Calm Your Farm lamb: Suzanne Lewis on her ethically-produced meat

Werneth producer Suzanne Lewis is set to launch her lamb business in earnest after her unique systems created beautifully tender meat. Here’s how she does it.

A new ethically produced lamb label is set to launch in earnest this Spring following raving reviews from a local wholesale test batch.

Werneth sheep farmer Suzanne Lewis has long practised ethical sheep management running her self-replacing flock of 1200 ewes.

Suzanne Lewis, of Werneth, is achieving production gains through low-stress sheep management. Picture: Dale Webster

“Every step of our management process is geared towards keeping the sheep as stress-free as possible,” Suzanne said.

The ‘proof is in the pudding’ for Suzanne, with her low-stress production system resulting in beautifully tender meat.

“We had some processed in March just for our own use with this artesian butcher,” she said.

And following rave reviews from the butcher, Suzanne sent packaged cuts equivalent to five lambs to Sonny Wholefood at Inverleigh.

Suzanne’s ethical line of local lamb meat was a great fit for the wholesale cafe, run by Shaun Petty, which features many lines of locally sourced produce.

Now Suzanne hopes to extend her ethical production philosophy beyond the farm gate with a her wholesale label ‘Calm Your Farm Ethical Lamb’.

“I always knew we had great lamb to offer but I think I needed someone to affirm it — it is just so tender, whatever way you cook it.”

Calm Your Farm Ethical Lamb after packaging.

Suzanne attributes a large part of the business opportunity to the new Meat Crew artesian butcher, packaging and delivery service at Colac.

Meat Crew founder and pig farmer Xavier Meade set up the new meat boning room to process his own free range pork operation Barongarook Pork, and help simplify the process for other paddock-to-plate producers.

“It’s always been a dream to show that we can produce meat ethically all the way through the production line, even in transport,” Suzanne said.

Production-wise, Suzanne moved to a split lambing system this year.

“I used to be July lambing and we just got absolutely slammed with the weather, and it was really tough trying to meet feed requirements,” she said.

Suzanne in the sheds.

“They’re absolutely firing now with minimal ewe loss too.

The split lambing system also works favourably with Suzanne’s intentions to expand the wholesale business with a more consistent supply of lambs to be processed.

The lambs are run mainly on clover pastures and some vetch hay and finished on crop stubbles which fits in well with Suzanne’s husband’s cropping operation.

“The growth I get in the lambs is extraordinary — the last sucker lambs I sent averaged 65kg,” Suzanne said.

Typically, the lambs are sent off at a hefty 60kg liveweight, which is processed to 28.3kg carcass weight.

They go to the Australian Lamb Company at Colac and are killed within 12 hours.

“The lambs that are dropping now will be ready in November and I hope to launch (the wholesale business) in a bigger way and distribute into Melbourne.”