses using our eggs are producing amazing food like this.. and couldn’t be more grateful. ... Sarah.

01.01.2022 Hello! Long time no updates I know sorry... The team at Suncroft (including Luna Longtail) are wanting to give everyone a heads up that we won’t be at Cotters Market tomorrow sadly. We’ve had some fridge breakdowns (loss of product), a couple of big wholesale orders.. plus flock change overs so our egg numbers are right down. Markets for us involve around 10 hours of a Sunday (not including prep on saturday) so the decision has been made to deliver what eggs we do have to t...he team at My Fruit Shop right next door to us. Whilst we will miss seeing all the regular, new, and friendly faces - we will be back next week ourselves with eggs and goat meat! Hoping everyone has a great weekend. Sarah.