Thanks to the dairy farmers of Wagga Wagga, Blighty and Finley
Last week, my president Joe Bradley and I visited dairy farmers in one our southern most areas around the towns of Wagga Wagga, Blighty and Finley. We were blown away by the reception we received from all the local dairy farmers. A trip to the area was long overdue and prompted by a question by dairy farmer Nina Marshall as to why I hadn’t visited the area yet.
We met with 6 dairy farmers in Wagga Wagga and Tumut including a visit to the farm of Amy and Melinda Hayter. This was an opportunity for Joe to continue his obsession with Brown Swiss cows. The cold conditions in Tumut were a far cry from the Queensland weather Joe and I are accustomed to.
We then moved to the Finley and Blighty areas where we met with around 40 dairy farmers. The willingness of farmers to show us their farms and welcome us to their community was overwhelming. We were blown away by the farms we saw and certainly gave me a new perspective on what is possible in the dairy industry. The scale and efficiency of operations was extremely impressive, and all dairy farmers should visit and learn from these dairy farmers.
The farmers really appreciated the opportunity to gather and talk with their fellow dairy farmers which is something they have not done for years. Clearly for many of the farmers they felt like they were the forgotten dairy farmers of NSW being so isolated from other farmers.
The massive drop in milk prices announced on 3 June was the major talking point as was the dumping of some farmers by their processors. We all hope that prices lift or there will clearly be a lot of farmers cease especially for those whose contracts expired in June.
A very special thanks to Ruth and Neville Kydd for hosting Joe and I. it was great to finally see what I have heard Ruth talk about for many years. The Kydds run a very impressive operation and are rightfully highly respected by their local farmers. The Kydds are due to open their new 80 stand rotary in early July (we hope for Ruth’s sake) to go with the two 50 stand rotaries they already have. The rumour is that if the electricity isn’t hooked up in time the dairy will be powered by Ruth’s pedal power.
Eric Danzi, eastAUSmilk CEO