Say hi to the young egg farmer who casually started at age 8

You know those people you hear about who kinda make the rest of us look like we haven't really been up to much? Yeah. That's Madelaine Scott.While the rest of us were making volcanoes with baking soda and vinegar, Madelaine set about starting her own farm that wouldn't screw up the planet. Never mind that some people probably can't even say that at age 80 - Madelaine grows certified organic "ethical eggs" which she sells locally. The chickens are part of Hollyburton Park, a 440 acre certified organic farm in the Macedon Ranges, Victoria. She's already made mainstream news and been dubbed Australia's youngest "eggxecutive."Madelaine's eggs graced the table at our Urban Forage and Feast, an incredible crowd sourced dinner that highlighted local Melbourne producers. So we thought we'd have a quick catch up, and share a few yolks of wisdom with the rest of our community.What path led you to this industry or the start of your business?A home school project when I was 8 years old that escalated to a certified organic private business!What would you like our community of eaters to know?That delivering the absolute highest standard for any product or service is not out of reach or unrealistic. I strive for the best chickens, healthiest and best food and the best living conditions that regenerate the land used. The bar gets set higher every time we reach it. That's just how I operate and it's what I look for in employees and contractors to get the absolute best eggs I can out there, for everyone.What motivates you to invest time and effort into maintaining values such as local food, sustainability, provenance or social impact? It's a personal commitment. Motivation came from growing up so close to the land and seeing its infinite connectivity with itself and how fragile nature can be in the relative long term. In the history of the Earth, mankind has been around for the equivalent of a blink of an eye and just look at the result. Only we as individuals can make the personal commitment to a sustainable future, nobody can do that for you. I grew up with that intrinsically in me, so for the most part I rely more on personal responsibility, good habits and self discipline to stay the path of sustainable, low impact, regenerative living. The future is also an easier commitment to make since having a baby daughter recently, as she inherits the consequences of the actions or inactions from our choices in the world today.Subscribe to hear from more of the producers and backyard farmers from this incredible volunteer-powered event.A big thank you to our Melbourne volunteers Jasmine Chan, Kyra Hewitt and Alan Bechaz for bringing us this series. Images from Madelaine's eggs