Max Bond has recently returned home to his family farm in Cooriemungle and to say he is passionate and energetic about farming and the wider industry would be an understatement. In this chat he shares about his school based apprenticeship and studies at Longerenong College, why he made the call to come home and how that fits within the family business as well as his involvement within the community and Young Dairy Network.  In the spirit of reconciliation we would like to acknowlegde the...

This is the second part of my incredible chat with Aaron Thomas, so if you haven't listened to part 1 yet, head there first and then come back here because you won’t want to miss this chat. In this week's epsidoe Aaron shares his involvement within industry and the newly formed Dairy Farmers Victoria, how he has taken on part of the farming business and we delve in the 3 pillars of the business and chat about all things farming.  In the spirit of reconciliation we would like to acknowlegde...

Aaron Thomas farms with Paul & Lisa Mumford in South East Gippsland, starting in a farm hand role and slowly progressing, taking on more responsibility and every opportunity to gain experience and knowledge as a self proclaimed sponge. He believed he was ready to take the next step and when Lisa & Paul purchased a second farm, Aaron was given the full reins to manage the operation. But it was here that his relationship with alcohol became increasingly damaging to his mental and...

Pia Osborne is an animal lover with a real passion for farming. Currently she is working in Gippsland in a farming family business but her farming career began in large scale corporate farms after working as a vet nurse. In today’s chat Pia shares the differences between the farming systems, how she’s been able to transfer her skills from vet nursing into farming and shares some ideas about how to encourage others to become involved in dairy. Now I also want to apologize up front, the audio...

Brendan Saunders grew up in New Zealand and farming was always going to be what he was going to do. Now if you’ve listened to Nicole’s episode from a couple of weeks ago, you’ll have half of the story… but there is so much more to hear. Brendan loves a simple farming system! From the way he grows grass, to the way they breed cows, Simple is his moto. Having a system that is easy to replicate so when and if an opportunity comes they’ll be ready to jump in to action. But he also shares how...

This week to celebrate 50 episodes, we are doing things a bit differently - the guest today is me!!! It is the most commonly asked question, when will you share your story? so here it is, why I’m involved in dairy and how and why the podcast came to be. I am joined by my lovely friend Renata Cumming who is guest host for the episode and although we touch on some heavy topics, including pregnancy and child loss it gives an insight into why I love dairy, why I really do love having these...

Nicole Saunders moved to Australia from New Zealand with husband Brendan in 2018 and has been focused on growth ever since. Starting out as sharefarmers, they’ve grown each year allowing them to be in a position to purchase their current farm, lease another dairy and have multiple outpaddocks along with the very successful hospitality business the Berry Dairy. In this week’s chat, Nicole shares the differences to farming in New Zealand, how they were able to progress to their current farming...

Will Ryan currently sharefarms alongside partner Kate in Lardner. But the path to get there certainly hasn’t been straight forward. In Part 1 of this incredible chat he shared how after finishing school, unsure of what he wanted to do, he returned home to his parent’s dairy farm, who had ridden on the coattails of capital gains. But just as he was about to finish his university degree, his world went into a spin with a cancer diagnosis for his father, followed by his sudden death and just...

Will currently sharefarms alongside partner Kate in Lardner… but the path to get there certainly hasn’t been straight forward. And as you will notice this is only part 1 of this incredible chat, because it’s a big one - so after finishing school, unsure of what he wanted to do, Will returned home to his parent’s dairy farm who had ridden on the coattails of capital gains. But just as he was about to finish his university degree, his world went into a spin with a cancer diagnosis for his...

Alanah Moore is an energetic 21 year old who has fallen head over heels for dairy. Working part time on 2 farms in West Gippsland, she is excited by what dairy can bring her into the future. In this chat we cover, how and why she came into dairy, what the day to day looks like working on 2 seperate farms, her desire to continue to learn and be ready for future steps within the industry… and I also try to have her settle the debate which is the best cow, jersey or friesian - who wins??? You'll...

Sophie Healy is balancing relief milking, aged care and a family run beef herd, but simply just loves milking cows. Throughout this chat we discuss all things relief milking, including how you find a good boss, what her day to day role looks like and why she has chosen dairy. She also openly shares her struggles with depression and anxiety, so just a heads up, we do discuss suicide but how it was milking that has really helped her. And as a reminder if you are in need of some support for your...

Gerry & Sarah Kelly are the father and daughter duo are living farm life in the city, or is it city life on the farm… either way they are possibly the closest dairy farm to Metro Melbourne. Milking 250 cows they aim to keep things simple. Sarah & Gerry have both returned home to the family farm, albeit at very different stages, Gerry returned quite a few years ago now, around the time their 200 Gallon milk contract was ending, making changes like increasing the cow numbers and grazing...

Tania Luckin and husband Stephen moved from New Zealand to Australia 26 years ago, and whilst Stephen was from a farming background, Tania had NO dairy experience. But as you will hear, she has thoroughly enjoyed learning and working alongside Stephen and certainly has had a wonderful career in dairy.  In today’s chat she shares the experience of moving to Australia and learning a whole new industry, how they have managed their staff with an emphasis on getting the 3R’s right, her...

Klaudia Douglas fell into a career in dairy, with an opportunity from Kevin & Brodie Game that was simply to good to refuse after finishing school & losing her licence. She began feeding calves and helping with the occasional milking, but has since started to take on more roles and responsibilities. You can certainly hear the excitement Klaudia now has for dairy, finding a passion for her cows and calves and the potential for her future. If you haven’t listened to Brodie’s episode,...

Brodie Game believes hard work will beat talent every single time, but I think she has plenty of both. As first generation farmers, she and husband Kevin were determined to fight for their dream of being dairy farmers and they certainly have had a number of setbacks along the way.  With limited financial options, dry seasonal conditions, a fire wiping out a large portion of their land and some very HIGH stress situations, it’s no surprise they both considered giving it all up.  But its...

Natasha Yarrington farms on the mid north coast of NSW and has a real passion for cows, but the transition onto her husband’s family farm hasn’t been all smooth sailing. In this episode of the podcast Tash shares her experience with farm succession, questioning when did she become a farmer, or did she ever stop? The gradual process of upgrading the business to be more efficient and streamlined including becoming a brown swiss stud, how she balances her time between the farm and homeschooling...

Ross Anderson farms in Heyfield, in the MID of Gippsland, where he milks 500 crossbred cows which he likes to think of as really efficient factories, making the best use of their water allocation and keeping them fully fed and healthy to provide for the multiple families that they support.  Just a heads up this chat was recorded a little while ago, and since then the farm has certainly been wet, but Ross would much prefer it wet than being too dry. It really is a great chat, so let's get...

Gemma & Tom Otton, farm in the Bega Valley at Candelo. Although they are both first generation dairy farmers, agriculture has always been in Tom’s blood. But entering into dairy isn’t always an easy process. How do you get a loan for cows and pay it back, manage cash flow, what do you include in a share farming agreement, how do you juggle farming and raising kids, and prepare yourself for fires, droughts? They are all things Gemma and Tom have worked their way through, starting out on a...

Sallie Jones is the co-creator of Gippsland Jersey, who alongside farmer Steve Reynolds started the milk brand in 2016, shortly after the milk price crash and the death of her father to suicide. Growing up, Sallie’s father was an early adopter of value adding to his farming business, producing ice cream and selling it in a store in Lakes Entrance, and building a processing factory on his farm right next to the dairy, and it’s his legacy that Sallie continues today. Knowing he would be...

René Dedoncker joined Fonterra 18 years ago, beginning in food service and bringing skills in international trade to lead a team, growing and connecting chef’s from across the world to innovate products, solve problems and better utilize dairy in their restaurants. But in 2016 he moved into the Managing Director role for the Australian business, just after the decision was made to step down the milk price, with complexities and consequences he didn’t fully grasp at the time.  Since then he...

Renae Connell and husband Scott both came from dairy farming families and were very young when they decided to go into partnership with her in-laws, purchasing the farm, in Dorrigo NSW, via vendor finance with Scott’s parents still owning the machinery and the cows. Initially to complete the succession plan Renae & Scott would buy the calves and machinery after 5 years to transition the business completely, but that's not quite how the plan worked.  After the 9th year without any further...

Michael Armstrong farms in Korumburra, where he has been share farming for the last 18 years and is currently milking 900 cows on a 50/50 share. Although it hasn’t been easy, the asset growth they’ve seen has certainly allowed them to build their dairy farming business. They have recently purchased their own farm, and built a new herringbone dairy where they milk another 400 cows, but has the capacity to double that.  Throughout this chat he gives great insight into how they’ve set their...

Glenys Zucco is the Head of Marketing at Dairy Australia, a job for her that is more than just a job, it's part of her identity. She grow up on a dairy farm and studied nutrition dietetics and health promotion at uni, loving the role food plays in sports performance and overall health. In the early days at DA she was helping to rebut incorrect claims and promote the nutritional benefits of dairy products, but her role has since evolved into marketing and leading a team around her to not only...

June Tarlinton spent her childhood as a timber cutter, living in the bush from the age of 9 traveling down the NSW coast clearing trees as they went before ending up at Wandella, when she was 16. It was there she met Richard, her now husband, who was a local dairy farmer. And it’s Cobargo that she’s called home for the last 40 years.  The original farm milked 80-100 cows with a mixed herd and a low flow creek running through it, so after they were married June wasn’t needed physically to...