STARTING out with “about eight ducks and a dozen quail” five years ago, Tim and Brandie Beaton and their sons, Zeb and Max, have a thriving Henty poultry and beef enterprise, awarded Primary Industry of the Year at the 2022 Glenelg Shire Business and Tourism Awards.

The Beaton’s Westerly Downs farm was among 14 category winners (two of which were ties) announced at the awards function at the Portland Golf Club on Friday night and the couple was “just shocked” to hear their name announced.

“Tim just looked at me and said, ‘it’s us!’,” Mrs Beaton said.

“We didn’t even think what we were doing, how small we are, was the sort of thing for these awards.

“We’re really grateful and really excited.”

A bad reaction to farm chemicals in his 20s saw Mr Beaton investigating alternative methods of pest and weed management for farming and his research led him to regenerative agriculture – layering farming practices, where one directly benefits the other.

“A few guys were championing regenerative agriculture – using soil science and pasture animals together to restore the land without using chemicals,” Mrs Beaton said.

“They looked at things like pig manure, chook manure, we watched a few different things and when we wanted to really start developing this, we initially looked at chickens … and a pastured egg system, but that year, there were 50 new pastured egg systems on the western side of Victoria.

“It was done and dusted, then we thought, why not try ducks?”

Their pastured system is not certified organic, but their operation is as close to the real deal as you can find.

Their ‘breeders’ and their offspring roam freely during the day in a fenced system, protected from foxes and other predation by 9000 volts of electricity and the breeders put themselves to bed at night, before being secured behind gates, for their own welfare.

The roaming range of the animals is dictated by the water available – “ducks just need somewhere to swim, to be happy and healthy” – and the weed cover, on the ground.

“I think we were probably seen as hippies when we first started out … we found that the ducks … and even the quail … love the broadleaf weed species, so they clear out the weeds and in place of that grows good quality pasture for the cattle – no chemicals required,” Mrs Beaton said.

The fencing and housing is moved at regular intervals to find the optimum feeding site for the birds and the security system is run on solar power.

From their small beginnings, the Beatons now supply birds regularly to restaurants and private consumers right across south west Victoria and south east South Australia.

“Tim drives birds to Kapunda, which is north of Adelaide, every fortnight, to an abattoir there,” Mrs Beaton said.

“We catch the birds the day before – we don’t crate them overnight – and they’re put in a secure pen and made comfy for the night.

“At 2.30am the next morning they’re crated and Tim travels the six-hour drive over, waits for them to be slaughtered, drives back again and then we deliver the fresh poultry.”

Starting out with a single client – the Bunyip Hotel in Cavendish – the Beaton’s fresh, quality poultry is now in demand at hospitality venues as far afield as Geelong and with a growing waiting list of venues ready to use their products, an exciting project is in the pipeline.

“We were always going to look at putting in an abattoir on the farm … to increase what we could supply … and we’d also like to employ a couple to work on the farm with us and perhaps help someone else who has a small amount of land … show them that they can make a living from farming without having thousands of acres,” Mrs Beaton said.

“It had been in the pipeline for a couple of years but when Covid hit that all got put on hold … it’s a lot of planning and paperwork and this year it’s finally going ahead.”

She said the on-farm abattoir would be commercially licensed and could process their own poultry, as well as any privately-grown birds, for household consumption.

“It will also be a ‘closed-loop’ production, with no waste … Tim has a composting system for anything that won’t have a direct use … we’re really excited to get that going.”

All work is play

“IF you do what you love you’ll never work a day in your life” is a well-worn saying, but it’s one that many of the winners at Saturday night’s Glenelg Shire Business and Tourism Awards swear by.

And it was no better explained than by the winner of the top honour, business of the year, South Portland Pharmacy and employee of the year Brooke Ropitini from the Dartmoor General Store.

South Portland Pharmacy also took out the health and wellbeing award, and owner and pharmacist John Nakhla was quick to pay tribute to his staff of 10 for their work, especially since the coronavirus pandemic added to the stress for the health sector everywhere.

“The girls are amazing,” he told the Observer.

“We’ve gone far beyond our limits to be honest, and they’ve coped with the pressure.

“The staff are doing an awesome job and I’m very proud of all of them.”

Mr Nakhla said he hoped to expand the business.

“We need more staff,” he said.

“I don’t want to turn people away because we don’t have enough capacity.

“We always need staff to cope with the huge workload.”

Dartmoor triumph

DARTMOOR General Store’s Brooke Ropitini got one of the loudest cheers of the night, courtesy of the Dartmoor contingent, when she was named employee of the year.

Ms Ropitini has been with the store since it was refurbished and reopened by owner Kim McLean in 2019 and in true Dartmoor style, she thanked the local community for its support.

“I can’t take all the credit,” she said.

“I wouldn’t be able to do it without all my partners in crime.”

That included her fellow workers – “you make the workplace so enjoyable” – Mr McLean’s brother, Mark, who worked on refurbishing the store, community icon Wendy Dowling who “does all the stuff I have basically no idea about” and Ms Ropitini’s husband, Jay.

She said the store had become a hub for the community to meet, which made it all the more enjoyable.

“There’s not a day I get up and think I have to go to work,” she said.

“A lot of people come in and don’t need to buy something … we have a lot of people who live by themselves, and they just come and buy something so they can have a chat.

“A conversation might go for two minutes or it might go for 20 minutes, but I’m very interested in what people are doing and what’s going on out there.

“It’s not because it’s my job or I get paid for it, money doesn’t worry me - I shouldn’t love it so much, but I do.”

Kim McLean paid tribute to Ms Ropitini, who he said was his “best mate”.

“The ownership she’s taken since day one, the input she’s had in developing it and then her honesty, her commitment, her loyalty and dedication and devotion and all the passion that she shows for the business is just outstanding,” Mr McLean said.

Plenty to celebrate

HOSTED by MC Brian Nankervis, of television show Rockwiz and other fame, the first gong of the night at Friday’s awards ceremony was the manufacturing, trades or construction award, tied between Mibus Bros and Southern Canning.

Assets Real Estate took out the large retail or service award, sponsored by the Portland Observer and Casterton News.

Assets director, Ben Nash said it had been a busy time in the industry and during the pandemic with the special protocols regarding property visits “it made for some stressful times”.

“In a service industry it’s the employees that make you successful and I’d really like to thank our staff… the pride they show in our business is incredible,” he said.

Crams Glass and Compleat Angler tied for Small Business of the Year and South Coast Pest Solutions was named Microbusiness of the Year.

Cycling Without Age, an initiative of the Rotary Club of Portland which aims to reduce social isolation and loneliness by providing older members of the community a trishaw ride around the community was named the Community Enterprise of the Year and Tyrendarra Agricultural Show won the Tourism Festival, Event, Attraction or Service Award.

In two years of business like no other, Mac’s Hotel won the Business Innovation Award for the way it changed to cope with the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns.

Quest Apartments was named Tourism Accommodation of the Year and the Royal Hotel won the Tourism Hospitality Award.

Tahlia Warren-Brand of Gunditj Mirring Traditional Aboriginal Owners Corporation was named young achiever of the year but having contracted the coronavirus during the week was unable to be present to receive her award.