Conscious consumption: Meet the joyful farmer behind The Food Farm

For young farmer Tim Eyes, farming is as much about nurturing the soul as it is the land and his livestock.

There’s the old saying: you only get out what you put in.

And for first-generation beef and chicken producer Tim Eyes, nothing could be closer to the truth.

His regenerative farming enterprise, The Food Farm, in the Yarramalong Valley in NSW serves not only to feed consumers, but to feed his soul.

“There’s so much effort I’m putting into giving people the experience that I’m looking for, which is enjoying agriculture,” Tim said.

“But some days, even as a farmer, you feel incredibly disconnected to what you originally set out to do.”

The Food Farm capitalises on a burgeoning trend: conscious consumption, where shoppers are growing increasingly discerning about where their food comes from, and how it is raised.

Tim, 31, and partner Hannah operate a 202ha regenerative farm, rearing grass-fed and finished Angus cattle and chickens for meat and eggs.

Tim Eyes, founder of The Food Farm in NSW, is passionate about farming and fostering strong connections with his consumers. Picture: Supplied

The 100-head mixed herd of foundation cows are the centrepiece of The Food Farm’s operation, and Mr Eyes has fond affection for the cattle that go on to feed his customers.

“We’ve got our original 14-year-old cow. We’ve got all her generations of females in the herd,” Mr Eyes said.

Produce is sold direct to consumers at farmers’ markets in Sydney, and via an online subscription.

“I saw the power of the connection we have to the land, and to the animals. It’s so cliche to say how disconnected we are. But as a young person, it was about seeing how much joy it gave me to be connected to agriculture,” Tim said.

And despite the soaring cost of groceries, Mr Eyes has seen the benefit of being transparent and ethical in his farming practice, with consumers willing to pay more for his produce.

“One of the remarkable things we’re seeing with every rate rise, is we get a little more nervous going into a farmers market. But we are seeing the prioritisation of people’s ethics, and personal health, and what they put into their body is unwavering,” Mr Eyes said.

“So it’s really, really exciting to see that people are still backing us even though they’re paying so much more to just exist in their home.”