In Joel Salatin's Footsteps: How this Couple are Regenerative Farming in Australia.

In the alternative farming scene, it's unlikely for anyone to have not heard of Joel Salatin or have been influenced by his larger than life personality. Here in our cozy corner of South-Western Australia, we were fortunate enough to meet another two farmers who are carving out a place for themselves in the world of regenerative agriculture, incorporating his lessons from the other side of the world while running their pastured poultry operation.
Jeff and Michelle of Southampton Homestead are passionate about restoring health to the land, opportunity to the people of their community and a meaningful life for the animals in their care. It is our great fortune to count them as our friends and it is with no small pleasure that we present their story to you.
As well as the works and advice of Joel Salatin and his family, Jeff would like to acknowledge James L Chestnut in shaping his philosophy around farming and wellness as discussed in the interview.
#JoelSalatin #regenerativeagriculture #sustainablefarming
Chapters
00:00 Why Jeff started farming
01:30 Introducing Jeff and Michelle from Southampton Homestead
03:52 Regenerative Agriculture in a nutshell
05:51 The decision to farm and harvest pastured chickens on the farm
07:23 Visiting the Salatin's Farm, Polyfaces, in 2014
07:40 Their first micro-abattoir
08:44 The new onsite abattoir facility and radical transparency
09:25 Why we need to grow the market for ethical pastured poultry
11:06 Regenerative farming practices at Southampton Homestead
15:47 The process of growing out a Southampton chicken for market
22:54 Early challenges. Know your market and customer. Advice for budding farmers.
23:59 Why you should eat local pastured poultry
25:00 A farmer's love for the animals in their care
26:23 Outtakes Troy preparing for entry into the abattoir
To follow Jeff and Michelle's journey or to get in touch you can visit:
Website: www.southamptonhomestead.com.
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Pascale has put together a FREE 40 page Provisioning Guide. The Guide explains and provides examples of how we can travel eating a variety of healthy and delicious meals for up to 6 months at a time on our tiny boat with no resupply. There has never been a better time to start learning how to increase the food storage potential of your home. I hope this guide will inspire you to make more informed long term provisioning choices for the future! For more information visit the Provisioning Page on our website ( www.freerangesailing.com/boat-provisioning ) or to grab a copy directly by clicking on the link below.
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Music Credits
Our theme tune (outro and/or intro song) Aquarium by TEVO. You can listen to his music here: soundcloud.app.goo.gl/4MAfa
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[@nooneanybodyknows7912]

Farmers and ranchers are the backbone to the Nation's nutrition and well-being. Thank you for your tireless efforts. Thanks for sharing.

[@bdmenne]

Thank you so much for bringing this to us!

[@HoagesMoto]

What an exceptional story, and an incredible Australian Jeff is - wonderfully told and produced you two. As an aerospace engineer I usually couldn't imagine anything worse than being subject to a show like landline or other agriculture content in any other platform :P , I've stayed with you guys since sailing and this may be the single best episode you've released (for me at least) - something very special listening to an individual that is so intelligent, experienced and has the kind of values and ethics of Jeff in a field you're total unfamilar with - very humbling, as learning often is. Thanks again :)

[@FreeRangeLiving]

We'll be sure to pass on your kind words to Jeff and Michelle. Thank you very much.

[@mehmetucar3685]

😊

[@bmunday]

yall are fucking pros. just so you know, that we know. Love to your tummy's ;) ;)

[@Loffyfromthehills]

Agree. Best yet. I am slowly catching up on your journey from the start (the sailing bit is covered, and I am enjoying the farming. Thank you.

[@richardp4544]

What a fascinating video you provided for us this time. You just never cease to amaze. Thank you so much.

[@abder1349]

Incredibly inspirational! Thank you so much for this - the pigness of the pig is a wonderful expression 👍😊

[@FreeRangeLiving]

You're welcome. We love that expression so much too. It's actually the title of one of Joel's books "The Marvellous Pigness of Pigs"

[@Regrarians]

Thanks for this wonderful piece featuring the tireless work of Michelle and Jeff and the Southampton Homestead and Farm family! Sláinte! Darren J. Doherty CPAg AIA, Regrarians Ltd.

[@FreeRangeLiving]

Our pleasure! Thanks for watching

[@hertabuss289]

Amazing to see how interconnected your passions could be... When the people you follow, allthough from different fields, suddenly cross paths. Awesome to see Darren Doherty commenting on your videos and see the likes of @regenerativeagriculture going the other way round. Having worked in agriculture he is feeling kind of burned out and shifted his interests more onto family and outdoor activities like fishing, boating etc... I really love the passion you have for nature and ecosystems and how you are able to spread it through your videos... I imagine it was a big step to jump from sailing to land based "free range living", but I could already see from the way you fished and gathered food from the ocean and some of your own comments, that you would be great land stewards and of course would continue to put out interesting content!! That are the "youtubers" I want so see. Top stuff!!

[@bryanbadger6841]

Thank you guys for taking the time to interview these folks. A lot to take in. But we'll worth it. Thank you again. Atb from across the ditch.

[@russellneville7145]

Wow, that was so interesting. It all made so much sense. I'd love to try one of his chooks against a standard shop bought chicken. Keep up the good work guys👍 SV Kiwi Lady Opua Bay of islands New Zealand 👍🏿

[@percival3830]

Illuminating and enlightening. Elements of my everyday life where I had a profound ignorance, I no longer feel so lost.

[@efrank39]

What a well spoken, passionate, charming guy! Well done interview.

[@FreeRangeLiving]

He is all of those things in abundance!

[@chrispy104k]

Great interview. People making a difference are worth taking note of.

[@hbdrums337]

I'll be honest I drifted away after the sailing stopped, I'm a sailor at heart not a farmer - but in the last month have really dived back deep into your new life and have loved it. You guys are inspiring and have lit up my mind as to what other ways of doing things are out there. I struggle to grow a basil plant but you guys might have got me hooked. And this holistic approach to farming is something I didn't know I actually craved to see - till I saw it. Well done.

[@FreeRangeLiving]

Welcome back! Our episode featuring the construction of our no-dig bed will have you up to your ears in basil if you decide to follow that old method we cover.

[@KnackFarmer-theanswerismeat]

G'day from Balingup, neighbours! Great to see you two and Jeff & Michelle getting together and exchanging great ideas and experience!

[@Rittlesleo]

We buy at least half of our meat from regenerative farms. Enjoyed seeing the way it’s done down under!

[@andrewparry6106]

Cheers..good to see some farmers aren't still Strip mining the land

[@johnphillips519]

Great episode👍

[@elenawalker3746]

It's good to see a property with LOTS of trees for the animals.

[@mmoore102]

Outstanding video. This is the most humane system I’ve seen in the harvesting of our food.

[@sailinggreenpearl2571]

I wasnt too sure about what this episode was all about but it was absolutley fascinating.

[@FreeRangeLiving]

It was nice to try our hand at a different style. Thank you.

[@alistairduff6820]

Great video! Shot and edited very well. I've been following since the Marule days. This was very informative and interesting. Thank you!

[@atmm89]

one of your best informative video, I was glued to the screen, well done mate, keep it up. All the very best to you all

[@kranzonguam]

Wow! Great ideas to wrap my head around! Thanks to you all!

[@rusty1850]

Thank you for the regenerative farming concept and actions in the farmers way of life can make life worth living. This kind of living to produce food and preparation to finance family farming. Free Range Living I do like the information you keep adding into your videos.

[@FreeRangeLiving]

It is a difficult path for producers to follow here because of regulations that suit large-scale businesses, but people like Jeff are becoming quite savvy in negotiating change.

[@DD-xx8wh]

wow! such an important episode thanks for sharing, hoping for more much needed like minded efforts everywhere

[@WmCRobison]

The first time I tasted a pasture chicken it was a revelation. My wife and I looked at each other and said "WOW, so that's what chicken taste like."

[@FreeRangeLiving]

The bones from one of those birds boiled up after it has oven roasted is about the best stock I've ever tasted. Very rich.

[@peternairn4474]

Great stuff,, it opens a few others doors to regeneration of other aspects of our lives 👏

[@mstp69ify]

Very good to show how it can be done

[@annhysell6064]

Amazing. Thank you so much for sharing this content. So important to be aware of our food production, best practices as well as nutrition for the animals and ourselves. Done well its the perfect cycle. As always, I admire your research! Be well.

[@jimwarmington3933]

Great video. Thanks.

[@auozjan]

Thanks gor sharing 😊

[@rusty1850]

Thanks!

[@hearlybird3316]

Very inspiring and informative video, cheers 😊

[@naturewoman1274]

Thanks for sharing more people need to adopt this way xxx

[@malcolmknauer7443]

Wow thanks

[@americanbornwalkaway9110]

VERY Smart and VERY COOL!!!!!

[@suecrofton6591]

Such an awesome story

[@johndixon5097]

Very interesting interview. Thanks

[@supershane1960]

I remember when a chicken was a special dish that you had only occasionally, like say, a roast on a Sunday. Now you can have it anytime during the week by going to a drive thru. There’s a price to pay for that, it’s just not reflected in our wallets…

[@FreeRangeLiving]

Poor old chooks bear an unfair share of the cost.

[@isnoo1]

For me, as a child, chicken was ONLY eaten at Christmas and a very special day during the year eg a wedding.

[@wayneneuhofel6744]

This is probably the best work of yours since beginning your homestead. Outstanding and interesting!

[@FreeRangeLiving]

Thanks!

[@permissiontoshine]

Thankyou so much for such an informative and inspiring look at what is starting to happen 'in our own backyard' regarding regenerative farming... something we desperately need. I watch all of your videos, as I did back when you were sailing, just don't get to comment very often. Your sailing videos in particular provided me with something you may not have imagined. Life and my circumstances had crushed me. Complications from the disabilities I experience, broke me - physically, mentally, 'spiritually', socially, financially. I was barely clinging to life - I'm not being hyperbolic - and to survive, I watched your videos as a way to 'give me time out' from how bad things were, when I had little or no strength to do anything but very small bite size chunks of 'fixing things' for myself. This continued as you moved to the farm and for a while things started to get a bit better for me, little by little. You inspired me to first attempt to grow some garlic on my small balcony of my inner city flat and then chillies and now some spinach. And unexpectedly, things got a whole lot worse again. I HAVE A GENUINE QUESTION for you, that this video inspired. So... we know we quite literally are what we eat and we now know really starkly that what became of our agricultural and food industries has made a lot of people very sick... not just physically, but mentally too. I became one of those people and now with the help of the NDIS I'm trying to fix my health from what I eat, 'upwards'. People like yourselves and the remarkable people in this video have the agency, opportunity and abilities to fix your own food supply and maybe that of some people close to you. This isn't possible for many people, particularly those really struggling 'at the bottom'. I know this because of my circumstances and because of what I've come to know is the case for many people like myself. There just is not an extra $5 in the budget to buy that really good quality, healthily produced food. And that is with squeezing every possible cent, not buy unnecessary crap etc. YES, A LONG WINDED WAY TO GET TO ASK THE QUESTION... I KNOW 😆... I do everything I can to read and watch the best information available, what real science tells us about what we consume and how that impacts us and slowly slowly have adapted my diet as much as I can so far, but to be able to afford the kind of quality of food, particularly the protein, is mostly out of reach. So the question is... Are you, can you, as a collective of the new generation of inspiring farmers, bringing health back to the way we live, set aside, even a small amount of what you produce, collectively, and donate, give it to people, families, particularly those with complex health issues, to help them on their journeys to also getting healthy? Maybe you do this already, I don't know. I'm not asking for this for myself, it's about sewing a seed, towards ensuring as people more and more turn to regenerating the 'whole', all of us, we don't forget about those on the lowest rungs. The small changes I've been able to make to my diet so far, within my means, is helping. I no longer eat any hyper-processed junk (I refuse to call it food anymore, it just isn't). For me, eliminating things like sugar and even flour, those nasty seed oils, is making a difference to my mental health. My 85yo Mum, also... has been able to completely stall her macular degeneration FOR THE LAST 4 YEARS... completely stop it in its tracks, by the simple changes she made to her diet, herself on a very limited income. I hope/trust this comes across as I intended - to inspire those who can, in this space, to consider what each can do to support, with healthy food, those who can't. I thought about it a lot last night, wasn't sure if I should/could, but here I am. You are good people. I love your channel. Thankyou.

[@FreeRangeLiving]

Thank you and I'm glad we are able to make things a little sunnier in your corner of the world. With regards the small producers in the regen space, a lot of them are very tight financially and try to aid their communities by offering employment where there was none before and giving free training to volunteers. There isn't much wiggle room at their strata to give away much of their production because the margins are so tight already and their working days usually exceed 12 hours, 6-7 days a week. They are at the bleeding edge of trying to open the market and battle with large entrenched interests. Many burn out and fall by the wayside. In the middle, the distribution sector, is where there is more profit being made and the infrastructure to deliver goods is already in place. I think that is where your idea is better aimed, because it is there, and at the point of sale, that there is the most margin, but also the most food wasted that could be used.

[@ripme6616]

Congruent..love it

[@vivalaleta]

Gabe Brown is our favorite regenerative farmer.

[@portfoliofotoz]

Absolutely fascinating. We live in Virginia, so Polyface Farm is quite familiar.

[@FreeRangeLiving]

Knowledge is a very good export.

[@k8m883]

Heard a disturbing story recently. A friend’s neighbour rang a well known insurance company to enquire about farm insurance, as soon as she mentioned the regen word the insurers said they couldn’t insure her and cut the call off. Has anyone else had an experience like this?

[@Quarry4x4]

Fantastic opportunity. Thanks for sharing. Can we taste the difference in the meat?

[@FreeRangeLiving]

We can!

[@billj.widmann112]

In listening to Jeff I also heard echoes of Temple Grandin.

[@FreeRangeLiving]

You are spot on. Her work is very relevant

[@bryanb1259]

❤️❤️👍

[@diannadarling699]

❤

[@camillegyrya3204]

there lies the futur of humanity

[@diannadarling699]

I used to call this polyface farming because of Salatin’s work… Regenerative farming could save us all imo

[@mehmetucar3685]

Wow ❤ 858. Lk 🎉 ❤ süper 😊

[@ImTheDudeMan471]

When you Google "farm dog", that dog's picture is on the first page.

[@FreeRangeLiving]

They are purpose bred as guardian dogs so that might be why.

[@Potsie]

Great Video. (I was initially confused when I read the title and was thinking "why the hell have Troy and Pascal done a film about Joseph Stalin's footsteps ?" - bloody dyslexia) ... The only thing that was not clear was the bit about the rules that apply to farmers.. like do we need to have rule changes in Australia to make the place be able to sustain itself for longer? I assume that it would be politically difficult to require major food producers to show how and where the food they are selling spent its life (like Jeff is able to do) as that would be costly... and no one wants to pay more for their food - therefore = less votes.. (as a side thought to that, I have sometimes wondered why here it seems that Environmental political parties seem to get more votes in the Cities than in the Rural areas.) What would be great Troy would be if you could throw the drone up in the air in a years (or whatever) time from now to show what that pasture that the chicken tractors were on looks like then (cos.. she seemed pretty dry and dusty right after the Chickens went over it) I live in a city (Sydney) and, like most, don't think twice about where my food comes from, or the effect on the natural environment (or the farmer her/himself) the production of that food may have .. your excellent video has at least made me think a little bit this morning. Cheers. Pots.

[@FreeRangeLiving]

Stalin style chicken! Summer is very hard here, but I think you can see in the video how it went from fallen pine and bramble to a productive small farm. Jeff took us for a walk and we did see that a few tiny springs are reappearing there, which indicates the soil is starting to hold moisture again. With regards political involvement, I think a little less might be the answer. Roll back some of the more onerous regulations and allow small distributed markets to develop locally. That way, pollies don't have to carry the can for it, though bureaucrats are always loath to have less bureaucracy!

[@Potsie]

@@FreeRangeLiving aye.. tend to agree that less rules are often better .. I had never even heard the term "Broiler Farm" before I worked in Local Government, and there seemed to be chicken shedloads of rules about those.

[@ripme6616]

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

[@Lana_Warwick]

What do they do with all the feathers, internals, feet, heads, etc? Where's all the required water for processing & cleaning come from? The cattle get processed? Old horses don't look like riders, other than manure (which comes from edible cattle) what's their purpose?

[@FreeRangeLiving]

Process waste is combined with the wood waste from a local pallet manufacturer and composted, before being used in tree rows. The water is from an on farm spring fed dam. Some cows go to farm food, some are exchanged and some are sold to other small holdings. The horses are manure and as a back-up farm machinery. There are horse drawn implements there should they be required. (Let's hope not)

[@sassyangus]

The secret is to stay small, quality not quantity.

[@FreeRangeLiving]

Well said. Regen agriculture is a bit of a grass roots protest at large scale commodification of our food and the lives of animals.

[@southernsandgroper3423]

Large scale agriculture is usually referred to as Industrial Agriculture.

[@marcusdaniel9669]

All well and good... now, make it affordable for low income people!

[@FreeRangeLiving]

The people producing chicken this way are low income people!

[@BoatDawg]

Thanks!

[@kranzonguam]

Wow! Great ideas to wrap my head around! Thanks to you all!

[@FreeRangeLiving]

Our pleasure Mr Kranz!