Happy Monday 🐮🌱
Cows are grazing grass, it’s been raining & the kids go back to school!! This week is off to a great start… if only we could get the NBN back online 🤯
New episode 🤞🏼 hopefully up later today!
June has certainly been jam-packed 🐮 here’s what’s been happening!
- We’re still waiting for decent winter rain 🌧️
- Although there is some grass growing in the paddocks it’s SLOW! The newly sown pastures have germinated but they are still a long way off grazing.
- We are still feeding heaps of hay and almond hulls!! But we have added some grass into the diet, although it’s only 2kg the cows are very happy to be back on grass 🌱
- We are in the midst of joining, with a mix of sexed, conventional and beef semen being used 🐮 and weighing of the heifers before we put them with the bull
- Unfortunately we’ve had an outbreak of salmonella 🤯 which has meant heaps of sick cows, vet visits and treatments, but fingers crossed we are on the road to recovery!
- Plenty of time in the office getting ready for the end of financial year, updating the budget with the new income estimate, revisiting farm goals and values and making plans for the new season 😃
And shared 2 episodes of the podcast 🎧
- Jimmy Eggert
- Sammie Smith
July is set to be even bigger 💪🏻 bring it on!
One of the most commonly asked questions before the @creamofthecrop_au conference in 2022 was can I come along if I only just… insert all of the jobs that are taken on by women that are crucial to a farming business but are often overlooked and undervalued.
But the answer was an overwhelming YES!!!
Because WOMEN ARE IMPORTANT and deserve to learn new skills, connect with likeminded women and feel inspired and energised about your role in your family, farming business and community 🐮
You can hear more about how and why the Cream of the Crop conference was created in episode 50 on the @morethanmilk.podcast and if you have been thinking about attending this year’s event in Echuca but aren’t sure, this is the sign you need to prioritise yourself and book an early bird ticket, the link is in our bio ✨
#creamofthecropau #morethanmilkpodcast #dairyfarm #dairy #womenindairy #womeninbusiness #inspiringwomen #thisisagriculture
🌟 OUT TOMORROW 🌟
@sammie_smith1996_ had the idea to get young farmers in a room to not only laugh but to learn as well and she had made it happen !!!
She sat down with me straight after the @dairynsw Young Dairy Network conference wrapped up and shared what a huge success the YDN conference was and spoke more broadly about the impacts the YDN is having across NSW 🐮
She is an absolute legend and you won’t want to miss it !!
Some great advice from Erica at @tilbadairy
Today we celebrate and recognise the incredible farmers working tirelessly on farm, the economic impacts dairy has to our local communities and the importance of consuming dairy as part of a healthy diet.
I’m so proud to be a dairy farmer but feel so privileged to share stories showcasing incredible people across our industry every week 🐮 HAPPY WORLD MILK DAY 🥛
#poweredbymilk #dairyaustralia #morethanmilk #dairyfarming
It’s been a magnificent May with just a hint of madness on farm and in life 😝
Here’s what we’ve been up:
- Today is the last day of autumn and we’re yet to see an autumn break… so it’s VERY DRY in the paddocks !!!
- Grass seed has all been sown in the renovation paddocks, but nothing has germinated yet 🤞🏼 but there is a slight green tinge in the over-sown paddocks, we just need RAIN!
- The effluent ponds were spread onto some paddocks
- We’re still feeding cows with a mixture of vetch, clover hay, almond hulls and grain but are desperately wanting grass
- We’ve started AI with a mix of sexed semen, conventional semen and Hereford across the herd
- I’ve had a very full social calendar attending the @dairynsw YDN conference and @australiandairy Farmer Ambassador Skills Training Sessions
- I was awarded Runner-Up in the Young Dairy Leader Category at the @westvicdairy Great South Coast Dairy Awards
- Renovations are almost complete, we’ve moved back into our house but we’re still building IKEA wardrobes and moving furniture back in 😝
And shared 4 incredible episodes of the podcast
- Max Bond
- Liza Fahey
- Mia Ryan
- Erica Dibden
Here’s hoping for some winter rain 🌧️ and plenty of green grass!
Becoming a @australiandairy Ambassador 🥛
Last week we had our skills training session in Melbourne, where passionate, diverse and enthusiastic people in dairy came together to learn how to best promote & showcase our dairy industry!
It was an incredible opportunity and I look forward to continuing to showcase, promote and celebrate our incredible dairy industry 🐮
Who doesn’t love cow’s pumping milk 🥛
Although it might have been a little quieter on the podcast, life in April certainly has been fast paced!!
I’m back with doing some light duties on farm which is code for supervising and making lists of things that need to be done that I’m not capable of doing 🤣
But life’s been busy with:
- approaching the end of calving, with the calves growing well & almost ready to be weaned
- dry dry dry autumn conditions!! We missed out on most of the rain which has left the paddocks very dry and yellow
- a green tinge has only just started to come in the paddocks so we’re still feeding plenty of silage, vetch hay and the addition of almond hulls into their diet
- over-sowing paddocks with a mix of annuals, italians and perennials… the full pasture renovation will happen in the coming weeks (hopefully) with some rain on the forecast
- renovations are in FULL swing!!! Plaster repaired, painting, kitchen installed, new kitchen appliances chosen and we have a date for floor coverings to be laid which means we are soo close to being back in our house!
- recording new episodes of the podcast 🎙️
It’s the biggest weekend of the year in Koroit with the Irish Festival ☘️ There was plenty of music & dancing, Irish themed crafts in the kids zone, digging for potato’s, searching for the flaming folk and walking in the street parade!!
Celebrating the Irish heritage of our little community & welcoming thousands of visitors from near and far 🇮🇪
Aaron admits his mental ill health and alcoholism was probably always there, but it wasn’t until he was given the opportunity to run a second farm by himself that his dependency on alcohol became a real problem.
But with some incredible support around him and plenty of hard work and dedication, Aaron is back farming and making progressions in his own business, with a toolbox full of resources to maintain his mental health!
If you haven’t listened to the episode, put it on your list as a must do!
#morethanmilkpodcast #dairyfarming #dairyfarm #gippsland #mentalhealth #dairyaustralia
There was a time when @willryan0004 thought he had hit rock bottom in his farming and agribusiness career.
But it’s all about the choice 🔄: drown in self-pity or embrace your story and keep moving forward, one day at a time.
Fast forward and today he’s kicking goals on farm & within the dairy industry! You can listen to what choices he’s made that has allowed him to go from strength to strength in his 2 part Episode of the @morethanmilk.podcast 🐮✨
March looked a bit different 😝 with ACL & Meniscus surgery in the first few days of the month meaning most of my days have been spent inside… but the farm has certainly been busy
- Lead Feeding & Calving cows 🐮
- Rearing plenty of calves
- FEEDING cows with LOTS of quality vetch & silage
- Making plans for sowing grass when the break arrives
- Plenty of computer work & Netflix 🤪
- Spending plenty of time as a family!!
And shared 4 wonderful episodes on the podcast
- Nicole Saunders
- Chloe Brown 🫣
- Brendan Saunders
- Pia Osborne
One month of enforced rest down, hopefully not much longer to go 😝
Our yearly tradition of collecting donations for the @rchmelbourne @goodfridayappeal in Port Fairy 💜💚
The Royal Children’s will always hold a special place in our hearts, so if you are financially able, please donate via the website.
#giveforthekids #goodfridayappeal
Where do you even start if you’ve got an idea to diversify or value add to your existing dairy business???
Nicole Saunders shares how they started the @berrydairymaffra, what’s worked and what has been more challenging and why they’ve added an agri tourism and hospitality business in the front paddock of their dairy farm.
If you’ve got an idea about value adding or diversifying your dairy business it’s well worth a listen 🎧 available now everywhere you get your podcasts!
February = calving 🐮
Another big month on & off the farm, here’s what’s been happening
- Getting all of the cows ready for calving by feeding lead feed and ensuring they are fit, healthy & ready for calving and returning into the milking herd
- Over 80 calves (out of our 200) have been born this month, with all of the sexed heifers and beef cross claves being reared
- Attended the @australiandairyconference & met so many incredible new potential guests 😁
- Spent a week in New Zealand with the YDN Study Tour thanks for @demodairy.foundation
- Spent as much time as possible with the girls & celebrating Rodney’s birthday
- and we’re renovating our house 🤯 we’ve moved out and it’s slowly making progress
- And finally shared some incredible chat’s on the podcast
🐮 Alanah Moore
🐮 Will Ryan Part 1
🐮 Will Ryan Part 2
Last week I had the incredible opportunity, thanks to being a director with @demodairy.foundation to co-facilitate a study tour to New Zealand with a group of YDN participants from @westvicdairy and what a week it was !!!!
It was incredible to see the similarities between our farming systems as well as the vast differences, to hear some of the current & potential challenges along with the opportunities and innovation that comes with solving complex problems! But as always the unwavering passion from everyone we spoke to was shining through.
We certainly packed a lot in, including looking at the practicalities of @halterhq virtual fencing on multiple different farms, value adding to the business with raw milk vending machines on farm, utilising land not suitable for dairy cows with dairy sheep, a variety of different effluent systems, multiple discussions around progression options for young people & the future succession of farms as well as looking at LIC collecting semen and distributing it across NZ and internationally.
So it’s fair to say I had an incredible time… however it’s meant my brain is a little fried 😝 so no new episode of the podcast this week - I’ll be back to normal programming next Tuesday, but it’s got me thinking should I expand the podcast to include New Zealand? Or do u just keep it with an Australian industry focus?
Let me know your thoughts 👇🏼
How do we show people that dairy farming is more than just milking cows twice a day, everyday, including Christmas Day?
Surprisingly Ross, who grew up on a dairy farm, didn’t truly appreciate just how amazing cows could be until he started learning more through various courses.
But is it education, is it positively promoting the industry, is it a more conversational approach, is it giving people the opportunity to come onto farm and see/feel/do what we do, or is it a combination of all of these things and more???
I certainly don’t have all the answers around encouraging people into dairy, I just know we need to start!
For 22 years @tanialuckin has been representing farmers, ensuring extension programs are relevant and fit for purpose!!
And although attending her first Target10 meeting was a baptism of fire it ignited a passion to be involved in a “laundry list” of boards & organisations across the industry, with the last 6 years on the @australiandairy Board.
You can listen to the full episode tomorrow 🐮 which is jam packed with advice for anyone wanting to be involved in industry representation!!
