For the last 18 months we have been working towards building a butchery (boning & packing room) on our farm. We are doing this to have greater control over what happens to our animals and honoring them through valuing and utilizing all of the product they provide – nose to tail! 

Getting this space accomplished will mean with our communities help we can, create a new and exciting fair food system that.

• Pays the rent: acknowledging the unceded lands on which we farm.
• Builds ecological health: helping heal country.
• Grows more growers: supporting likeminded farmers and growers.
• Provides fair food for all: making good food more accessible.

Come get involved with us and help us get it done! Donate now and select from the range of rewards we are offering. Every little bit helps towards changing our Food System and creating a localised, ethical, relationship based, and responsible food production system.

Echo Valley #4Goods Meathouse

Daily pastured egg collection duty – Randal and Juanita 

Hey! We are Randal & Juanita Breen, first generation regenerative farmers in Southeast Queensland Australia. Our farm resides on the unceded lands of the Githabul people on Bundjalung Country, and for the last 8 years we have been the custodians, working in partnership with our landscape to produce ethical grass-fed beef, pastured pork and pastured eggs.

Everything we do on farm must meet our 4 key values,

• Good For the Animal
• Good For the Land
• Good For the Farmer
• Good For the Eater (that’s you!)

Whilst we farm in a way that is respectful to our animals, our land, us as farmers, and the amazing community we feed, we still don’t control the process of processing and packing our meat products. We now need your help to close the loop even further and finish building our Not-For-Profit on-farm Boning and Packing Facility – The #4Goods Meathouse! 

Closing this loop would mean we have greater control over the paddock to plate process, an ability to help other regenerative farmers in our local area find viability by collaborating and processing their products, and ultimately greater access for our local community to eat ethical, regenerative and responsibly produced meat! 

Diverse Cover crops, Grass Fed Brangus Beef Cattle, Duroc Pastured Pigs, Pastured Hens

How is the #4 Goods Meathouse different?

As we developed the concept of our new farm enterprise “The 4 goods Meathouse” we came to the conclusion that in order to fulfill our commitment to the #4goods, it needed to be set up a little differently. Our current food system is great at severing the connection of food-to-country-to-eater/community. So, to correct this break in the connection between country-custodian-consumer we will be focusing on 4 key areas to return connection back to the farm/land. It means that profits raised through the Meathouse will be directed back to country and community through 4 key areas. They are:

1. Paying the rent: the “4goods meathouse” will acknowledge the original Custodians of the land on which we farm (the Githabul people on Bundjalung land) and pay respects to their Elders past and present. We will commit a percentage of our earnings to pay the rent as a small acknowledgement of the unceded land on which we farm, and to demonstrate that we are grateful for the opportunity to be present on country.

2. Building Ecological Heath: we will utilise the 4goods meathouse as a tool in our work to restore the ecological function of our landscape. We will plant more trees, repair riparian zones, build soil, and walk on the journey to heal country. We have a vision that any farmer who partners with the 4goods Meathouse will be able to access funds generated through feeding our community to implement regenerative agroecological initiatives on the landscape they manage.

3. Growing more growers: We are committed to sharing our learnings and assisting aspirational farmers, growers, and eaters in their journey to food production; through internships, training, on farm workshops, peer to peer knowledge sharing, and support.

4. Everyone should have access to nutrient dense nutritious food: We believe that all members of our community should have the opportunity to eat well. So, the 4 goods Meathouse will be committed to keeping food accessible for as many as we are able, and we will be expanding, our “Scott’s box”. This is an initiative focused on providing a range of nutritious food and farm produce to those experiencing tough times.

So, for want of better words, the “4goods Meathouse” will be established as a not-for-profit social enterprise. More importantly, we truly hope it will be another link in establishing a food system that is Local, Fair, Just, and Inclusive.

What We Need

So, to date we have personally kicked in around $85,000.00 to this big dream initiative.

This includes:

• Meathouse Building:                      $28,000
• Storage shed:                                    $18,000
• Earth works:                                        $3,000
• Electrical work:                                   $5,000
• Building relocation:                           $3,000
• Butchery equipment:                      $18,000
• Council application fees etc.:       $10,000

Total spent so far $85,000.

Relocating the butchery building (in 2 halves), Aug 2021

There’s still some major works that need to be completed prior to the facility being ready to go to work. They are:

• Cold room:                           $22,000
• Waste system:                     $15,000
• Internal fit out:                       $3,500
• Plumber/plumbing:             $4,000
• Aircon:                                      $2,000
• Electrician:                              $2,000
• Landscaping:                          $1,500

Total funds needed to start: $50,000.

​There are also some extras, which we are wanting to purchase in the next 12 months, we call these our ‘push‘ or ‘dream‘ funds. We can get the Meathouse operational without these extras, but ultimately, they will be needed in the facility:

• Smoker                                $20,000
• Toilet block                         $10,000

Total funds including push funds: $80,000.

So, there you go folks. We will need to raise around $50,000 to get the #4Goods Meathouse processing facility operational, and $80,000 total, to get it completely finalized here on the farm. 

Butchery on stumps, ready for final construction works, 2022.

What you Get – The Perks/Rewards

By helping us complete the #4Goods Meathouse, not only will our community have access to ethically produced beef, pork, and eggs, but your contribution to the campaign will give you extra goodies as a demonstration of our thanks for your support!

Check out the levels and options below:

Physical: For those wanting something they can hold, wear, see, touch, we have a number of physical rewards for our contributors – An Artist Print (Mel Baxter), an Echo Valley branded T-shirt, or a 2023 Echo Valley calendar.

Artist: Mel Baxter, 2021, Echo Valley Collage (Artist Print)

Experience: For those wanting to experience the farm, and a variety of adventures that it offers, there are a number of rewards – Farmer tag along, Workshops (both around the farming and also the butchery), Beast & Butchery (learn to cut up your own meat), Glamping Farm Stays, tickets to a farm celebration event (The A.G.M – Annual General Meat-thing) and more.

Agricultural Educators Seasonal Farm Tour, Jan 2023

Product: Finally, for those wanting to get their laughing holes around some produce from our farm, we are offering a number of boxes of all our goodies (grass fed beef, pastured pork, pastured eggs). Keen to be the first to try some of the snags coming out of the new butchery? This is the option for you! 

Echo Valley Pastured Pork Belly

The Impact & Vision

First and foremost, our decision to build an on-farm facility to process our livestock was driven by our commitment to the 4 goods. As you know everything, we do here on the farm has to be passed through these testing questions.

“Is what we are wanting to do”

• Good for the Animal,
• Good for the Land,
• Good for the Farmer and
• Good for those we feed?

The “4 goods Meathouse” is no different. We have a 100-year vision for our little farm and that vision extends well beyond our boundary fence. We see our role as agroecological, regenerative food producers as important players in helping to build a fair, just, and inclusive local food system. We see our role as farmers and food producers as pivotal in upholding key social principles of food sovereignty.  
Food sovereignty is what we mean when we talk about reclaiming the power of food.

“When the power of food is usurped by corporations that put profits first, other considerations that are important to farmers and their community —like making sure our food is healthy, accessible to all and sustainable— take a backseat to priorities held by corporate shareholders. Farmers’ incomes deteriorate, our diets worsen, and the planet suffers”.

In contrast-
“When food is grown by farmers to benefit their communities, it can provide nourishment and security without damaging the land. This kind of agriculture can make us stronger, healthier, and more connected to the land, to our culture, and to each other. That’s the power of food”.

Echo Valley CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Seasonal Farm Tour, 2022

Pretty cool? We think so, and this is what our vision for Echo Valley Farm and the #4goods Meathouse is guided by.

Risks & Challenges

This has been a long road folks. A LOT longer than we ever anticipated, and the number of hoops that we have had to jump through with regulators and local councils has been enormous. We have come along way and achieved a huge amount in the 18 months we have been working towards building this space.

• Purchasing and relocating the building to on the farm
• Council building, plumbing, and development applications and approvals
• State Government accreditations
• Purchasing equipment for the space
• Finding and hiring an artisan butcher
• And finally engaging the collaboration of Farmers that will ultimately use and run the space.

We now have all the approvals and accreditations that will allow us to begin, we just need to complete the facility. So, we are looking to our community to help us achieve this #4Goods Meathouse goal together!

So, what are the risks? Well, most of the risks have been worn by us in the process of getting everything to this point. The only real potential risks may fall to a delay in the building and trade works that are still to be completed. This could potentially push out the completion and increase the overall cost. These are costs that we see won’t be significant, and can be covered with our week-to-week farm revenue. 

Other challenges are getting the staff up to speed with the system. Like any new enterprise we will be finding our feet for the first little while, getting our systems in place, and finding the best workflow for the tasks involved, so it may cause a delay in product going out, but these are operational, and shouldn’t affect the overall goal of completing the #4Goods Meathouse.

Echo Valley Brangus Heifers, 2022

Other Ways You Can Help

We know this project won’t be for everyone, and we know that not everyone has funds to spare at this moment. We would still love you support though, and it’s as easy as getting the word out here and making some noise about our campaign. Share with your friends, family, neighbours, and co-workers.

We’ll also be holding some on-farm working-bee days, so if you’re up for the labour, you can come along and help plant some trees and get some landscaping happening around our little Meathouse. 

Mostly, were just grateful for you taking the time to check out the campaign and see what it is we are trying to build, both for our food system, our local community, and also our environment.

Farmers Gathering, 2022