Lamb bacon producer revels in export and home success

Sheep farmer and lamb smallgoods entrepreneur Toni Barton reveals the road to export accreditation is bumpy, but worth the journey.

Prime cut: Nulla Vale sheep farmer Toni Barton rears Australian White sheep and produces specialty lamb smallgoods for export. Picture: Zoe Phillips

AUSTRALIAN White sheep farmer Toni Barton is Seymour Expo’s first official ambassador.

In addition to promoting the event, Toni will give talks about how she made the treechange from high-flying marketing executive to successful lamb producer.

“For me, supporting the community in which we operate is really important,” said Toni, who started rearing Australian White sheep in 2012, after buying 81 hectares at Nulla Vale, east of Lancefield.

Toni Barton on her farm at Nulla Vale. Picture: Zoe Phillips

“I’m only half an hour from Seymour. The first market where I launched my bacon product was Tallarook farmers’ market, just five minutes out of Seymour.”

In eight years, Toni has built her flock from 40 lambs to an impressive 200 breeding ewes and established a direct-to-consumer lamb brand.

“I’m still selling out at every farmers’ market that I go to,” Toni said, explaining demand was strong for the breed, considered the Wagyu of lamb.

“I think I’m currently Victoria’s biggest producer of lamb sold through farmers’ markets. I have locked in farmers’ markets around Melbourne and the response has been amazing. If anyone asks me, I would say get in with lamb. It is the thing that is missing … There is plenty of beef and pork.

“I’m returning twice as much money from each carcass as I would at the saleyards.”

While her fresh lamb sales are impressive, Toni’s real crowning achievement has been the huge success of her lamb smallgoods brand, which includes her signature lamb bacon, which is made from sheep belly instead of pork.

Toni Barton in her manufacturing plant in Geelong. Picture: Glenn Ferguson

After perfecting the product, which was a challenge in itself, Toni overcame months of hurdles and made a large financial commitment to establish a manufacturing plant and become export accredited. She has sent two shipments of lamb smallgoods to Saudi Arabia, secured a contract to supply five-star Dubai resort Atlantis The Palm and has orders pouring in from the Middle East.

At the start of her foray into sheep farming, she was committed to learning from others and finding ways to set her business apart.

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She found inspiration and education about everything from pasture management to animal handling at the Seymour Expo.

“I attended the show when I bought my farm, about five years ago,” she said.

“I thought I would find equipment, cheaper fencing. But when I got there, I was actually blown away by all the innovation that was there.”

See Toni at the Small Farms Learning Hub, where she will speak about the challenges and opportunities of export markets as well as innovating at the farm gate. Friday, 10am and Saturday, 3pm.