Lindsay Murray longs for a return to the good old days of agriculture; when farmers diversified rather than monocropped, kept and bred their own animals, and were free of the constant pressure to get bigger and more mechanised in order to make a living.

He’s not driven by nostalgia, but a desire to see a more sustainable farming system, which provides greater care and respect to both the land and to farmed animals.

The son of a Riverina farmer, Lindsay saw the problems facing agriculture during 60s and 70s, such as salination, and the shift toward bigger and bigger farms: “you had to get more machinery and produce more and more but at the same time we were absolutely penniless. There was no future in farming.”

Lindsay left the farm after school and pursued a successful career in medicine, but after buying a property at Myocum in the 1990s, found farming was getting back under his skin.

He bought some chickens, but rather than buy hybrids, which are bred solely as egg or meat machines, tracked down some heritage chickens, the dual purpose breeds that he had helped look after as a boy.

“I can remember being upset as a kid that all the old farm breeds were disappearing… these cheap chickens were being produced for the industrial egg production that was taking off in the 60s and 70s. Suddenly the farmers starting buying in these laying hens and then just replacing them every year to get their eggs.”

After some successful breeding, Lindsay started selling his chickens at the Mullumbimby Farmers Market, and for the past four years has tried to educate people about why they should keep chickens, and why they should choose heritage breeds.

He says hybrid chickens produce a lot of eggs, but their lives are cut short because so much energy is put into egg production.

“So many people think they’re doing the right thing because they went and bought some Lohmanns or Isa Browns from the local produce store… but in fact they’re just supporting industrial agriculture. It’s better than nothing but I would be really good if people started keeping chickens and breeding chickens.”

He’s taken it a step further by running workshops for people who want to learn how to kill and bird for eating, something he says everyone knew how to do two generations ago.

Lindsay says he feels he is doing his bit by helping others opt out of the industrial food production system.

“I feel like I’ve put nearly 1000 chickens into backyards around Mullum – and that‘s about 100,000 eggs – so you feel like your responsible for all these eggs that aren’t being bought at the supermarket…so you know, it’s a good feeling.”

Lindsay Murray also breeds and sells geese and turkeys. He currently attends the market every fortnight.

Story and photos by Kate O’Neill.