200 deliveries of Moorlands lambs!

This morning we received our 200th delivery of Moorlands bio-dynamic Texel lambs grown by sixth generation farmer, Vince Heffernan. Huzzah!

We started working with Vince in 2009, shortly after Grant's first visit to Moorlands. Since then we've been fortunate to return many times over different seasons and see first hand the work that goes into regenerating denuded agricultural land, restoring balance, biodiversity, soil health and habitat for native species. Of course, all that work is also evident in the quality and flavour of the lambs we receive and you all enjoy!

And we're not the only ones who appreciate it. In August this year, Moorlands Lamb was awarded the national 'From the Paddock' trophy at the Delicious Produce Awards alongside five other national winners, including Tim and Emma Malfroy of Malfroys Gold Wild Honey.

Over 15 years, we've received 200 deliveries of over 4,000 of Vince's Texel sheep, providing thousands of nutritious and delicious lamb meals for hundreds of appreciative customers keen to support an alternative to the extractive commodity food market.

As Vince says;

'When someone buys a chop or roast through Feather and Bone, a tiny woodland bird or a threatened species of fish, lizard or frog is given a more secure future'.

Vince wrote us all a lovely note to mark the occasion of our 200th delivery - here it is below. 

"We I have sent 200 batches of lambs to Feather and Bone. I can't clearly recall those early deliveries but I do remember the differences that I experienced when first dealing with Laura and Grant from F&B.

The supermarkets were hell bent on minimising the amount of money they paid for our product, often through methods that were illegal, not just morally corrupt - an approach more akin to being held hostage by a bullying terrorist, than a mutually beneficial business relationship. But with F&B we experienced people keenly interested in what we were doing, and how our farm practices then impacted on the dining experience of their clients.

Not every farmer was going to meet their high standards, particularly relating to issues such as animal welfare. But if you did a better job, then you could expect a fair and reasonable premium - totally not what the manipulative bullying of the supermarket duopoly was delivering us. They told our story, let people know the truth about what we did better and why our meat is as good as it is.

Supermarkets, often for good reason, don't want you to know anything of the back story to their meat products because they are not good news!

F&B have come a long way since those early deliveries and theirs is a fine business, sourcing the very best and with a degree of care and passion unequalled in this industry. I am proud of our long and significant business relationship.

Our families have grown up during this time and we are also growing older. Our successes are theirs too, like winning this year's Delicious Produce Awards Trophy in the "from the Paddock" category which is essentially an acknowledgment that in 2024 we've produced Australia's best meat.

The Bio-Dynamic Texel lambs destined for F&B this week are magnificent; no time for false modesty! And the farm is vastly better in terms of the soil health and creek and river health than when we first supplied lamb to F&B.

Each year we stretch ourselves to enhance the eco-system that was so damaged from nearly 200 years of poor land management. We are measuring the biodiversity improvements and know that our 'good work' in this sphere is entirely down to the support we get through F&B clients. When someone buys a chop or roast through F&B a tiny woodland bird, a threatened species fish, lizard or frog is given a more secure future.

I believe that people do want to eat the best but care about the impacts of our choices and that has been shown to be gospel-true in the way our lamb remains popular within the F&B client base.

Their clients don't always get to "shake the hand that feeds them". But, thanks to the clear line of sight through enhanced communication, they can see clearly the absence of the things they don't want - residues and poor environmental outcomes - and the presence of the things they do want - brilliant flavour, silky texture, superior nutrition.

I supply these lambs with love, gratitude and the hope that we can continue this work for years to come. Our future depends on it, as does that of those who come after us.

Thank you,
Vince

Photos of Vince and Moorlands by Alan Benson.