Three things have shaped this reflection: the daily routine of feeding out to get my herd through this drought, talking to others about Dairy Australia’s Grounds for Growth event, and the WestVic Dairy Young Dairy Network event with guest speaker Gavin Hunt.
The current environment and political landscape present both challenges and opportunities for dairy farmers.
During the Grounds for Growth event in March, I saw farmers taking a chance and embracing change in pasture management.
They shared their motivations for experimenting a multi-species pastures approach. These motivations included managing dry conditions, mitigating erosion, coping with the fluctuating cost of nitrogen and bridging the feed gap during summer/autumn when feed is most expensive.
This multi-species approach is certainly not the norm, requiring innovation and open-mindedness to design effective pasture and forage mixes.
At the event scientists shared insights about the known and unknown aspects of this approach. Open sharing about what is working, and what is not, sparked good discussion about sustainable paths that ensure productivity and profitability.
Although there is still much to learn and more questions than answers, these methods hold potential for building a farm’s resilience to the political, environmental and market circumstances we find ourselves in.
This event reinforced the importance of innovation. Embracing new ideas has always been and will continue to be crucial for the future of agriculture.
In March, I also attended a WestVic Dairy Young Dairy Network (YDN) event. The YDN program supports young dairy farmers in their careers.
At this event, young farmers had the opportunity to hear from Gavin Hunt, who has extensive experience in the Irish dairy industry, including managing Farm Zero C, an innovative project focused on achieving a climate-neutral dairy farm.
It was a pleasure chatting with the YDN members. These local young farmers are forward thinking, and eager to learn how to remain environmentally and economically sustainable as consumer demands for sustainably produced food continues to rise.
Their commitment to adapting and evolving will set them up well for success.
WestVic Dairy and Dairy Australia are committed to advancing research and innovation, providing farmers with the latest information to enhance production, profitability, and sustainability.
As part of this commitment, WestVic Dairy has organised workshops for April and May:
- Understanding Farm Carbon: This workshop focuses on reducing your farm’s greenhouse gas emissions to protect profitability and sustainability while preparing your business for regulatory market changes. Sessions will be held in Heywood and Allansford, with one-on-one consultations available afterwards.
- Understanding Environmental Practices: Scheduled in Allansford and Timboon, this workshop aims to help farmers better understand environmental benchmarks and identify actions to improve their farm's performance.
You can find out more and register for these workshops by visiting westvicdairy.com.au, emailing info@westvicdairy.com.au or calling the office on 5557 1000.
As I continue to feed out every day like many others, making farm businesses more resilient to environmental situations, like drought, is a constant consideration.
Embracing innovation and sustainability is not just a choice but a necessity for future success in dairy farming.
I hope that by the time you are reading this the autumn break has arrived. If not, let’s hope it comes soon and brings relief.
As I leave you with my thoughts for this month, I wish you a very happy time over Easter with friends and family.
– Brendan Rea is the WestVic Dairy chair.
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