Kit Davidson’s family sparked her interest in breeding dairy cows from a young age.
Parents Stuart and Gillian gave her 25 Holstein calves when she was five years-old and registered the stud in her name. She has grown the stud herd of Kit Holsteins and Brown Swiss to 115 Holsteins and 15 Brown Swiss.
The 24 year-old grew up at Lady Smith, NSW, where her family had a Holstein stud. They dispersed the stud and Ms Davidson moved to Finley, close to the Victoria-NSW border in 2010, with her stud cows.
Her cows are run with the larger herd at Yurunga Farms, owned and operated by the Marshall family.
Ms Davidson said the Yurunga Farms operation now milks about 700 cows, mostly Holsteins, which was set to increase with autumn calving, including about 140 heifers to calve down in May. The herd has year-round calving, but the heifers are mated in big batches which means there’s a few days of them calving which can be very busy for the team.
She has worked at the large-scale operation since July 2010 and she does a variety of different tasks: “There’s always a lot to do, whether it’s watching over the cows that are calving, bringing cows in for milking, working with heifers, feeding, moving stock for grazing management, fixing fences.”
Ms Davidson also helps to train farm workers, which often includes people from overseas as well as casual relief milkers. Despite the long days and hard work, she loves the lifestyle and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Her passion for dairying gets her up morning – in the summer, she’s up for milking at 3.10am and some nights she finishes past 7pm.
After finishing her schooling at Wagga Wagga, NSW, she worked on her family’s farm. During that time, Emily Brown, Linderlan Brown Swiss stud, now based at Katunga, did some weekend milking for the Davidsons and introduced Ms Davidson to Brown Swiss cattle, known for strong feet and legs, quiet temperament and longevity.
“I added Brown Swiss to my stud in 2007 by buying my first cow from Max and Robyn Wake, Benleigh Brown Swiss,” she said.
This year, Ms Davidson brought two Holsteins and three Brown Swiss to International Dairy Week (IDW) at Tatura. She won her first broad ribbon of IDW with junior champion heifer with Kit Brookings Spencer.
“I like taking my best animals, preparing them to ensure they look their best and put them up against other breeders’ cattle. I like the social aspect of showing too, because you get so busy at home, that there’s barely anytime to catch up with other cattle breeders,” she said.
Ms Davidson sources genetics from overseas because Brown Swiss are one of the most populous dairy breeds in the world, putting the artificial insemination course she did when she was 16 to good use. The focus of her breeding program is on correct udders, then on correct frame and other aspects that make good dairy cows.
“Life’s too short to milk ugly cows!” she said.
Ms Davidson said there were lots of opportunities in the dairy industry and maybe one day she’ll own a farm.
“I’m very content working where I am – they are great people to work for and the sheer number of animals means we’re exposed to lots of different situations.”
