Inspire: Mt Barker teenager Blake McFarlane of Blake’s Chooks and Eggs on his farming journey

Mt Barker farmer Blake McFarlane has been doing things a little differently since he started his first business at just 13 years old. Since its inception in 2018, Blake’s Chooks and Eggs — which can be found in local grocers, IGAs, and cafes around the Great Southern — has grown to a fully-fledged operation with 2000 hens producing about 840 eggs a day. Mr McFarlane’s approach sets him apart with a focus on organic and ethical production. “It’s all about trying to get the best produce to the local community, and I’ve been able to have that way of producing a really nice egg that’s got no hormones in it and doesn’t make people sick,” he said. “It’s a really good thing for not only myself and my family to be proud of, but also for the community and their feedback on how our produce is.” The 18-year-old — who describes himself as “all about free-range eggs” — identified a niche in the local market that won him the Qoin Small Business Achiever Award at the 7NEWS Young Achiever Awards in 2022. Last year, he expanded to sheep shearing with a focus on the animals’ welfare and now employs 10 people across both businesses. “I just wanted to find something that no one else was doing — find something that I could do quite well and bring happiness to other people,” he said. “The shearing came about with just a few farmers coming up to me and saying ‘why not start up? You’re young, you can do a beautiful job, why not have a crack at it?’.” “I ran that idea past a few other people that are well-known in the shearing industry and ran it past my family as well and the shearing kind of took off from there. “It just happened to be something that no one else was doing or able to make really good quality product.” Brought up on the family farm in Forest Hill, just outside of Mt Barker, Mr McFarlane said it always made sense to go into the agricultural business himself but the venture hasn’t been without its ups and downs. “Obviously as everyone knows it’s a bit hard with all the restrictions there are now and costs of living and farming costs, and it really doesn’t help with this government stopping live export,” he said. “It takes away a bit of work as a lot of farmers will be going out of shape, which means the shearing run will get smaller.” Even so, the teenager said it had been “a good journey so far” and hopes to expand into broadacre crop farming one day. Wherever he goes next, Mr McFarlane will continue to prioritise the wellbeing of his livestock. “You can see and taste the difference between a well-looked-after shave with a lamb or a hen that’s laying eggs every day,” he said. “I very strongly believe that all livestock should be looked after quite well.”