JASE FARMS: GROWING THEIR OWN CHAPTER IN THE SOUTHERN FORESTS

For Jason and Jodie Omodei, Jase Farms is about putting down roots of their own while continuing a long family connection to farming in the Southern Forests. Based near Pemberton, Western Australia, the 80 acre property is home to 13 hectares of orchard, where the couple are growing lemons, grapefruit, blood oranges and avocados. The orchard is still relatively young, with the trees now in their fourth to fifth year, but the foundations of the business are firmly taking shape.

Farming is something Jason has returned to in his own way. After finishing FIFO work and with his children having finished school, he took on the property with the idea of growing something of his own. Jodie works in health care and Jason continues to work full time on another farm, with the pair building Jase Farms alongside their other commitments.

The farm is also a family affair. While Jason and Jodie focus on developing the orchard, their son William runs cattle across the grazing areas of the property, adding livestock to the mix and making Jase Farms a working farm shared across the family.

While the orchard may be their own venture, Jason is certainly not new to the farming community. The Omodei name has a long history in the Pemberton district, with the family’s connection to farming in the Southern Forests stretching back generations.

Jase Farms is now adding another chapter to that story, with Jason and Jodie taking a practical approach to building their knowledge of citrus and developing the orchard. They have made the most of the experience around them, drawing on advice from growers and industry professionals and building relationships with others working in agriculture across the region.

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  Jason and Jodie Omodei walking through farm holding citrus

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  Jase Farms looking across dam

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  Plate with various citrus of grapefruit, blood oranges and lemons

That connection to place is also reflected in Jason’s involvement with Genuinely Southern Forests and the Southern Forests Food Council. For him, the value of the brand comes from having a group of growers who recognise the quality and provenance of what is produced in the region, and are proud to put the Southern Forests name behind their produce.

Jason has also been involved in the Southern Forests Food Council’s Carbon Pilot Program, exploring practical ways growers can better understand and improve the environmental performance of their farming businesses. It is another example of the collaborative approach that has become an important part of Jason’s own journey in the industry: learning from others, sharing knowledge and continually looking at ways to improve what happens on the farm.

As a relatively new citrus grower, Jason sees being part of that network as an opportunity to learn from the experience already around him, while contributing to the future of farming in the region.

For Jason, that local knowledge is one of the things that makes the Southern Forests such a special place to farm. “Climate, soil and water” are what he sees as the region’s greatest strengths for growing citrus and avocados, but it is the people around the industry who have also made a real difference to their journey.

That sense of place is particularly important at Jase Farms. The property itself carries a little piece of local history, with the Eastbrook cricket pitch located on the farm from the early days of the district. Today, the property continues to support a mix of farming activities, with the orchard and cattle sharing the landscape.

Of the fruit they grow, lemons are currently Jason’s favourite. With more trees planted and greater opportunity to influence their growth, he enjoys the process of working with the crop. Blood oranges bring their own challenges, particularly around ripening, while the grapefruit produced on the farm is known for its excellent quality.

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  Hands holding cut open blood orange

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  Jason Omodei holding blood oranges in hands

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  board with various citrus fruits

For the couple, however, the focus is less on how much they can produce and more on establishing a healthy, productive orchard for the long term. “Tree health is number one and the rest follows,” Jason says.

That philosophy reflects the way they are approaching farming more broadly. There is no single new technology or big change that has transformed Jase Farms. Instead, Jason describes it as a process of continuous improvement: talking to other growers, seeking advice from professionals and continuing to learn something new along the way.

It is an approach that suits a young orchard and a couple building a farming business from the ground up.

Jase Farms may be a new name, but its roots run deep. With a long family connection to the Southern Forests behind them and a new generation becoming part of what comes next, Jase Farms is growing into something that belongs to the whole family.

For Jason and Jodie, there is plenty more to learn and plenty more to grow. And that is exactly what makes the journey at Jase Farms worth following.

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  Jason and Jodie Omodei walking through farm of citrus trees

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  Aerial view of farm

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  Hand squeezing lemon

Photography by Craig Kinder Photography by Genuinely Southern Forests