Farming with a difference: inspiring sustainability through education

Words Tahney Fosdike - Thanks to Coast Lines magazine

Emma Gilbert runs The Farm Clarendon - a successful commercial poultry hatchery – and is a finalist for the SA Rural Women’s Award 2025. She recalls getting the keys for what was then a rundown old farmhouse on a 40°C day.

“It’s a special memory that I won’t ever forget—I didn’t know how incredible a journey this farm would take me on from that moment on,” she says. “It’s really inspiring to look back almost six years from when we started to how it’s grown and what we’ve developed and built from scratch.”

Emma credits span agriculture, education, and sustainability and her achievements don’t stop with The Farm; she has also developed an innovative app, IncubatePro, and leads other entrepreneurial initiatives inspired by her love for regional life.

Living in the country isn’t a novelty for Emma, who was raised in Victor Harbor and lived in the southeast for a short time, with some of her upbringing spent on a vineyard. She met her partner, Ryan French, through mutual friends in their rural hometown of Victor Harbor.

“I was 19, and I haven’t looked back since. He’s come on every journey and crazy idea I throw at him. I’m a very left-brained creative person. He’s a very type A perfectionist,” she says. The couple has been together for 13 years.

Emma says that while she was always interested in animals, she didn’t achieve the scores needed to train as a vet. She has a background in marketing, while Ryan has worked for the Metropolitan Fire Service. Her passion for animals and agriculture has always remained strong—leading to the purchase of their dream eight-hectare property in Clarendon in their early 20s.

“We couldn’t have pictured a better spot. It has the best of both worlds for us,” she says, speaking about the property’s position between Adelaide and the Fleurieu Peninsula. “We’re chalk and cheese, but work very well together. It’s good to keep each other on our toes. Now, we’re just creating this empire of hairy cows and crazy chickens.”

The pair began the mammoth renovation and infrastructure project while still in full-time jobs. They later transitioned to focus solely on their sustainable farming and heritage livestock business, all while starting a family—a journey that has had its challenges.

“We wake up, start our day, do the rounds, make sure all the animals are fed, collect eggs, check, pack, and send orders,” she says of their daily lives. “I can be going to schools teaching workshops or educational sessions around IncubatePro, or run a Cuddle a Cow session. It varies depending on the weather, bookings, season and orders coming through the door.”

“Farming is not easy,” Emma says. “There’s storm damage, livestock loss and rapid business growth. When you’re a small operation, like us, it’s also tricky to make sure everyone–including our customers–is happy.”

Their farming venture isn’t just about getting the job done—it’s underpinned by a passion to care for and preserve the land and its ecosystems.

“We are the next generation of doers, thinkers, and caretakers of this land,” Emma says.

The couple focuses on poultry breeding and produce, selling 80 varieties of heritage chickens and ducks and hatching tens of thousands of eggs annually, while also finding ways to share their passion with the community.

This includes developing IncubatePro, a tool Emma created, while still working full-time, to manage hatchlings amidst her busy schedule.

“It was designed to help anyone hatch anything from an egg,” she says, explaining that the app tracks and monitors poultry egg hatchings, guides users through the embryo development process and teaches them about farming and sustainability.

IncubatePro has been rolled out as an educational tool, with over 100 students across multiple schools in Australia using the app. But the impact has been far-reaching, with users in the United States using it to hatch reptiles.

“It’s bizarre to think my app is helping alligators hatch,” Emma laughs.

Her agricultural digital innovation also extends to social media—with over 30,000 people following The Farm Clarendon’s Instagram page.

“It’s our point of difference,” she says. “Without social media, we wouldn’t have a business. Many farmers are scared to use it; they don’t understand it or are not confident. All I can say to new businesses, whether in agriculture or not, is to embrace social media in a way you feel comfortable with.”

“Don’t just follow the trends. Create your own style, which is what we’ve done on The Farm. No one’s done what we’ve done before.

“Just be authentic.”

For Emma, doing agricultural life a little differently also extends into the offline: the business is known for its rainbow eggs and brightly coloured flowers, and Emma spends time consulting at schools and teaching students about chicken care, as well as hosting workshops and demonstrations on the farm.

There’s also the beloved ‘Cuddle a Cow’ experience—a community-oriented hour-long session for up to six people to get up close and personal with Highland cattle and get a taste of the mental health benefits of rural life.

Emma’s love for agricultural education and advocacy for eco-friendly farming practices led to her becoming a finalist in the SA Rural Women’s Award, alongside three other inspiring South Australian women: Marie Ellul (Adelaide), Annabelle Homer (Clare Valley) and Kelly Johnson (Murraylands).

“It’s a privilege and honour to be selected as a finalist,” Emma says. “The women who are part of it are incredible humans. The alumni will also be a great asset in my network to bounce ideas off. I’m excited to be part of it. Even though I’m not a winner, there’s exciting opportunities that will come from it.”

The award has encouraged her to continue to leverage her work and inspire more people to embrace agriculture, including the expansion of IncubatePro.

“I really want to bring more advanced features like bloodline tracking and fertility tracking on a commercial and breeder scale,” she says.

Anyone interested in having their own food source can download the app, Emma says, also suggesting they can start a veggie patch.

“You don’t need a lot of space to be more self-sufficient.” She says that she and Ryan want to help everyone, even those who don't plan to live on a farm, to live more environmentally conscious lives.

Beyond practicalities, Emma believes grit and determination are essential for entering agriculture and living more sustainably—two qualities she credits for achieving what she has at The Farm.

“We’re not tenth-generation chicken farmers,” she says. “There’s no blueprint for what we’re doing—we’re really reinventing the wheel.”

She hopes that through these ventures and values, she can inspire others to also connect with the land, embrace its opportunities and live more sustainable lives.