Life here at Yallamundi, like all farms, is guided by the seasons. With each shift comes new light, new weather, and new beginnings and endings, and each season brings something different to our lives here. Here’s what the seasons look like at Yallamundi Farm.
Summer means long days, busy pastures and shade-loving hens
Queensland summers arrive with a bang – the days stretch long, afternoon storms roll through and growth happens fast when the moisture hits. Pasture can jump up overnight, and the farm feels like it’s humming.
This is the season where our rotational sheds really come into their own. Moving our hens into fresh paddocks helps keep the ground cover strong and prevents any one area from being overworked. It also means the hens always have something new to explore – grass, seed heads and all the tiny bugs that live in healthy pasture.
Summer is also when shade matters most. Our landscape is dotted with olive trees, and you’ll often see our hens drifting into those cooler pockets as the day warms up. It’s a gentle daily pattern – our hens tend to forage in the morning, rest through the heat, then wander again as the light softens.
And while our summer storms can be dramatic, they’re part of the lifeblood of this place. After a good downpour the pasture brightens, wildflowers pop up and the biodiversity corridor beside our paddocks feels especially alive.
Autumn delivers steadier weather and a slower kind of growth
Autumn in Queensland often feels like a chance to exhale – the heat eases, the nights cool down and the land gets a chance to settle into itself.
Pasture growth slows compared to summer, but it also becomes more consistent. It’s a time when we’ll see a broader variety of plant species holding their ground, and this is a sign of diverse, well-managed grazing. This matters for both the soil and the hens. A mixed pasture gives them more natural interest underfoot, and encourages all their instincts to forage, scratch and dustbathe.
Autumn is also a season for watching and adjusting. Regenerative farming is a constant conversation with the land, so we’re checking ground cover, resting paddocks and planning activity to suit the cooler months ahead.
In the biodiversity corridor, this is when we’re likely to spot more movement at dawn and dusk when the air is mild and native animals make the most of the comfortable conditions.
Winter is all about crisp mornings, hardy pasture and resilience
Winter here doesn’t bite the way it does down south, but it brings its own kind of chill. Mornings can be fresh, the sun sits lower and the farm feels a little more spacious.
Pasture growth is slower now, so resting ground becomes even more important. Even in winter, the living armour of grass and leaf litter is what supports healthy soil biology.
For the hens, winter days are often calm and bright – it’s the perfect roaming weather. You’ll see them spread out across the paddocks, socialising in small groups and foraging at their own pace, before returning to roost as the light fades. With our low stocking density of just 750 hens per hectare, they have room to follow their natural rhythms without crowding or pressure.
Spring sees new life everywhere, from pasture to trees
Spring is a show-off of a season here on the farm. It’s when warmth returns, daylight lengthens and the farm starts to move quickly again. Pasture thickens and insect life becomes lively — all of which makes for a fascinating outdoor environment for hens to explore.
In the biodiversity corridor, spring is equally busy. Native plants flower, birds call from the trees and the whole space feels like it’s stretching awake. That corridor isn’t separate from the farm – it’s part of the same living system, supporting pollinators, small animals and the broader balance of life around our paddocks.
