Climate, feedbase and the next generation will be discussed at a farmer forum to be held alongside Dairy Australia's annual general meeting.
The forum and AGM will be held at Moama, NSW, on November 28.
The forum will be interactive, providing the opportunity for farmers to engage over lunch and dinner, hear from other farmers and industry leaders, and find out more about the value Dairy Australia delivers to farmers.
The afternoon session will be on how dairy farmers have adapted their feedbase and risk management strategies to be more resilient in a changing climate.
Investing in the next generation of farmers will be the focus of the dinner session.
Adapting feedbase and risk management strategies
The afternoon session will feature dairy farmers from the Murray region including Dustin Kemp, Deanne Hore and Jacob Gardiner.
Mr Kemp is a sharefarmer at Lockington, Vic, and has extensive experience across all areas of dairy farming.
He has a Certificate III in Horticulture from Wodonga TAFE, majoring in arboriculture, and a Diploma with Dairy Australia/TAFE SA, majoring in agribusiness management.
He was president of the Campaspe Young Dairy Network and a member of the Young Farmers Ministerial Advisory Council, and is a director on the Murray Dairy board.
Mrs Hore has been a dairy farmer for more than 30 years at Leitchville, Victoria.
She and her husband are now transitioning their business to involve their son.
They operate Elmar Holsteins, milking 500-550 cows year-round.
They transitioned to a housed barn system for the milking herd fulltime in 2019, after having a partial mixed ration system from the mid-2000s.
They also transitioned to an every-day calving system to utilise the barn setup and built infrastructure over time.
Their farming area totals 750 hectares over two sites, all irrigatable by pipe and riser or open channel gravity lasered system.
They see a great future in the dairy industry.
Mr Gardiner manages his family's dairy farm in northern Victoria, alongside his parents.
They milk 900 cows on 350 hectares in a split calving, traditionally pasture-based system.
The drought in 2019 and high water prices saw the farm briefly pivot to a total mixed ration system, and it has since been operating a hybrid partial mixed ration system.
Mr Gardiner completed a Bachelor of Science and a Masters of Agribusiness at the University of Melbourne.
He worked for an agricultural consulting company before returning to the family farm in 2018.
Investing in the next generation
The investing in the next generation session will feature a panel of young farmers who will discuss their involvement in the Young Dairy Development Program.
The MC Rachael Napier and her partner operate a dairy farm at Deniliquin, NSW.
With more than 20 years' experience, Ms Napier has a wealth of knowledge in dairy farm operations, business and staff management.
She has held various leadership roles within dairy and her local community.
She has a passion for flexible farming systems, fostering sustainability and the environment.
The facilitator Nick Minogue grew up on his family farm at Katandra West, Vic, before completing an agriculture degree and returning to the farm fulltime in 2015, working his way into farm management.
The business has gradually grown and now has 240 cows, while adapting to be more resilient to challenges.
Being involved in the Young Dairy Network has allowed Mr Minogue to grow professionally and personally.
Hannah Kerrins grew up on her family's farm at Tatura, Vic.
After completing school, she worked in the water industry, then at a cattle station in Queensland.
In 2020, after her family grew herd numbers from 170 to 400 cows, she returned to become involved in the family business in herd health and managing staff.
She enjoys the challenges and rewards of farming.
Since returning home, the family have implemented many changes that have helped to grow a bigger and better business.
Ebony Mull grew up on her family's farm in the Kiewa Valley, Vic.
After a career as a vet, she returned to the family farm in a share famer role.
She is working on purchasing the herd and eventually ownership of the farm.
Her vet career has been useful in developing skills to deal with animal health, disease prevention, developing protocols, staff management, delegation and multi-tasking.
She enjoys the dairy industry because she can work alongside her family, be her own boss, spend time with her two-year-old daughter and raise her in the farming lifestyle.
Andrew Rushton has recently taken on a more managerial role on his family farm at Rochester, Vic, where they milk 260 Jerseys on 160 hectares.
After high school, Mr Rushton was encouraged by his family to get a trade.
He worked for eight years in heavy fabrication before returning to the farm in 2010.
He enjoyed growing up on the dairy farm and wants his children to have the same opportunities and experiences.
He loves working the land and seeing cows enjoy the feed he has grown.
Dairy Australia AGM
The Dairy Australia AGM will be held after lunch from 1pm.
The AGM and farmer forum will be held at Moama RSL.
Farmers are invited to attend in person or participate online.
There is no cost to attend the forum, but registration is required by November 20.
More information is available at DairyAustralia.com.au/AGM.
Want to read more stories like this?
Sign up below (select Dairy News) to receive our e-newsletter delivered fresh to your email inbox twice a week.
