Michael De Kort at Long View Farm and Meats is the butcher, farmer, beef and lamb maker

Michael De Kort is a jack of all trades. Now, he has an on-farm butcher and sells his lamb products direct to the public.

Michael De Kort on his farm with his sheep dogs kelpies Tilly and Honey. Picture: Zoe Phillips

A Clunes farmer has managed to bring a traditional butcher shop to his farmgate to offer nearby families a fresh product.

Michael De Kort started his farm 10 years ago and opened his butcher, Long View Farm and Meats, after three years of operation.

“At 15 I left school to become a butcher with my uncle, he was a European-trained butcher and I worked for him for five or six years, then I went back to school and studied business at TAFE,” he said.

Michael De Kort on his Clunes farm with his cattle. Picture: Zoe Phillips

After he worked in real estate, sales and for Wesfarmers, Michael chose to pursue his lifelong dream of opening a farm.

He started with 80ha, and now leased an additional 80ha to accommodate his first-cross ewes and Dorset rams, and 20 breeding Murray Greys. He manages 300 breeding ewes.

“I always wanted to be a farmer, when I was young my father had about 15 acres (6ha), and I fell in love with it there,” he said.

“I processed my first lamb and realised it’s not something you can get much anymore, and I needed to make a living, I only had 200 acres (80ha) and I was a butcher. It just made sense.”

Michael De Kort at his 'Long View Farm and Meats' butcher shop. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Michael’s diverse background also included living as a vegetarian for three years. He said he focused on ethical meat, handfed his calves, used minimal chemicals and rotational grazing.

He was currently sowing oat, hay, rye and clover for feed on red, grey and black soils, and lambed three times each year to produce enough product for his store.

The lambs were processed at Meredith Dairy, while other processor unavailability in his region meant he was forced to stop providing beef.

“If I could offer beef tomorrow I would. I’ve got my steers here and they’re going to market in a few weeks, but I would put them through the shop if I could,” he said.

Long View Farm and Meats cattle. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Michael said he noticed an increase in customers in the past four years, with a shift towards supporting small businesses and paddock-to-plate products. He also offered “old-fashioned” butchering, by hanging the meat for a week after processing.

“I love that I can do what I love. To want to be a farmer and to be able to be a farmer is pretty amazing,” he said.

“Operating a farm and small business can be tough, but you really feel the support of the community around you when things get hard.

“My kids see that and are growing up to be better people because of it.”