The Sunnybank Family
James and Jasmine Walton, along with their daughter Lily and Jasmine's father, Terry, are the driving force behind the daily tasks that bring Sunnybank to life. This farm is a true family affair, deeply rooted in the Walton family's history and love for the land.
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James's parents, Wayne and Jenny, also farm the land, following in the footsteps of Wayne's father and James's grandfather. Wayne and Jenny's guidance and support have been crucial to our regenerative journey.
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The unwavering support of multiple generations of Waltons, who have all grown up on and cherished this land, makes Sunnybank a thriving and beloved place. We are fortunate to live and work on this land, continuing the legacy and passion of our family.
Meet The Team
Jasmine
James
Terry
Our Begining
Sunnybank Farm is a multi-generational 600-acre farm near Ballarat, owned by the Walton Family. Over the generations the land has produced a wide variety of produce, currently including beef, lamb, wool, oats, wheat and canola.
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The world of agriculture is ever-changing, and smaller farms like ours need to think outside the box to survive and remain viable working farms into the future. Embracing regenerative farming practices, which not only sustainably produce food but also improve soil health, has given us the opportunity to farm with a nature-first mentality.
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By prioritizing the health of our soil and the environment, we are able to create a more sustainable and resilient farming system. This approach not only benefits the land, but also contributes to the overall health of the ecosystem.
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Initially in 2020, our focus was to produce as much of our own food as we can and being able to consistently eat our own fresh eggs, fruit, vegetables, lamb, beef and honey has been a huge success. A large part of our diet is now homegrown.
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On the back of that in 2021, we have started to expand production and connect the local community with naturally grown, quality, ethical produce. This includes our pasture-raised eggs, grass-fed lamb boxes, grass-fed beef packs, fresh honey and chemical-free fruit and vegetables.
Everything we produce is done so on the foundation of natural and ethical farm practices that focuses on the wellbeing of the animals and that allows them to live as close to their natural behaviours as possible.
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Maximum life, minimum stress and a fast end is all part of ethical animal management and the best quality and healthiest food for consumption.
These practices not only benefit the animals but allow us to improve our soils, to sequester more carbon and to develop biodiversity into our landscape. These benefits ultimately increase production per acre and we hope give us the ability to grow and support our family and the generations to come.
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Now & Beyond
Presently, across Ballarat and its surrounds, we sell up to 8,000 pasture raised eggs per week, with 1,500 happy hens strutting their stuff across our pastures each day. Helping keep everyone in line are our three stoic and often silly rescued Maremma's, Bass, Ola, and Tyson who take their guarding duties very seriously… most of the time.
Our grass-fed lamb and beef boxes are delivered on a bi monthly basis, with hundreds sold each year.
Our small market garden has been taken over and reinvigorated by the brilliant duo at Underground Pantry.
Since welcoming our daughter, we have teamed up with our beekeeping neighbours, The Polish Beekeeper, to produce the very best, diverse range of honey products, sourcing pollen across all seasons from around the state.
Our eggs and honey are sold fresh at our small roadside farm gate, available to our local community 24/7 365 days of the year.
At the core of our values lies a commitment to community engagement and recognizing the essential role education plays in the future of our food system. Jasmine currently serves as the President of the Central Victorian Regenerative Farmers Inc., a group focused on empowering farmers and landholders toward a regenerative future. Terry is a member of the Ballarat Local Food Coalition, contributing to the local dialogue on food sustainability.
Together, the three of us host various schools, groups, and organizations, creating educational experiences that help people see the magic of how the land and food work together.
Open days and increased educational tours are in the works, with current infrastructure upgrades in construction and planning stages.
We have a number of exciting new partnerships, new retail sites, and products coming your way over the next six months. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, wherever you get your screentime fix, from short to long form content showing how, what, and why we do what we do on the farm—often with lots of animals, plenty of laughs, and a many surprises along the way.
