A family-owned poultry farm at Somerton has secured a $500,000 grant through the latest round of the Coles Nurture Fund to trial an innovative water storage system aimed at improving water security and reducing losses from evaporation.
Wintergreen Farm is the first poultry producer to receive funding through the Coles Nurture Fund, with the grant supporting the construction of a 30-megalitre above-ground water storage system using interconnected water bladders.
The project will create a closed and controlled water supply for the farm’s growing broiler chicken operation, reducing reliance on open dam storage while helping safeguard water supplies during dry conditions.
Wintergreen Farm managing director Dan Calavassy said the funding would allow the family business to test a new approach that could have broader applications across Australian agriculture.
“Coming from outside traditional farming, we have always looked at the farm with fresh eyes and asked how things could be done better, rather than doing things a certain way because that is how it has always been done,” he said.
“By moving away from open dam storage, we can reduce water loss through evaporation, lower disease risk and prove a practical model that could help protect farms, animals and food supply across Australia.”
The Somerton project was one of eight initiatives funded nationally in Round 14 of the Coles Nurture Fund, which provides grants of up to $500,000 to support sustainability, efficiency and innovation in Australian food production.
Coles Group chief commercial and sustainability officer Anna Croft said Wintergreen Farm’s proposal stood out for its practical approach to strengthening farming resilience.
“Tallogum Berries and Wintergreen Farm are tackling very different challenges, but both projects show how local producers are investing in the future of Australian food and farming,” she said.
“From helping grow a new snackable berry category to trialling a smarter water storage system for poultry farms, these projects have the potential to deliver benefits well beyond their own businesses.”
Since 2015, the Coles Nurture Fund has awarded more than $43 million to 127 Australian businesses. The latest funding round brings total support for New South Wales businesses to more than $7.5 million.
The Somerton grant was awarded alongside funding for Tallogum Berries in the Northern Rivers, which received $495,000 to expand commercial production of kiwi berries.
Applications for Round 15 of the Coles Nurture Fund are expected to open in January 2027.
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