A 20 year old veterinary student from Leitchville is this year’s winner of the $12,000 Greenham GOTAFE Dairy Scholarship.
Ellie Hodge has completed a science degree and is now in her first year of a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine at the University of Melbourne.
She was granted accelerated entry into the course.
Ms Hodge is one of three daughters of dairy farmers Cameron and Ann Hodge, who milk 400 Holsteins on their northern Victorian property.
She said the shared experience of lending a hand in the dairy, or hand feeding calves, had a deep impact on her outlook.
“Mum and dad have always been very open about the challenges of operating a dairy whether it be on-farm efficiencies or the volatility of milk pricing – basically the realities of running a dairy operation,” Ms Hodge said.
“When I was about sixteen, the local vet came out to treat a sick cow and I thought this is pretty cool – and later learnt that I could get paid for it!”
She said she now looked up to senior vets and the love they had for their careers.
“As I have gained more knowledge, I’ve become really interested in the area of animal health in terms of welfare and also production.
“Unless an animal is in its best condition and its welfare given top priority, it can’t produce to its potential – the two go hand in hand.”
Of particular focus, Ms Hodge said she was keen to investigate further into areas like dairy cow mastitis and preventative measures to this industry wide issue.
“We can look at reducing Bulk Milk Cell Counts (BMCC), improving breeding strategies and tightening up farm practices which can decrease losses associated with the condition.”
“I’m also keen to look further into antibiotic use and the issues surrounding ongoing use and antibiotic resistance,” Ms Hodge said.
GOTAFE Agriculture and Dairy commercial manager Darren Payne said Ellie had demonstrated outstanding academic capability and outlined her future contribution to the industry really well.
“Her potential future impact on community and industry will be significant,” Mr Payne said.
Greeham executive chairman, Peter Greenham, said the scholarship demonstrated company’s long-standing commitment to education, innovation and the Australian dairy industry.
“It’s very important that younger people see a future for themselves in dairy and agricultural production,” Mr Greenham said.
“We have built our business on servicing the dairy sector and we want to see it prosper to help build strong regional communities and local economies,” Mr Greenham said.
