VERSTEDEN'S Egg Farm is a family business that has been producing eggs in West Gippsland for about 60 years, including more than 40 years on its current site.
Six members of the family now work full-time on the farm and more than $8 million has been spent on recent expansion.
But despite the capital investment and the family's long ties to egg farming – four generations have worked full-time in the business – the odds of Versteden's Egg Farm operating on the current site in another 40 years seem remote.
Because the egg farm and its chook sheds – about four kilometres from the centre of Drouin – fall within an area recently endorsed as suitable for future residential development by Baw Baw Shire, one of the fastest-growing shires in country Victoria.
The shire's plan to increase Drouin's town boundary by an extra 906 hectares - which needs final approval from Planning Minister Matthew Guy - means urban development will inevitably advance closer and closer to the 18.6-hectare egg farm over coming years.
The family has a right to keep operating its egg farm despite the proposed town boundary changes, and has the protection of a 500-metre buffer around the property.
But the manager of the business, Michael Versteden, said nearby residential development would simply make farming "harder and harder".
His concern is that some people in new houses with picturesque rural views will not like the noise made by trucks travelling to and from the farm, the odours produced by an egg farm, and other aspects of living near a commercial property.
And while the current council highlights the family's right to keep farming on the land it owns, Mr Versteden points out the councillors will not be in their roles indefinitely.
The Verstedens could, of course, sell their land to developers – the simple act of rezoning will noticeably increase its worth – but Mr Versteden questions the wisdom of doing that soon, after millions of dollars were spent on recent improvements.
Before learning of the council's growth plans, Mr Versteden said he did not expect the town to expand in the egg farm's direction.
"I thought Drouin would grow in other directions. And because there's a chook farm here, why would they grow it out this side when there's other usable vacant land?"
While the proposed boundary changes have caused some anxiety, Mr Versteden said he did not object to the notion of the town expanding.
"I support the growth of the town; it needs to grow," he said.
"I don't want to be in its way and stop [it]. And in all honesty, if government came along and gave us a grant, I'd pack my bags and move on."
Baw Baw's mayor Murray Cook said the proposed new boundaries for Drouin and other local towns had been produced after years of careful investigation.
He said the state government had declared the area a "growth corridor" and the council was planning accordingly.
The Versteden family had the right to keep running the egg farm on its own land, he said.
"They can stay on that farm as long as they wish. Quite often you'll see, in previous growth areas closer to Melbourne, houses all around particular open areas, because people have chosen to do just that."
Cr Cook said the issue faced on the edge of Drouin would occur in other areas outside Melbourne.
"With the residential growth coming out of Melbourne, we're getting urban living coming up against rural practices. And you can't shift the things like knackeries, quarries ... they're there."
